Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 sprigs of rosemary and a few sprigs of thyme
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 × 400 g tins cannellini or borlotti beans, drained (or 500 g home-cooked beans)
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 300 g cavolo nero or kale, stalks removed, leaves shredded
- ¼ Savoy cabbage, shredded
- 150 g day-old sourdough bread, crusts removed, torn into pieces
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Make the base: heat the oil in a large, heavy pan and cook the onion, carrot and celery gently for 15 minutes, until very soft. Add the garlic, chilli and herbs and cook for 2 minutes.Lighter option: soften the vegetables in a few tablespoons of water or stock instead of oil, adding a splash more whenever the pan starts to look dry. Each tablespoon of oil you leave out saves around 120 calories, and most people find the dish tastes just as good.
- Add the tomatoes and beans: add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Mash about a third of the beans with a fork and add all the beans to the pan with the stock.
- Simmer: bring to the boil, add the cavolo nero and cabbage, then simmer gently, partly covered, for 40 minutes, until the greens are very tender.
- Thicken: stir in the bread and simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring now and then, until the bread breaks down and the soup is thick enough for a spoon to almost stand up. Remove the herb stalks and season well.
- Serve: ladle into bowls. Ribollita is even better the next day, gently reheated.
Why it's good for you: A true "peasant" dish from one of the healthiest food cultures in Europe. Beans and greens together provide plant protein, iron, folate and plenty of fibre to feed the gut microbes, and extra virgin olive oil adds protective polyphenols. (Read more in Food as Medicine.)
Good to know: Use gluten-free bread, or leave it out and mash more beans, for a gluten-free version.
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