The ribollita (white bean soup) I fell in love with at a small Italian enoteca near Chelsea Market was clear and uncluttered, infused with kale and veggies and a light smattering of beans. There was no bread. Since, then I’ve had many versions of this beloved dish–with breadcrumbs, with chunks of sourdough, with large slices of toasted bread. Sometimes, even the venerable kale has been left out.
There’s a reason for this. “Ribollita” in Italian means “reboiled.” I interpret that as leftovers re-heated and re-served. And one person’s leftovers will, after all, differ from another’s. So although here I present you with my version of this popular soup, this recipe, more than any other, is really meant as a guidance.
Feel free to substitute veggies and herbs as you please. Generally, the kale, bread and white beans are seen as “musts”. But even this rule need not be absolute. My 4-year old is yet to appreciate the merits of kale, so I frequently replace that with swiss chard. And neither of these greens freezes well, so if making huge quantities for the future, I leave them out altogether.
After all, substitutions and creative license, are the stock-in-trade of home cooks, wives and mothers everywhere.
Stove-Top Ribollita (White Bean Soup)
- It takes a little longer but still tastes delicious. See how to cook this white bean soup on the stove top at https://veggiemashups.com/white-bean-ribollita/
Quick & Easy. Instant Pot Ribollita-A Hearty White Bean Soup With Toasted Croutons & Barley
- Prep Time: 10 mins.
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 mins.
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Vegetables, butter bean broth and herbs are steadily simmered together, and topped with rosemary infused croutons to create a light yet hearty white bean soup.
Ingredients
For Making the Soup:
5 cups veggie stock
1 14 oz. can butter or cannellini beans
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup fresh parsley or 1 tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 cup barley or ditalini (small pasta)
1/4 cup each of leeks, shallots & celery (or any two of these), diced small
1/4 cup carrots, sliced into small rounds, then quartered
1/4 cup potatoes, diced small
1/4 cup beans, cut into small rounds
1/4 cup zucchini, cut into rounds, then quartered
1/2 cup tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup passata or tomato sauce
A quarter wedge parmesan rind or 1/8 cup grated parmesan (optional for vegans)
1 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Salt to taste (1-1 1/4 tsp. salt
For the croutons:
2 pieces of wheat/white bread
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. dried rosemary
Salt to taste (1/8-1/4 tsp.)
Instructions
Preparing the White Bean Broth:
- Blend 1/2 cup of the butter/cannellini beans with 1 cup stock. Set aside.
Turning Bread Pieces Into Croutons:
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Chop up two slices of wheat bread into even 1-2 cm. squares. The more even the squares, the more evenly they will cook. Transfer them into an oven-proof dish.
- Pour 2 tbsp. olive oil over the squares and mix the oil into the bread.
- Season the pieces with 1/8 tsp. each of salt, pepper and rosemary.
- Place the bread in the oven and roast for 7-10 mins. Check periodically to make sure the pieces don’t burn, especially if you have smaller squares. Additionally, check after 5 mins. and if necessary, flip the pieces around so all sides roast evenly.
- Take them out as soon as they are done. If you leave in the oven, they will continue browning because of the residual heat and will become burnt.
Making the Soup:
- Once, the croutons are in the oven, add all the following ingredients to the Instant Pot: 1 tbsp. oil + 2 chopped garlic cloves + 1/4 cup each of leeks, celery, shallots, carrots, potatoes, beans and zucchini. Cook on saute mode for 2 mins.
- Season with 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Continue cooking the veggies for another 3-4 mins. If they start sticking to the bottom of the pan, just add a dash of veggie stock.
- Toss in 1/2 cup barley + 1/2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar. Cook the vinegar out for 1 min.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients, except the butter/cannellini beans and 1 tbsp. olive oil: 4 cups stock + white bean broth + 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste + 1/2 cup tomatoes + 1/4 cup passata/tomato sauce + 1/8 cup parmesan + 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Cook for 10 mins, still on saute mode.
- Toss in the butter/cannellini beans. Continue cooking for 5-10 mins. till barley is cooked.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp. olive oil on top for fragrance.
- Garnish with toasted croutons and serve.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute veggies of choice: cabbage, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, kale.
- If you don’t have distilled white vinegar, skip it and add a dash of lemon at the end along with the drizzle of olive oil.
- Substitute any other herbs for parsley: thyme, oregano, marjoram, herbs de provence. Rosemary is not advisable since the croutons already contain it and too much rosemary can be bitter.
- If you don’t have barley, you can use couscous/bulgur/quino. If using quinoa or couscus, make sure it’s the big pearl sized ones. This way, they won’t get lost in the soup.
- You can also forego the grains and use pasta instead. I prefer ditalini (small tubular pasta) because they are hardier and retain their shape even when cooked in soup, but you can also use macaroni or orzo. Cook the pasta separately and toss them in the soup, along with the butter beans.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 131
- Sugar: 2.7
- Sodium: 935
- Fat: 5.7
- Saturated Fat: 2.1
- Carbohydrates: 19.3
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 4.3
- Cholesterol: 1
Keywords: white beans, white bean soup, tuscan soup, ribollita, tomato soup, soup, vegetable soup, vegetarian soup, vegetarian bean soup, minestrone, vegan soup, vegan bean soup, vegetarian ribollita, vegan ribollita, vegetarian white bean soup, vegan white bean soup, vegetarian tuscan white bean soup, vegan tuscan white bean soup, vegetarian tomato soup, vegan tomato soup
Eating With Your Eyes:
Other Fun White Bean Recipes
- White Beans With Sage & Garlic–If you need a protein packed side dish or a nutritious snack for your toddler, check out https://www.platingsandpairings.com/italian-white-beans/
- White Bean & Ricotta Bruschetta–Substitute the fava beans in this recipe for a quick and yummy biteful of white beans, and enjoy with cheese and black pepper. Click on https://food52.com/recipes/11645-fava-and-fresh-ricotta-crostini
More Yummy Italian Recipes:
- A fragrant tomato and olive pesto wrapped around linguine. It’s quick and irresistible. https://veggiemashups.com/tomato-basil-pesto/
- A creamy pasta in a green pesto. https://veggiemashups.com/creamy-pesto-sauce/
Recent Comments