Ribollita

 

Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan bean soup.  Ribollita means “reboiled” in Italian.  My airbnb host in Florence said it’s because this was usually just all the leftovers thrown into a soup pot.  This was one of my favorite dishes I had in Florence.  There are lots of variations, but this is my attempt at recreating what I had there.   It’s a hearty, comfort food that is perfect for winter.  Make sure you serve it with some good Italian bread!

Here’s what you need:

1 lb. Italian sausage (I used hot as you can see.  Feel free to use mild if that’s your preference).  Chicken stock (I used about 4 cups), celery, carrots, garlic, an onion, spinach (I used frozen – you can certainly use fresh, but this is what I had on hand), 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed.

 

 

First, chop up the onion, celery and carrots.  I didn’t measure this.  I just chopped up what looked like the amount I wanted in my soup.  This soup is supposed to be pretty thick, so keep that in mind.  Side note:  Soup is such a wonderful, versatile thing to make.  Use a base of broth and add pretty much any meat and veggies that you want.  Be creative and experiment if you’ve never really made soups.  The possibilities are endless!

 

Now, in your soup pot, start to brown the sausage, breaking it up as you go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the carrots, celery, onions, and spinach and cook it all together until the carrots are just starting to get tender and the sausage is no longer pink.   Add a couple of cloves of fresh minced garlic when it’s all almost done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the tomatoes, beans and broth.  Again, for this amount, I used about four cups of broth, but you can make this the consistency you want.  Remember, this is me recreating something I had in Italy, so there are no rules.  I’m just giving you an idea to work with.  I have to say that this ended up tasting very much like what I had at an amazing restaurant in Florence.  Once you’ve added the tomatoes, beans and broth, bring it to a boil, then turn it on low and let it simmer for a few minutes.  I think I simmered it for about 15 minutes.

Now, ladle into bowls and put as much parmesan on top as you would like.  For everybody in my house, it’s A LOT of parmesan.  Serve with Italian bread for dipping.  Rustic, Tuscan food at its finest!