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Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup in the Instant Pot

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Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup
 
An accidentally vegan dish from Italian tradition, this authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup will conquer you with its cosy and warming taste. A must try!
close up ribollita detail with cavolo nero and tomatoes
 
Italian food at its heart is simple flavours, simple cooking but complex and beautiful combinations, and the region of Tuscany has a huge repertoire of humble recipes, that deliver great flavours, which are still in use today. Another wonderful example is Panzanella - Tuscan Bread Salad.
 
Ribollita is a dish that captures this idea very well and like many great dishes it has its origins in the humble life of peasants and farmers.
When times are hard and every scrap of food must be used, that is where ingenuity shines and what better way than a hearty soup?
 
Tuscans are known in Italy as “mangiafagioli” which translates to bean eaters, simply because they love beans, bread, soups and stews. Ribollita is a superb example of this and is often enjoyed in the autumn around the time of the wine harvest or vendemmia.
 
If you have the means to make this dish I highly recommend to give it a go. It is just such a lovely way to use the ingredients and I am sure you will find yourself in full understanding of why Tuscans love their beans so much.
As soon as there is a chill in the air ribollita is one of the dishes I turn to for a hearty warming meal.
 
Ribollita means "reboiled", the reason for this is because it is traditionally made with leftovers, food that has already been cooked once before made into this soup.
Of course you can make it from fresh ingredients rather than waiting for the perfect leftovers.
The main components of ribollita are cannellini beans, cavolo nero (black cabbage, or dinosaur kale) and stale bread (over a day old), these are the 3 compulsory can not be excluded inclusions.
ribollita soup served in two black plates with crispy bread
 
The rest of the ribollita is made from whatever leftover vegetables you have to hand, for me cavolo nero & savoy cabbage are a must, which just happen to be a wonderful flavour combo for the rest of the dish.
Your choice of left over vegetables or green leafy ones can include one of more of the followings: Chard, Collards, Kale and Spinach.
 
Some variations use Borlotti beans (Pinto) in place of cannellini, so you can also use those if you don't have cannellini at hand or you simply have to use them up.
 
In some parts of Northern Italy potatoes are added too, especially if cavolo nero and leafy greens are out of season. 
 
However you decide to make it, I promise you will end up with a hearty, wholesome and highly addicting soup that will became a staple in your winter recipes repertoire. 
 
 

How to Make the Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup in the Instant Pot

 
The beauty of using a contemporary kitchen tool like the instant pot, is that you are able to recreate some of the lost flavours in way less time, which marry beautifully with our busy life and schedules.
 
Ribollita is in fact one of those soups that were traditionally cooked over an open pit or fireplace, in deep and chunky ceramic pots. 
 
I had it once in one of my trips and I'm telling you that this modern version does indeed justice. 
 
Cooking it in a traditional pot over a stove is still ok, don't get me wrong, as long as you use a pot with a deep bottom, but believe me, making it in a pressure cooker does really make the difference.
 

I don't know how to describe it, but it indeed has that king of missing oomph that makes it super cosy and real special.

Let's just see how it's done now, shall we?

STEP 1 - PREPPING THE VEGGIES

First step is to get everything ready for the IP, that means our beautiful vegetables need to be chopped up.

Start by washing each one carefully, then chop into smaller pieces the cavolo nero leaves and savoy cabbage, cut in half the tomatoes, and the carrot, the onion and the celery into cubes.

STEP 2 - PRESSURE COOK

Add all the ingredients minus the beans to the instant pot basket, and set on "pressure cook" mode for 20 minutes. 

STEP 3 - BLEND THE BEANS

While our soup is cooking, I'd recommend to blend smooth ⅓ of the cannellini beans.

To do so just add the beans with a bit of their juice to a blender bowl, and process until you reach a creamy and smooth texture.

This hack will introduce some creamy element to the soup, which will make it even more pleasant to eat. 

Feel free to skip this step if you want to save some washing up (you'll be missing out though).

STEP 4 - ADD THE BEANS

Give the Instant Pot a quick steam release, then add the whole canned cannellini beans (with the juice) and the blended ones.

Give the ribollita a thorough stir, and set up the "sauté" mode for 5-6 minutes, just the time to heat up the beans.

STEP 5 - SERVE AND ENJOY

It's finally time to serve and taste this majestic soup.

Place the stale bread slices on the bottom of the serving bowl, then pour over the piping hot soup straight from the pot. 

Allow to set for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!

Alternatively, you can place layers of bread on a ceramic dish (or for casseroles) topped with generous amount of ribollita, leave it overnight, and heat in the oven for around 20 minutes the day after for an even better treat!

Lastly, if you want to have a posher version of this classic, you can serve it with toasted fresh bread slices drizzled with oil and grilled on a hot pan, or with crostini bread. 

An accidentally vegan dish from Italian tradition, this authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup will conquer you with its cosy and warming taste. A must try! #italian #soup #florence #tuscany #foodie

Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup Recipe

 
Ingredients:
250 g Cannellini Beans (1 can, with juices) 
150 g Stale Bread (or Crostini, see notes)
150 g Savoy Cabbage
100 g Cavolo Nero
12 Cherry Tomatoes (or 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste)
1 Onion
1 Carrot
½ Celery Stalk
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
500 g Vegetable Broth 
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
all ingredients to make ribolitta
Method:

1. Clean and chop the cavolo nero leaves and savoy cabbage in smaller pieces, cut in half the tomatoes, and cube the carrot, the onion and the celery.
2. Add all the ingredients minus the beans to the instant pot basket, and set on "pressure cook" mode for 20 minutes. 
3. While our soup is cooking, blend smooth ⅓ of the cannellini beans with a couple of tablespoons of their juices.
4. Give the Instant Pot a quick steam release, then add the whole canned cannellini beans (with the juice) and the blended ones.
5. Stir the soup and set up the "sauté" mode for 5-6 minutes, just the time to heat up the beans.
6. To serve the authentic Tuscan ribollita soup simply place the stale bread slices on the bottom of the serving bowl, then pour over the piping hot soup straight from the pot. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!

ribollita soup in a black plate with two pieces of crispy bread
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5 from 1 vote

Authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup in the Instant Pot

An accidentally vegan dish from Italian tradition, this authentic Tuscan Ribollita Soup will conquer you with its cosy and warming taste. A must try!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250 g (1.4 cups) Cannellini Beans 1 can, with juices
  • 150 g (5.29 oz) Stale Bread or Crostini, see notes
  • 150 g (2.14 cups) Savoy Cabbage
  • 100 g (4.76 cups) Cavolo Nero
  • 12 Cherry Tomatoes or 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Carrot
  • ½ Celery Stalk
  • Fresh Rosemary
  • Fresh Thyme
  • 500 g (2.13 cups) Vegetable Broth
  • 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
3 people

Instructions

  • Clean and chop the cavolo nero leaves and savoy cabbage in smaller pieces, cut in half the tomatoes, and cube the carrot, the onion and the celery.
  • Add all the ingredients minus the beans to the instant pot basket, and set on "pressure cook" mode for 20 minutes.
  • While our soup is cooking, blend smooth ⅓ of the cannellini beans with a couple of tablespoons of their juices.
  • Give the Instant Pot a quick steam release, then add the whole canned cannellini beans (with the juice) and the blended ones.
  • Stir the soup and set up the "sauté" mode for 5-6 minutes, just the time to heat up the beans.
  • To serve the authentic Tuscan ribollita soup simply place the stale bread slices on the bottom of the serving bowl, then pour over the piping hot soup straight from the pot. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and enjoy!

Notes

Alternatively you can serve this soup by forming layers of bread on a ceramic dish (or for casseroles) topped with generous amount of ribollita, leave it overnight, and heat in the oven for around 20 minutes the day after for an even better treat!
For a modern twist, you can serve this Tuscan ribollita with toasted fresh bread slices drizzled with oil and grilled on a hot pan, or with crostini bread. 

Nutrition

Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Potassium: 688mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 8082IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 6mg
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ribollita soup served in two black plates with crispy bread

 
 

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