Hearty, hydrating and packed with flavorful veggies and herbs, ribollita is as fun to make as it is to eat. The ‘fun’ part is probably because the hodgepodge of ingredients reminds me of one of my favorite childhood stories: Stone Soup.

In Marcia Brown’s version, the story goes something like this: 3 travel-worn visitors enter a town with the hopes of getting a meal and a place to rest. The townspeople are wary of these strangers and determined to not help them. Realizing the miserliness of the townspeople the visitors get creative and announce their decision: they will make stone soup! Curiosity drives the townspeople to slowly open their pantries and, eventually, their hearts as the visitors prepare a rich soup ‘fit for the king.’ They all experience how fun and fulfilling it is when people change their negative perceptions of each other…and eat together. 🙂

The visitors build a sense of community one ingredient at a time from salt and pepper to carrots, cabbage, potatoes and more! I’d like to think the same is possible with this Ribollita. Gluten free, plant-based and vegan, allium free (no onions, no garlic), soy free, corn free, nightshade free and yummy! See recipe notes for the quicker Instant Pot version.

The Tuscan intention behind ribollita soup is to not let anything go to waste. So feel free to get creative if you don’t have the exact same vegetables in your fridge at the moment. To make this recipe nightshade free, I swap out commonly used russet potatoes with Japanese sweet potatoes and/or cauliflower, and the tanginess of tomato paste/diced tomatoes with lemon juice.

Let’s begin! Jump to Recipe

Saute the Vegetables

Saute the cabbage and ginger (optional) in 2 tbsp oil until tender, 2-3 minutes. Season with 1/8 tsp of black pepper.

Stir in carrots, celery and potatoes together with remaining oil. Saute another 3-4 minutes. Season with another 1/8 tsp, each, of salt and pepper.

Note: If you’re a tomato person, feel free to add 2 tbsp of tomato paste this point. Stir to incorporate with the sautéed vegetables before proceeding to the next step.

Cook the Soup

Add the whole cannellini beans, water/broth, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Season with celery seeds and remaining 1/4 tsp of black pepper and 1/8 tsp salt. Cover and cook, reducing the heat to maintain a simmer, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Note: For added heft, feel free to puree (or mash, as shown below) another rinsed/strained 15oz can of cannellini beans and add to the soup along with the whole cooked/rinsed/strained beans.

Stir in zucchini and kale. Cover and cook until these vegetables are tender but still emerald green in color, about 5-8 minutes.

Note: In most ribollita recipes, the ‘green’ ingredients are added much earlier in the soup. I like the greens in my bowl to be a bit more vibrant so I add them last. Feel free to do what is easiest for you. 🙂

Remove from heat. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

Serve!

This goes well with croutons or a crust of sourdough bread.

Tried this recipe or just have something fun to share? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂