Vegetarian Ribollita

Ribollita means “reboiled” in Italian, and this Tuscan bread soup is the poster child for turning yesterday’s leftovers into today’s best meal.

Onions, celery, zucchini, and carrots soften in extra-virgin olive oil with garlic and a sprig of rosemary until the whole pot smells like a kitchen in Florence.

Cabbage, tomatoes, basil, and marjoram join the party, followed by creamy cannellini beans and a generous pour of vegetable broth.

Then comes the move that makes ribollita ribollita: cubes of sourdough bread stirred right into the soup, where they soak up all that broth and break down into a thick, porridge-like texture that’s rustic and deeply comforting.

Baby spinach wilts in at the end, and each bowl gets topped with grated Romano and a glug of your best olive oil.

Chef Tips

• Use day-old sourdough. Fresh bread turns gummy, but stale bread absorbs the broth and gives the soup its signature body.
• Don’t rush the vegetables. Let them cook until soft and juicy before adding the broth.
• Remove the rosemary sprig before stirring in the bread so you don’t get woody stems in the soup.
• This soup is even better the next day, reheated slowly. That’s literally what the name means.