Ribollita - Tuscan White Bean Soup

Yield: 6 servings
Writings inside of square brackets [ ] are for 2-Week Mediterranean Diet Challenge

Cooking time / Oven temperature

• Total cooking time: 1 hour to 13 hours  (prep: 15 mins; cook; 45 mins to 12 hours)
• Oven: 400 F ( 205 C) for 10 minutes

Equipments

• (Optional) Slow Cooker
  

Ingredients

• 14 oz Ciabatta bread loaf, or
  2 Home-made baguette
• 3 tbsp (43.5g) Olive oil to coat bread
  
  -- Sofrito / Soffritto / Mirepoix --
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 1 large (300g) Red onion, chopped
• 2 Celery stalks, chopped
• 2 to 3 Carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 6 (30g) Garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
  
• 28 oz Canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 cup dry White wine
• 4 cups Vegetable broth
• 2 15- oz cans Cannellini beans, drained and well rinsed
• 1" Parmesan rind
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 lb kale, thick stems and veins removed, chopped

Garnish

• 6 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp per serving
• (Optional) Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven.
2. Tear the bread into large pieces and put it on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toss to make sure the bread is coated. Spread the bread in one layer on the sheet pan. Bake until somewhat toasted and golden brown.
3. In a large cooking pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.
   Add the onions, celery and carrots. Sprinkle salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook, tossing regularly, until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, tossing regularly (do not let the garlic brown).
4. Add tomatoes. stirring and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Add white wine and broth and bring to boil over medium heat, 
5. To the pot with the tomato mixture, add the parmesan rind, fresh thyme, bay leaf, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine.
   
   (If using a regular pot) Let simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
   (If using a slow cooker) Cook at high for 6 hours.
   (If using a slow cooker) Cook at low for 12 hours.
   
   
6. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, combine about 1/2 cup of the brothy tomato mixture and 1 cup of the cannellini beans. Puree.
7. Add the puree, the rest of cannellini, and fresh kale. Stir to the kale submerged and cook kale for a few minutes. Add 1/2 of the toasted ciabatta bread and stir. Simmer until the kale has fully cooked and the bread has softened and absorbed some in the liquid.
8. Remove from the heat.
   Remove what is left of the Parmesan rind, bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
9. Serve the soup in a soup bowl; Top the soup with 1/6 of the remaining toasted bread per serving. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, (optional) and a sprinkle of Parmesan. 

Note

For 2-Week Mediterranean Diet Challenge AND save leftovers:
Freeze the soup in two ziploc bag, 1/2 portion of soup each.
Freeze the unused toasted bread in two ziploc bag, 1/2 portion of bread each. When using, toast the bread.

Nutrition Facts: 

397 g Ciabatta Bread Breads Blimpie 154 Calories per serving

43 1/2 g Olive Oil 58 Calories per serving

300 g Red Onion Freshdirect 19 Calories per serving

2 stalk, medium (7-1/2" - 8" long) Celery Raw 2 Calories per serving

3 small (5-1/2" long) Carrots Raw 10 Calories per serving

1/2 tsp Salt, Table 0 Calories per serving

30 g Garlic Raw 7 Calories per serving

1 Whole Peeled Tomatoes 28 Ounce Can Furmano's 4 Calories per serving

1 cup Wine 14 Calories per serving

4 cups Garden Vegetable Broth College Inn 8 Calories per serving

480 g Cannellini Beans Other Varieties of Beans Bush's Best 57 Calories per serving

7 g Parmesan, Grated Cheese Private Selection 4 Calories per serving

4 g Thyme, Fresh 1 Calorie per serving

1 tsp, crumbled Bay Leaf 0 Calories per serving

1 tsp Oregano Simply Organic Foods 0 Calories per serving

1/2 tsp Pepper, Red Or Cayenne 0 Calories per serving

1 lb Kale Raw 8 Calories per serving

Servings: 6

Amount per serving  

Calories 347

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8.8g 11%

Saturated Fat 14.5g 73%

Cholesterol 1mg 0%

Sodium 1033mg 45%

Total Carbohydrate 53.3g 19%

Dietary Fiber 7.6g 27%

Total Sugars 6.4g  

Protein 12.1g  

Vitamin D 0mcg 0%

Calcium 163mg 13%

Iron 4mg 25%

Potassium 413mg 9%

Recipe quoted from :

Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup) by Suzy Karadsheh

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