Ribollita

I wanted to make soup for dinner so I would have an excuse to make another loaf of bread. I recently checked out a few cookbooks from the library and I found a recipe for Ribollita in Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis. The soup looked hearty, comforting, and simple. I didn’t have spinach so I used kale and I really enjoyed the texture it gave to the soup. I paired the ribollita with Marjie’s Honey Lemon Wheat Bread and my House Salad for a delicious and filling meal.

Ribollita:

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 oz of pancetta, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes, with juice
• 2-3 cups of fresh kale, chopped
• 1 (15 oz) can of white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 cups of chicken broth (I used homemade)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-inch piece of Parmesan rind
• 1 cup whole wheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
• Grated Parmesan, for serving

How to Make Ribollita

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and pancetta; cook for 3-4 minutes or until tender then add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add the tomato paste, dried basil, and dried oregano then stir until dissolved, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cannellini beans, kale, Parmesan rind, and bay leaf.

Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes then bring to a boil, add the spaghetti, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and parsley. Enjoy.