In Partnership with Our Place
Autumn’s arrived. That golden, in-between season when everything slows down just a touch.
The mornings are crisp, the afternoons still warm, and your appetite starts shifting from light summer meals to something a little more grounding.
Right on cue, Our Place is running it’s Autumn Sale, which means it’s the perfect time to upgrade your kitchen essentials (trust me: their Perfect Pot is a soup-season dream).
And what better way to break it in than with ribollita?
This rustic Tuscan bean soup is a simple and incredibly delicious ‘throw-it-all-in’ dinner.
And — maybe most importantly — a brilliant way to use up old bits of bread and odds and ends in your veggie drawer that are begging not to be wasted.
A Little History: Where Ribollita Comes From
Ribollita (pronounced ree-bo-LEE-tah) literally means “reboiled”, because that’s exactly what it is. Originating from Tuscany, ribollita was traditionally made by reheating leftover minestrone or vegetable soup, thickened with stale bread until it turned into a rich, almost stew-like meal.
Back in the Middle Ages, peasants would collect the bread-soaked juices from their lords’ banquet bowls and cook them down into a filling meal. Over time, ribollita evolved into a hearty staple made at home with whatever was on hand: beans, greens, root veg, old bread, cheese rinds.
Why Ribollita Is the Original No-Waste Meal
It’s built on the simple idea that nothing good should be thrown away.
- Stale bread: That sourdough loaf you forgot about? Perfect. Cubed up and simmered, it thickens the soup into a satisfying, almost spoon-standing texture.
- Vegetable odds and ends: Carrots getting soft? Half an onion hanging around? Wilting silverbeet or kale? Into the pot they go.
- Parmesan rinds: Don’t throw them out — rinds add a deep, savoury backbone as the soup simmers.
- Beans: Even canned beans are fine here. Creamy cannellini beans stretch the soup and give it protein, making it a full meal.
Pro tip: The Our Place Perfect Pot has a heavy, wide base, which is exactly what you want for simmering and thickening ribollita without any scorching.
The Basic Blueprint (So You Can Make It Your Own)
Here’s a loose guide you can riff off, depending on what’s in your kitchen:
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bunch silverbeet or kale, chopped (or a mix)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained
- 1 litre vegetable stock or water
- A few parmesan rinds (optional, but magical)
- Half a loaf of stale bread, cubed
- Salt and pepper
- Good olive oil, for finishing
Method
- Sauté your base: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until softened and fragrant.
- Add the greens and tomatoes: Stir in the silverbeet/kale and cook until wilted. Add the crushed tomatoes and cook a few minutes more.
- Simmer the soup: Add the beans, stock, and parmesan rinds. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
- Add the bread: Stir in the cubed bread and simmer until it breaks down and thickens the soup (another 10–15 minutes).
- Season and serve: Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with good olive oil.
It’s even better the next day — true to its name, ribollita was meant to be reheated.
P.S. Don’t miss the Our Place Autumn Sale — their Perfect Pot (and other much-loved kitchen staples) are up to 25% off right now. Cookware that will see you through many ribollitas, risottos, and slow Sundays ahead.
