Ribollita (italian bean soup)

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Dried small white beans (8 ounces)
8 Cloves garlic
1 Bay leaf
1 large (3-inch) cube salt pork (optional)
14 ounces Crushed Italian-style tomatoes
⅔ Loaf day-old French or Italian bread (8 ounces when fresh)
2 tablespoons Olive oil
2 Carrots, pared, trimmed, diced
½ cup Diced red onion (1/2 medium)
1 cup Shredded green cabbage
2 Ribs celery, trimmed, diced
1½ cup (or as needed) chicken broth
10 ounces Frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
¼ cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Info: posted by Perry Lowell, April 1993 from Good Food magazine, September 1987

This recipe gets 30% or less of its calories from fat. Not a low sodium recipe.

Makes 6 servings.

1. Rinse beans and place in large, heavy saucepan. Peel 5 cloves garlic and add whole cloves to beans. Add bay leaf, salt pork cube, and enough water to cover. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 55 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep beans covered. Remove and discard bay leaf and salt pork. Let beans cool slightly, then transfer beans with garlic and cooking liquid to food processor.

Process until coarsely pureed. (Beans can also be pureed in batches in blender or mashed with fork against the side of pan.) Transfer puree to large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Add tomatoes and stir to combine.

2. Trim crust from bread and coarsely crumble in food processor or by hand (6-7 cups). Stir bread into bean puree.

3. Finely mince remaining 3 cloves garlic. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots, onion, cabbage, and celery; cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes, but do not allow vegetables to brown. Reduce heat to very low, cover skillet with tight-fitting lid, and sweat vegetables 15 minutes. Stir vegetables into bean mixture.

4. Cover pot and simmer soup covered over low heat 45 minutes.

Check soup occasionally and thin with chicken broth as needed. Just before serving, stir in spinach and heat through. Serve hot, passing grated Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 310 calories 15 g protein 40 g carbohydrates 10 g fat (29% of calories) 658 mg sodium

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