Ribollita - Tuscan Soup

Delicious! This twice-cooked Tuscan soup recipe can be made with leftovers. The name Ribollita is Italian for "reboiled".

Ingredients:

2 cups cannellini (white beans (or any white bean, for that matter), cooked, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon each of fresh, chopped garlic and fresh chopped rosemary
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled (or not, my preference) and chopped
1 large Yukon Gold potato, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped
1 cup canned or fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 slices day-old crusty white country-style bread (or gluten-free), broken into chunks
Salt & Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Mash half (1 cup) of the white beans with the back of a fork in a bowl until smooth, then set aside.
2. In a soup pot, gently cook the garlic, rosemary, onion, celery, carrot and kale in the olive oil for 20 minutes.
3. Add both the whole and mashed beans, stock, potato and tomato.
4. Simmer gently for about an hour or so, then add the bread and continue to cook until the bread completely dissolved into the soup.
5. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Drizzle olive oil over the soup and top with the grated cheese.
7. Tastes best the next day, so a great meal to make ahead!

Makes four large servings.

I came across this recipe in a runner's magazine. Marathoner, Matt Conors enjoys this nutrient-rich soup as a pre-race meal.