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Ribollita

January 2, 2015 by Lindsay 44 Comments

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Ribolita is a bread soup packed with lentils and vegetables. It’s healthy, comforting and a great way to use up stale bread.

Hi Friends!

First of all, Happy 2015! I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we’re  15 years in the 2000’s. Wasn’t it just yesterday we were talking about Y2K and how to abbreviate the year 2000 in conversation? Yikes! I feel old.

Anyways, it’s a new year and to celebrate, I made you soup! The inspiration for this soup came from the giant Costco-sized baguette in my pantry that I shamefully let go stale before I could eat it. I was doing a little googling and came across this soup called Ribollita. I’d never heard of it before, but from what I can determine, all the recipes for it have stale bread in them. Perfect!

Ribollita is a bread soup packed with lentils and vegetables. It's healthy, comforting and a great way to use up stale bread.

As usual, I looked at a few recipes and then did my own thing. Most recipes seem to use white beans, but I went with lentils because that’s what I had. I used bacon, but you could easily make this soup vegan by omitting the bacon.

Ribollita is a bread soup packed with lentils and vegetables. It's healthy, comforting and a great way to use up stale bread.

Here’s how you do it:

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Ribollita

ribollita
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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

A hearty soup packed with veggies and bread that will keep you warm on a cold winter day.

  • Author: Author: Lindsay L
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 strips bacon, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 1 cup carrots, sliced
  • 1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatos, undrained
  • 1 quart vegetable broth
  • 5 oz frozen chopped spinach
  • 3 cups stale bread, cubed
  • 2/3 cup lentils, uncooked
  • black pepper & cayenne pepper, to taste
  • parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

  1. Cook lentils according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large pot or dutch oven, saute first six ingredients for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes (with their liquid), broth, spinach, bread and cooked lentils and spices and let simmer until veggies reach desired tenderness.
  4. Serve topped with parmesan cheese if desired.

Did you make this recipe?

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Like I mentioned in the notes above, I like to cook my lentils separately, but lentils cook fairly quickly so if you want to make this even easier, you can just add the dry lentils when you add the broth, bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the lentils are cooked. If you do this, I would hold off on adding the bread until after the lentils are cooked. The bread absorbs liquid and you want there to be enough liquid in there to cook the lentils.

Ribollita is a bread soup packed with lentils and vegetables. It's healthy, comforting and a great way to use up stale bread.

Feel free to play around with the protein – use white beans if you prefer, or even use chicken or pork instead of beans or lentils.

[Tweet “Warm up with a hearty bowl of Ribollita from @leangrnbeanblog on a cold day!”]

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Appetizer, Dinner, Soup & Salad Tagged With: Bell Pepper, Bread, Carrot, Chicken Broth, Garlic, Lentils, Onion, Spinach, Tomato

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie @ Live from La Quinta says

    January 2, 2015 at 12:10 AM

    I am so in the mood for soup because it is so (comparatively) cold here! It’s been in the 20s in the morning, which is extremely cold for the desert. I need warming up! And I just happened to make some vegan (tempeh) bacon tonight for another dish, so the timing is perfect for this recipe.

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:10 PM

      perfect timing indeed!

      Reply
  2. Linz @ Itz Linz says

    January 2, 2015 at 1:36 AM

    15 years since 2000? yikes, when you put it that way, i feel really old, too!

    Reply
  3. Hollie says

    January 2, 2015 at 7:04 AM

    That does look really good. It’s been super cold here so anything warm has got my heart.

    Reply
  4. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    January 2, 2015 at 7:18 AM

    It is INSANE how fast the years do fly by!

    Reply
  5. Jess @hellotofit says

    January 2, 2015 at 7:50 AM

    I keep seeing posts of soup and lentil recipes, and they all look fabulous – including yours!! This must be a sign that I need to cook something with lentils in it soon…
    Love that there is bacon in this recipe 😉

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:08 PM

      i’d say it’s definitely a sign! happy cooking!

      Reply
  6. Maryea {happy healthy mama} says

    January 2, 2015 at 8:37 AM

    This soup looks perfect for this freezing weather we’ve been having! Nice job using up the stale bread.

    Reply
  7. Mark says

    January 2, 2015 at 9:37 AM

    This looks delicious, can’t wait to make it for the family. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Alysia @ Slim Sanity says

    January 2, 2015 at 9:42 AM

    I love a good hearty soup! I’ve actually never cooked with lentils before either… weird?! I think I need to start!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:08 PM

      you gotta try! they cook super fast! i make extra and freeze to use later.

      Reply
  9. Serena says

    January 2, 2015 at 9:54 AM

    Perfect to warm up to! Ha…stale bread is a fab ingredient to many dishes!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:07 PM

      agreed! so much you can do with it!

      Reply
  10. Christine says

    January 2, 2015 at 9:58 AM

    This looks so easy, so good and so healthy! This is definitely going into my meal planning. Happy New Year!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:07 PM

      woohoo! hope you like it!

      Reply
  11. Nicole @ Fitful Focus says

    January 2, 2015 at 11:03 AM

    ooo yum! I could use some of this. I love easy soup recipes like this one 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:07 PM

      Easy is best in my book!

      Reply
  12. Rachel @ Athletic Avocado says

    January 2, 2015 at 11:43 AM

    This looks so comforting! Love the surplus of veggies used in it! Delicious! 🙂 Pinning!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:07 PM

      Thanks Rachel. Can never have too many veggies!

      Reply
  13. Ashley @ A Lady Goes West says

    January 2, 2015 at 12:04 PM

    It’s cold in Northern California right now, so I’d love to warm up with this!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:06 PM

      Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  14. Kristi Rimkus says

    January 2, 2015 at 2:30 PM

    This soup looks like the perfect use for the leftover ham in my frig. Wonderful!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:06 PM

      oooh great idea! enjoy!

      Reply
  15. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says

    January 2, 2015 at 2:36 PM

    I have had such a soup craving and this look so good 🙂 Hope you have a good start to the new year!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:06 PM

      you too, tara!

      Reply
  16. Diana @sosmallsostrong says

    January 2, 2015 at 6:58 PM

    I’ve never been a big soup person but because this looks hearty, I’m in for it!! Don’t judge me cuz I would eat this with even more crusty bread on the side! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:06 PM

      you know i’ll be doing the same.

      Reply
  17. Matt says

    January 2, 2015 at 8:21 PM

    This looks delicious!

    Reply
  18. Sandra Laflamme says

    January 2, 2015 at 9:47 PM

    This soup looks like the perfect thing for warming up this weekend. It is going to be so cold here tomorrow! I love anything with lentils and what a perfect use of stale bread!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      January 2, 2015 at 10:05 PM

      Enjoy and stay warm!

      Reply
  19. Scott Morris says

    January 2, 2015 at 10:46 PM

    Bread, Bacon, and Beans!!! Where do I sign up??!?! jk It’s that time of the year (winter) where nothing seems to hit the spot like a good hearty soup. Look forward to trying this recipe out in the next few days! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Anna B says

    January 3, 2015 at 1:03 AM

    Ah ribollita is so tasty! I tried it when I went to Florence in March! Such a wonderful dish thanks for the recipie!

    Reply
  21. Arman @ thebigmansworld says

    January 3, 2015 at 2:47 AM

    Linds, I am personally offended you let a baguette go to waste….until you used it with this.

    This sounds terrible but whenever I think of stale bread I think of you…after your soft pretzels lol!

    Reply
  22. Lauren @ Eating with a Purpose says

    January 3, 2015 at 9:43 AM

    What a great way to get vegetables into kids! A very balanced soup that would serve as a meal on its own- love it. Happy New Year!

    Reply
  23. Courtney says

    January 4, 2015 at 1:07 PM

    Awesome recipe! I ate a lot of ribollita when I was backpacking through Europe. It’s such a delicious, healthy, and filling soup!

    Reply
  24. Lisa @ RunWiki says

    January 4, 2015 at 7:03 PM

    I just made it. I used fresh Kale, white beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic and bacon. I had some GF bread that I made in the bread machine a few days ago that I turned into croutons. I wish I could find something other than bacon that gives such good flavor though– ideas welcome. Love this Lindsay. This is going to be a regular in our house.

    Reply
  25. Francesca says

    January 4, 2015 at 10:04 PM

    Score! Lentils are a good luck food for the new year…I shall be making this 😀

    Reply
  26. CARLA says

    January 5, 2015 at 5:37 AM

    it is so so so cold here in AUSTIN (like real cold 🙂 20s last night) I need to get meal planning and SOUP PLANNING.

    Reply
  27. Melissa @battleofmarathonblog says

    January 5, 2015 at 7:25 AM

    You CRUSH it with the soups. I’m still looking to try your mom’s sweet potato soup!

    Reply
  28. Doug says

    February 28, 2015 at 5:04 PM

    Thanks for the recipe! It’s good to have another use for stale bread. I have a goal to eat more beans in 2015, too, so this will be good for me.

    Reply
  29. Kristina says

    December 6, 2015 at 10:31 PM

    this is EXACTLY my kind of winter warmer – I love it! pinned to try as soon as I am home, yum!

    Reply
  30. Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says

    December 6, 2015 at 11:16 PM

    I need to try this! My family loves lentils, but I pretty much always make the same 3 recipes. Your soup looks delicious! This will be perfect to add to the menu lineup!

    Reply
  31. Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says

    December 7, 2015 at 9:09 AM

    This looks SO GOOD!! I think I could swap out the bacon for a little bit of liquid smoke and I think it would be awesome!

    Reply
  32. Samantha says

    March 2, 2016 at 7:15 PM

    Can I freeze the leftovers ?

    Reply

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Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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