Ribollita Recipe

I’m dying to share with you my interpretation of Ribollita (a hearty, nutritious Tuscan style “leftovers” soup) that I made as part of my “Food for Good Mental Health” cook along at the Edinburgh Wellbeing Festival recently.

During the event, I talked about the link between food and mood. So as a quick side note, if you want to support your mood: 

• Go for unprocessed carbs (think brown not white)
• Add protein to main meals and snacks
• Reduce sugar
• Eat more pre-and probiotic rich foods, such as probiotic rich parmesan cheese. An important step in supporting our mental wellbeing is nourishing this balance of bacteria in our gut.

This Italian style “leftovers” soup is one of my absolute favourites because it’s served with grated parmesan, a fantastic source of probiotics and any
old veggies can be added to the soup, cutting down on food waste. Bonus!


How to make Ribollita:

Ingredients:

• 2 tins of cannellini beans (or any white bean), rinsed and drained
• A good splash of olive oil
• 2 large onions or 1 onion and 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, chopped small
• 1 tin of tomatoes (or 6 fresh tomatoes)
• Approx. 1/3 of a white cabbage (or any cabbage you have)
• 2-3 bay leaves (dried)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1.5L vegetable stock, (I use bouillon powder)
• A parmesan rind
• 2 large handfuls of grated parmesan (to serve)
• Fresh parsley (1 small packet)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste (parmesan and stock cubes may already be salted)
• 1/2 a lemon

Directions:

1. Sautee the onions, celery, garlic, leeks, bay leaves and dried herbs in some olive oil for around 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, cabbage, stock, parmesan rind (if using) and tin of tomatoes. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer for about 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the drained beans and stir to warm through.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the grated parmesan cheese and sprinkle with parsley and a small squeeze of lemon.

Are you a soup lover like me? Check out my other soup recipes here:

• Sweet potato and peanut soup
• Traditional lentil and vegetable soup

Interested in working with me 1-1? Find out more about my 90-Day Gut Health Plan.