Chef notes
Years ago, my husband and I traveled through Tuscany. One day in Siena, when we found ourselves in the middle of a serious downpour without proper rain gear or coverage, we ducked into a tiny enoteca to wait out the storm and decided to have lunch. Among an impressive array of wine offerings was a short menu that included ribollita, a traditional bean and vegetable soup fortified with leftover bread scraps. The soup was modest and soulful; I came home dreaming of it and have been making my own version ever since, with the addition of hearty greens. It's nourishing, made with simple ingredients and a great way to use up leftover stale bread as well as any veggies in your fridge.
Technique tip: Like many soups, this one only tastes better with time and is great to make in big batches for leftovers.
Swap option: I like using kale in this soup, plus a combination of other greens, but as long as you have 1¼ pounds total, any single sort of mix that you like works well.
