The best soup ever - Ribollita

I am seriously obsessed with this soup. I decided to put it into MFP recipe and it came out to 211 per serving!! Not bad. It is so delicious and has many good things for you in it. Keep in mind that the original recipe has bacon and sourdough bread in it (omg to die for) but since I am cutting out a lot of meat, I leave the bacon out and I also now leave the bread out. If you were to follow the recipe exactly it would be 345 per serving which isn't bad either.

While I have cooked this for dinner more times than I can count, I have started cooking it and then putting it in the refrigerator to reheat for lunch. If you do decide to use the bread, the sourdough holds up perfectly.

Ingredients
1/2 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini (I use 2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained)
Kosher salt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 pound large diced pancetta or smoked bacon (I started omitting this)
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped carrots (3 carrots)
1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
3 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded savoy cabbage, optional
4 cups coarsely chopped kale
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (I am lazy so I use low sodium boxed stuff)
4 cups sourdough bread cubes, crusts removed (I now omit this as well)

Directions (original)
In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/ribollita-recipe/index.html

Directions (modified for canned beans and omitting bacon and bread)
Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.

Rinse and drain the beans. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Measure 6 cups of chicken stock. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Jen