Tuscan Bread & Bean Soup (Ribollita)


Recipe courtesy of Lake Austin Spa Resort

Serves 16

Ingredients

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

olive oil flavored spray

1 small red onion, diced

1 leek, slit, rinsed, chopped (white plus a little green)

1 rib celery, diced


¾ cup carrot, diced

9 (yes 9) cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups diced tomato with juice, rough pureed

1/3 cup tomato puree

8 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon leaf thyme

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 small potato, peeled, diced

1 cup chopped cabbage

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup cooked white beans (Cannelini or Great Northern)

1 small zucchini, diced

1/3 cup chopped parsley

salt and pepper

32 thin vertical slices from a baguette loaf

1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

In a large soup pot, sauté the red onion, leek, celery and carrot with one teaspoon of olive oil and spray until softening. Add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the tomato products, stock and herbs. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, then add the potato, cabbage and sugar.

Simmer for 10 minutes. Puree half of the beans then add, along with the remaining whole beans, zucchini and parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a slice of baguette into a small soup bowl, fill 2/3 full of soup, place in a second baguette slice, top with a little more soup.

Finish with a few drops of good olive oil and a pinch of Parmesan.



80 cal.
2.25g fat