Ever heard of ribolita?  

A rich and flavorful soup from Tuscany that contains a lot of nutrient rich vegetables. 

Ribolita is easy to make. It is served warm or at room temperature and is very satisfying.

The soup’s thick texture also complements its delicious flavor.

This Italian soup is prepared in the same way as minestrone, using a lot of the ingredients that you would also find in minestrone.

Traditionally, this stew was made from leftover soups such as minestrone, and it is sometimes considered to be a type of minestrone.

But despite the close similarities it has with minestrone, Ribolita is quite different.

In this post, we take a look at the difference between these two dishes. 

Difference between Ribolita and Minestrone

Ribolita is an Italian soup traditionally made by reheating leftover soups like minestrone  

Both dishes are quite similar, however they feature a few different ingredients.

Unlike minestrone, chunks of stale bread are added into the soup to make ribollita.

The chunks of stale bread added to ribolita also makes it thicker than minestrone.

Another difference is that minestrone is often made with pasta, on the other hand, ribolita is not usually made with pasta. 

What is Ribollita?

A soup from Tuscany made with bread and vegetables.  

Ribolita means “reboiled” in English.  

This soup is an Italian classic, it was originally eaten by peasants who heated leftover soups such as minestrone.

They also added leftover bread in the minestrone just before it was served.

Ribolita could also be made from scratch using day old bread, cannellini beans, kale, cabbage, spinach and zucchini. 

It may also feature carrot, celery, potatoes, onions, and topped with Parmesan rind. 

This soup is a comfort food for cold weather. Some recipes even recommend that ribolita is made a day prior to serving it as it tastes better the next day.

Ribolita is very similar to minestrone, and sometimes it is even considered to be a type of minestrone.

What is minestrone?

A classic Italian dish.

Its name is gotten from the Italian word “minestra” which mean chunky soup. It is very popular in Mediterranean cuisine.

Minestrone refers to a vegetable based Italian soup. The recipe for minestrone is not strictly defined and may vary from one region to another region.

Often the ingredients are selected based on their availability in that region.

Not only do the ingredients vary, but the texture also as well the flavors between regional variations of minestrone may vary as well.

There are also seasonal variations of minestrone.

Typically, minestrone is made from vegetables.  

The choice of vegetables for minestrone are endless

Vegetables like celery, carrots, leeks, shallots, onions, kale, spinach, chard, zucchini, and squash can be used for making this soup

Minestrone can also be made with beans, pasta, sweet potatoes and meat.

These ingredients are cooked in a vegetable broth. The dish can be prepared in beef stock or chicken stock.

The vegetables are cut into small pieces and the vegetables that take longer to cook are usually added first.

To prepare this dish, the onions are first sauteed, then the pieces of vegetables are added.

Once the vegetables are browned, water and broth are then added to the dish to cook.

Minestrone can be eaten as a main dish for lunch or dinner. It can also be served with a side of bread.

In conclusion

Minestrone and Ribolita used to be considered peasant food. These dishes were a way to make use of whatever ingredients were available.

Preparations steps may vary from one recipe to another. However, these dishes typically feature inexpensive ingredients and are very easy to make.

These soups are also packed with a lot of nutrients.