A rustic ribollita soup recipe made with sweet butternut squash, parmigiano-reggiano rinds, cannellini beans and lots of garlicky bruschetta to help mop up your bowls clean!
Heat up the olive oil in your large heavy soup pot and sautee the leek with a pinch of sea salt until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.
Stir in the garlic and parmesan rind then toss to coat with the vegetables. Add the bay leaf, oregano, diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a gentle simmer then add the butternut squash.
(If using kale then this is the time to stir that in as well. Wait till the end If using spinach)
Allow the soup to simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the butternut squash is almost done but not mushy. Add the cannellini beans to the pot and cook until warmed through.
Adjust seasonings with the sea salt to your taste, then and stir in the baby spinach. Cover with a lid and turn off the flame.
Meanwhile slice the bread in 2 inch slices and char them on a hot cast iron griddle until nice grill marks form on each side. Rub it with the garlic and brush with some of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the sea salt and serve in the bottom of each bowl before ladling the ribollita soup over the top. Garnish with a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Slow Cooker / Crock Pot Method
Replace the cooked cannellini beans in the recipe with 1 c dried cannelinni beans
Add all of the ribollita soup ingredients with the exception of the bread to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or until the beans are cooked through.