Ribollita - A peasant soup that may be one of the best soups I make

Recipe Courtesy of Elizabeth Dougherty

This soup is so hearty and so fulfilling. I hope you'll give it a try. It's even better the next day, and it's a great way to use leftovers. Don't feel limited by these ingredients. Experiment with the greens. I used beet greens here, but you could use kale, chard, escarole, spinach or collards.

Ingredients

1 TB plus 1/4 cup olive oil
greens (two big handfuls), roughly chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 quarts of water or any type of stock
2 tsp sea salt
1 cup of your tomato sauce or a quality jarred version
10 large leaves of basil or 20 smaller ones
1 15oz can white beans
1/4 loaf of REAL Italian bread, sliced
1 tsp garlic hot sauce (optional)
parmesan cheese

Method

In a large stock pot, add 1 TB olive oil and heat to medium high. Add greens, garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Saute for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cover for about 10-15 minutes. Add water, tomato sauce, sea salt and basil. Turn up to high and reduce by 1/3. Add basil, white beans and last, the bread. Turn to a simmer until the bread disintegrates. Add 1/4 cup of GOOD olive oil right before serving. Stir. Ladle in bowls and top with parmesan. It's even better the next day.