Ribollita-Bread Soup

For Christmas my mother-in-law gave me the book "Rachael Ray Top 30 Comfort Foods". I was glancing through it's various recipes, and the Ribollita really jumped out at me. I had never heard of Ribollita before, but thought it sounded good, so I decided to give it a try. It turns out that a Ribollita is actually a traditional Tuscan bread and vegetable soup.

Ribollita-Bread Soup (8 servings at 5 points a serving)

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cans (15 oz each) white beans
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups tomato sauce
3 cups stale Italian bread, crust removed and torn into chunks

Directions:

Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed pot over moderate heat. Add oil, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and saute until veggies begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bean, stock, and tomato sauce. Cover pot and bring soup to boil over medium-high heat. Remove lid and stir in torn pieces of bread. Continue stirring. When soup becomes thick and bread is distributed evenly, adjust the seasonings. Remove bay leaf. You can make soup as thin or thick as you like by using more bread or more stock or broth.

You can garnish soup with a little bit of a raw onion, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese if you like.

I didn't think that the soup needed any garnishes at all, it could definitely hold it's own. Also, I left the crust on the bread and think I prefer it that way. The husband and I absolutely went crazy over this dish! The broth soaked bread, beans, and stew vegetables were so divine. It was a perfect dish to have on a very cold day.