Vegan Sweet Potato Ribollita
This old Italian dish is anything but traditional. A vegan Ribollita that’s packed with sweet potato, kale, garlic bread, and orzo, making for the perfect rainy day dish. Not to mention - it’s pasta, soup, and garlic bread all in one dish (I’m beginning to think the Tuscans are on to something).
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Introduction
Traditionally - a white bean soup with kale, tomatoes, and bread. Traditions and rules, however - they’re meant to be broken; changed; adapted; progressed. Moving forward, we change our idea of it, much to the displeasure of any and all Italians reading.
We’ll keep the kale, the tomatoes, the carrots, and the onions. There are very few cases, however, where adding pasta makes a dish even worse (including Buddy the Elf’s Breakfast Pasta that checks off all of the essential food groups). The traditional white cannellini beans are substituted with orzo pasta, and we’ll throw in some sweet potato for good measure.
While I’m not certain as to whether I’ll be allowed back into Italy after changing this traditional Tuscan dish (do Italians value tradition and heritage? I sure hope not.), I’m absolutely certain that everybody who cooks this dish will love it. Broken heart curing, rainy day comforting, and Tupperware filling, you won’t want to put down your spoon.
So, with Autumn fast approaching, and rainy days surely ahead, bunker down and be prepared. Watch the leaves change and listen to the thunder with a bowl of ribollita in hand.
The secret to this dish is to cook the ingredients in the right order. Sweet potatoes are going to take longer to cook than onions for example, so add those first. Drain the liquid from your diced tomatoes, to allow them to caramelize in the pan, and take your time with the garlic bread. We want golden-brown, crispy, and drizzled with olive oil and a few good cracks of pepper.
Check out the Spruce it Up section for ideas on how to take this recipe to the next level.
Before we Get Started
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 50 Minutes
Yield: 5-6 Bowls
Ingredients
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Ciabatta Rolls
Sandwich-sized
2 Celery Stalks
2 Carrots
1 Onion
1/2 a bunch of Kale
1.5 cups uncooked Orzo
28oz Diced Tomatoes
5 cloves Garlic
Method
Preheat the oven to 450°F, and bring a pot of water to a boil.
Put a different large pot over medium-high heat, with oil. While it’s heating up, dice your sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes, and slice your carrots and celery.
When the pot has come to temperature, throw in your celery, carrots, and sweet potato, with a good pinch of salt. Give them a good mix, and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes.
While they’re cooking, dice your onion and 4 cloves of garlic, and throw them into the pot once the sweet potato, celery, and carrots are finished. Add another pinch of salt and cook for another few minutes.
Place a sieve over a bowl, and drain your diced tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the pot, and let them cook for 7-8 minutes. After, add the drained liquid into the pot too, as well as 4 cups of water.
Remember to keep the liquid from the tomatoes!
Increase the temperature to high, and bring the soup to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it back to medium heat.
Despine your kale, and chop into small pieces. Add them to the pot.
“Despine” is a fancy word for ripping the leaves off of the stem.
Slice your ciabatta buns into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Rub one of the cloves of garlic over the pieces of bread. Place them into the oven for 8 minutes. After your timer goes off, check to see if they’re golden brown and crispy. If not, throw them back in for another couple of minutes, and check again.
Add your orzo to your pot of boiling water, and cook.
Once your pasta is finished, drain it, and add it to your soup. Give it a taste, and add more salt if needed, and give it several cracks of pepper.
Pour your soup into a bowl, and top with garlic bread. Give it a good mix so the bread absorbs the soup.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
If you like heat, sprinkle red chili flakes over top.
For a more luscious flavour, drizzle each bowl with extra virgin olive oil.
Add some oregano to the sweet potato, carrots, and celery.