rustic ribollita

Recipe from 15 Minute Vegan by Katy Beskow (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones.

Traditional Italian ribollita is a hearty and economical dish that uses up kitchen leftovers, including bread. It’s somewhere between a stew and a soup, with a chunky yet starchy base and a substantial bite from the cannellini beans. If you’ve got time to make this the night before you eat it, the flavours will deepen; if you eat it straight away, the dish will be a touch milder, yet still delicious.

Serves 2

3 slices of white bread

800ml (28fl oz/3½ cups) good-quality hot vegetable stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, finely sliced

1 celery stick, sliced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 leaves of cavolo nero (Tuscan kale)

400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

235g (8oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

pinch of sea salt

Tear the bread into small pieces and place into the jug of vegetable stock to soften.

In a large pan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes until the carrot begins to soften.

Add the garlic to the pan. Tear the leafy parts of the cavolo nero and throw them into the pan, discarding the tough stems. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

Tip in the tomatoes and cannellini beans. Pour in the stock and softened bread, along with the rosemary and chilli flakes, bringing to the boil over a high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat and season with sea salt.