Zuppa Valdostana di Fagioli
A comforting Aosta Valley soup of simmered white beans and savoy cabbage, layered with dark rye bread, melted fontina, and foaming butter.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Total
- 75 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Large heavy-bottomed saucepan
- •Earthenware or ovenproof baking dish
- •Small frying pan
- •Ladle
- •Chef's knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 21 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 9 g
- protein
- 18 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Drain and rinse the soaked cannellini beans thoroughly.
- 2
Heat a small knob of butter in a saucepan and add the onion, carrot, and celery.
- 3
Sweat over medium heat for eight minutes until soft and fragrant.
- 4
Add the drained beans and hot vegetable broth to the pot.
- 5
Simmer gently over medium-low heat for forty minutes until the beans turn tender.
- 6
Stir in the shredded savoy cabbage and cook for ten minutes until wilted.
- 7
Season the soup generously with fine sea salt and black pepper.
- 8
Layer half the sliced rye bread across the bottom of an earthenware baking dish.
- 9
Ladle the bean and cabbage broth over the bread, then top with remaining bread and fontina.
- 10
Melt remaining butter with sage in a frying pan until fragrant and foaming.
- 11
Pour the hot sage butter over the dish and bake at 190°C for fifteen minutes until bubbly.
Chef's tips
Choose dense dark rye bread with caraway or cumin if available, as it retains texture under broth. If using cooked tinned beans, simmer the base for only fifteen minutes before adding the cabbage.
Ingredient substitutions
- pane di segale (Valdostan dark rye bread) → dense wholemeal sourdough bread
- fontina DOP → mature gruyère or taleggio cheese
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat in an oven preheated to 180°C for fifteen minutes, adding a splash of hot broth if needed.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using soft white sliced bread, which disintegrates into paste rather than holding form.
- •Allowing the sage butter to burn past golden brown before pouring it over the soup.
Serving suggestions
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