This Tuscan-style vegetable soup with its rustic texture and robust tomato-hued flavour is an easy win for chilly weeknights. Translating to 'reboiled' in Italian, ribollita is traditionally made with day-old bread that's cooked into the soup, but in this version, simply mop up the broth with the garlic bread or tear it up and stir through for extra texture.
Preheat oven to 220°C fan-forced (for garlic bread). Finely dice celery, bacon and eschalot. Crush garlic. Thinly slice sage leaves.
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, bacon, eschalot and most of the sage and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until eschalot has softened and caramelised slightly. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Rinse and drain cannellini beans. Add to saucepan and lightly crush using the back of a spoon or a potato masher.
Add cherry tomatoes and crush lightly with the back of a spoon to release their juices. Add 500ml (2 cups) water and stock cube. Bring to just below the boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes or until soup has thickened slightly.
Meanwhile, bake garlic bread according to packet instructions. When soup has finished cooking, stir through remaining sage and baby spinach leaves and season to taste.
Divide soup between bowls and sprinkle with parmesan and black pepper. Serve with garlic bread.