Carabaccia, Tuscan Onion Soup

Carabaccia is a sweet and savoury Tuscan onion soup made with slow-cooked red onions and white wine. This rich tasting soup is easy to make and packed with flavour, solid served with a cheesy slice of toasted bread!

Carabaccia is a Tuscan onion soup that dates back to the Renaissance. Apparently it was Leonardo da Vinci's favourite soup made with slowly cooked red onions, vegetable stock, a dash of cinnamon, and ground almonds used to thicken it.

We have tried the original recipe with ground almonds and even although it tastes good the texture is a little odd. It also doesn't keep well since the almonds soon soak up a lot of liquid turning the soup into more of a porridge consistency (we, know!).

Luckily over the years, the recipe has been adapted to modern tastes and this is our favourite version.

We've left out the ground almonds and added white wine which adds so much flavour. In Tuscany, they often serve this soup with a slice of toasted crusty bread at the bottom of the bowl.

We love to top our crusty bread with Parmigiano Reggiano and use it for dunking!

Ingredients – what you need

There are a few simple yet important ingredients you need to make a great tasting Carabaccia that's close to the original without the odd texture.

See the photo below that shows you all the ingredients you need plus important tips!

• Onions – although you can use white or brown onions you want to use red onions here for a true Tuscan flavour.
• Cinnamon – you want to use a pinch of cinnamon (no more than 1/4 tsp) to add a hint of flavour and warmth without actually tasting the cinnamon so don't go heavy on it.
• Stock – vegetable stock is traditionally used but you can also use chicken stock. Don't be tempted to use beef stock or it'll be too overpowering.
• White wine – a dry Italian white wine is best.

Peel and cut the ends off of the onions and slice them in half. Finely slice the onions as thin as you can, we like to use a food processor with a slicing attachment to make it quick and easy (photo 1).

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot. Add the onions and stir to coat in the oil, add a pinch of salt and cook the onion slowly on a medium/low heat until soft and breaking apart. This will take 40-45 minutes, make sure the onions don't brown at all (photos 2 & 3).

After cooking the onions add the vinegar, wine, pinch of cinnamon and black pepper. Let it simmer until the wine has reduced by half (photos 4 & 5).

Add the vegetable stock (4 cups/1 litre) and bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes (photos 6 & 7).

Serve with a slice of toasted or grilled bread topped with melted parmesan (photo 8).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Serving suggestion – In Tuscany a toasted slice of bread is placed at the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup. You can do it this way or serve it topped with toasted bread with melted Parmigiano Reggiano on top (our fav).
• Texture – if you'd like to thicken the soup you can stir in a cornstarch (cornflour) slurry made from 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water. Bring the soup back to a simmer until thickened slightly.
• Using store-bought stock – if you're using storebought stock use good quality stock that's also low sodium so you can control the amount of salt added.

Carabaccia Vs French Onion Soup

The two soups although made with a lot of onions are different. Carabaccia is made with red onions, vegetable stock and a dash of cinnamon. French onion soup is made with rich beef stock, garlic and is thickened with flour.

How long does it last?

The soup will keep well the in the fridge for 1-2 days (covered) or can be frozen for up to 3 months. thaw/defrost the soup completely before reheating until piping hot.

More Italian soup recipes you might like

• Italian Lentil Soup (Zuppa di Lenticchie)
• Green Pea Soup with Crispy Prosciutto
• Tuscan Chickpea Soup
• Pastina Soup (Italian Chicken Noodle Soup)
• Tuscan Farro Soup with Beans

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 2 lbs red onions ((1kg))
• 1 cup dry white wine ((240ml))
• 4 cups vegetable stock ((1 litre))
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small pinch cinnamon ((around 1//4 tsp))
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt (to taste)

Method

1. Peel and cut the ends off of the onions (2 lbs/1 Kg) and slice them in half. Finely slice the onions as thin as you can, we like to use a food processor with a slicing attachment to make it quick and easy.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot. Add the onions and stir to coat in the oil, add a pinch of salt and cook the onion very slowly on a medium/low heat until really soft and breaking apart. This will take 40-45 minutes, make sure the onions don't brown at all (see the tips below).

3. After cooking the onions add the vinegar (1 Tbsp), wine (1 cup/240ml), pinch of cinnamon and black pepper (1/2 tsp). Let it simmer until the wine has reduced by half.

4. Add the vegetable stock (4 cups/1 litre) and bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Serve with a slice of toasted or grilled bread topped with melted parmesan.

Kitchen notes

• Serving suggestion In Tuscany a toasted slice of bread is placed at the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup. You can do it this way or serve it topped with toasted bread with melted Parmigiano Reggiano on top (our fav).
• Texture if you'd like to thicken the soup you can stir in a cornstarch (cornflour) slurry made from 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water. Bring the soup back to a simmer until thickened slightly.
• Using store-bought stock if you're using storebought stock use good quality stock that's also low sodium so you can control the amount of salt added.
• Leftovers & freezing leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.