Carabaccia is a sweet and savoury Tuscan onion soup made with slow-cooked red onions and white wine. This rich tasting soup is really easy to make and packed with flavour, perfect 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.
I have tried the original recipe with ground almonds and even although it tastes delicious 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 (I, know!).
Luckily over the years the recipe has been adapted to modern tastes and this is my favourite version.
I've left out the ground almonds and added white wine which adds so much flavour. In Tuscany they often serve this soup with your crusty crouton at the bottom of the bowl but because I love a little indulgence I've topped mine with parmesan and add it on top instead.
Ingredients - what you need
There are a few simple yet important ingredients you need to make a great tasting Carabaccia that's very 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 really want to use red onions here for a true Tuscan flavour.
- Cinnamon - you want to use just a pinch of cinnamon (no more than ¼ 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, I 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 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 (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 (my fav).
- Texture - if you'd like to thicken the soup you can stir in a cornstarch (cornflour) slurry made from 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoon water. Bring the soup back to a simmer until thickened slightly.
- Using store-bought stock - if you're using storebought stock make sure to use good quality stock that's also low sodium so you can control the amount of salt added.
The two soups although made with a lot of onions are very 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.
The soup will keep well the in the fridge for 1-2 days (covered) or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure to 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
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📖 Full Recipe
Carabaccia (Tuscan Onion Soup)
Ingredients
- 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 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- 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, I like to use a food processor with a slicing attachment to make it quick and easy.
- 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).
- After cooking the onions add the vinegar (1 Tbsp), wine (1 cup/240ml), pinch of cinnamon and black pepper (½ tsp). Let it simmer until the wine has reduced by half.
- Add the vegetable stock (4 cups/1 litre) and bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve with a slice of toasted or grilled bread topped with melted parmesan.
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 (my fav).
- Texture - if you'd like to thicken the soup you can stir in a cornstarch (cornflour) slurry made from 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoon water. Bring the soup back to a simmer until thickened slightly.
- Using store-bought stock - if you're using storebought stock make sure to 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.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
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