Peel and finely chop the onion. Put the onion slices in a large saucepan with the olive oil. Press the garlic cloves with a knife blade and put into the pan with the peel. Heat the pan and then simmer.
Shred the pancetta and add into the saucepan.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Peel and cut into suitable pieces. Thinly slice the cabbage.
When the onion is golden and the pancetta has colored, add the carrots to the pot and bring to a quick simmer.
Pour the chicken stock and tomatoes into the saucepan. The rest of the vegetables, bay leaves and spices go in the back. Bring the Ribollita to a boil and leave to simmer under the lid until the carrots are cooked. Check the taste and remove from the heat.
At this stage, if you wish, you can dilute the Ribollita with pieces of bread shredded into small pieces.
The dish is ready to serve. Optionally, you can sprinkle the parsley over the dish and grate the parmesan cheese to garnish.