Soupe Au Pistou

Soupe au Pistou pronounced "soup-oh-pea-stoo" is a traditional vegetable soup from the South of France. This soup is so incredibly delicious, it has such a distinct taste! Every time I make it, the first bite brings me right back to my childhood in France! Pistou is very close to Italian pesto except it does not contain any pine nuts. If you enjoy garlic and basil you will love this recipe!

Soupe au Pistou is loaded with delicious fresh vegetables and you can keep it completely vegetarian if you use vegetable broth instead of chicken. Traditionally, fresh white beans are used but in order to make it easier and more accessible I am using canned cannellini white beans and it works perfectly!

Soupe au Pistou Ingredients

For this recipe you will need a large pot with a lid and a blender to make the pistou.

*Main ingredients

• 1 can of white beans. I prefer cannellini for this but great northern work too
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 medium leek
• ½ an onion
• ½ cup of finely diced celery
• 1 ½ cup of fresh green beans
• 1 small can of crushed tomatoes (*reserve 3 tablespoon of it to make the pistou, mostly the liquid of it)
• 2 small potatoes
• 1 medium zucchini
• ⅓ cup of pasta. You can use macaroni or my favorite is very thin spaghetti aka capellini (angel hair will work too). Do not put in too much pasta as it would absorb all the broth. You only need a very small amount.
• 4 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon of thyme
• 1 teaspoon of salt (more or less to taste)
• ½ teaspoon of pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil for cooking

*For the pistou (this should make about 3 Tablespoons)

• 1 large handful of fresh basil
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons of the reserved crushed tomatoes from the can (mostly some of the liquid)
• 4 Tablespoons of fresh parmesan (more for soup topping if you wish)
• a pinch of salt and pepper

How to make Soupe au Pistou

Step 1

→Chop all the veggies. Chop the onion, leek, celery very small. Cut the carrots keeping them round shaped but you can make them half too if they're too big.

Cut the green beans in about 1 ½" long pieces. Chop the potatoes and zucchini into bite sizes and put aside.

Step 2

→In the large pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the onion, leek, celery, carrots. Add the thyme and salt and pepper and cook on medium high heat stirring often for about 6 min.

Step 3

→Once those veggies are cooked down a bit add the broth and the can of tomatoes (don't forget to save 3 tablespoon of those for the pistou) and the bay leaf to the pot. Cover and let cook on medium to medium-low heat for about 20 min.

Step 4

→After 20 min, add the green beans, cover and cook for about 10 min.

Step 5

→After 10 min add the potatoes, zucchini, the can of white bean then cover and let simmer on medium-low for another 15 min.

Step 6

→After 15 min add the pasta and cook until they are done. This can take 10 to 15 min. Make sure to try one to make sure they are fully cooked.

Step 7

→While the soup is cooking, prepare the pistou. In a blender, add the 2 tablespoon of olive oil, garlic cloves, the 3 tablespoon of tomatoes from the can, the basil and parmesan and blend/pulse until all combined. You can add a little more oil if necessary or a tablespoon of the soup broth if it seems to get too stuck. It is supposed to be thick. This should make about 3 tablespoons of pistou.

Step 8

→Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Add the 3 tablespoons of pistou to it and mix in. Plate your bowls of soup and add freshly grated parmesan to it if you'd like. Enjoy!

Tips

Storage

→ Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

FAQs

Can I use store-bought Pesto?

→ Yes it would work but keep in mind that Pistou and Pesto are a tad different as Pistou does not have any pine nuts.

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