Soupe au pistou (Provençal vegetable soup with basil)
60 min · 14 g protein · 349 cals / serving
A big, colourful pot of summer vegetables from Provence, green beans, zucchini, leeks, carrots and tomatoes, simmered with creamy white beans and little pasta until the broth turns golden. The magic comes at the table: a spoonful of pistou, basil pounded with garlic, olive oil and parmesan, swirled into each bowl so the whole thing smells of basil.
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 medium leek, white and pale green parts, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 medium gold potatoes, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 lb green beans, in 2.5 cm (1-inch) pieces
- 2 medium zucchini, diced
- 2 cans (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or borlotti
- 1/2 cup pasta, small pasta such as ditalini or broken spaghetti
Pistou
- 2 cups leaves fresh basil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan, or a vegetarian hard cheese (traditional parmesan uses animal rennet)
Steps
- Warm the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook the leek, onion, carrot and celery, stirring now and then, 8 minutes until soft but not browned.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add the green beans, zucchini, white beans and pasta and simmer 10–12 minutes more, until the pasta is tender and the vegetables are soft. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick; it should be brothy but full.
- Make the pistou: pound or blitz the basil and garlic with a pinch of salt, then work in the olive oil and parmesan to make a loose, bright green paste.
- Taste the soup for salt and ladle into bowls. Put a spoonful of pistou on each and stir it in at the table.
Good to know
How is pistou different from pesto?
Pistou is the Provençal cousin: basil, garlic and olive oil, often with cheese and never with pine nuts. It is looser and more garlicky, made to melt into hot soup.
Can I make it vegan?
Leave the cheese out of the pistou and add a little extra garlic and a squeeze of lemon; it's about the same score. The soup itself is already vegan.
Does it keep?
The soup keeps 4 days in the fridge; the pasta swells, so loosen it with water when you reheat. Keep the pistou in a small jar with a film of oil on top and add it fresh to each bowl.
Can't fill you up alone — pair it with protein.
Per
- Calories
- 47
- Protein
- (17%)
- 2 g
- Fat
- (25%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (58%)
- 7 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 152 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2094 kcal goes into the pot and 4709 g of ingredients comes out as about 4450 g of food: 47 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.