Soupe au Pistou
Soupe au Pistou, also known as soup with pesto. If you like minestrone soup, then you'll love this soup pistou! White beans, vegetables, ditalini pasta with a generous serving of basil and pesto!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 cup uncooked ditalini pasta, or other small pasta shape
- 1 15 ounce can white beans-- navy beans, Great Northern or Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Pistou:*
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and salt and cook until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the garlic, zucchini, and carrot and cook until vegetables are slightly tender, for about 7 more minutes, stirring often, taking care not to burn.
- Add the thyme and cook for 30 seconds until just fragrant. Add in the broth, bay leaves and tomatoes, along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
- Add in the pasta, then reduce heat to medium and cook until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes. Add in the beans and cook another 5 minutes until warmed through.
Make the pistou
- In a food processor or blender, combine the basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.
- Remove the soup from heat and swirl in the pistou. Season to taste, adding more salt as needed. This will largely depend on the type of broth you use.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese, more pesto and fresh basil, as desired.
Notes
For a vegan version of this soup, use a vegan pesto like my homemade vegan pesto or my kale pesto. You can also use prepared pesto! You'll need about 1/4 cup of prepared pesto. Traditional soupe au pistou has pesto without any pine nuts, but it's OK to use whatever pesto you'd like. I tested this with different types of pestos and it works!
*The pistou can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 372kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 10gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 816mgPotassium: 529mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2143IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 3mg