Soupe au Pistou
Soupe au Pistou is a light yet satisfying Provençal vegetable soup filled with tender white beans, small pasta, and neatly diced vegetables in a fragrant broth. A fresh basil and garlic pistou stirred in at the end gives the soup its vivid aroma and unmistakably sunny character.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 tspolive oil
- 80 gonion, finely diced
- 100 gcarrot, diced small
- 150 gzucchini, diced small
- 180 gpotato, peeled and diced small
- 150 gripe tomato, diced
- 240 gcooked white beans, drained
- 800 mlvegetable stock
- 200 mlwater
- 60 gsmall pasta (ditalini or small macaroni)
- 4 gfine salt
- 1 gblack pepper
For the pistou
- 25 gfresh basil leaves
- 2garlic cloves
- 2 tspolive oil
- 1 gfine salt
Instructions
- 1
Prepare all the vegetables before you start cooking: finely dice the onion, carrot, zucchini, potato, and tomato into small even pieces so they cook at the same rate. Finely chop the garlic and pick the basil leaves. Bring the vegetable stock and water together in a jug or saucepan so they are ready to add.
- 2
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent without browning. Gentle sweating builds sweetness while keeping the soup light.
- 3
Add the zucchini, potato, and tomato. Stir for 2 minutes so the vegetables are coated and the tomato starts to break down slightly.
- 4
Pour in the vegetable stock and water, then add the white beans, 4 g salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the potato and carrot are just tender when pierced with a knife.
- 5
While the soup simmers, make the pistou. Using a mortar and pestle or by finely chopping and crushing with the side of a knife, work the garlic with 1 g salt into a paste. Add the basil leaves and crush to a coarse green paste, then stir in 2 tsp olive oil. Keep it fresh and uncooked; the raw basil aroma is the signature of the dish.
- 6
Add the pasta to the simmering soup and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is tender but not mushy. If the soup thickens too much, add a splash of hot water.
- 7
Take the pot off the heat and let the soup stand for 2 minutes. Stir in half of the pistou for fragrance throughout the broth, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- 8
Ladle the soup into warm bowls and spoon the remaining pistou on top just before serving. Swirl it in at the table for the brightest basil flavor.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For a more traditional but less low-fat version, a small spoonful of grated Parmesan may be stirred into the pistou or added at the table.
- •Cut the vegetables quite small; this is the easiest way to keep the recipe within 45 minutes and gives the soup its classic texture.
- •Canned or jarred cooked white beans make this beginner-friendly and keep the cooking time realistic.
- •The soup will thicken as it stands because of the pasta; loosen leftovers with a little water or stock when reheating.
Background
Soupe au Pistou comes from Provence in the south of France, where summer vegetables, beans, and basil are abundant. The word pistou refers to the raw garlic-and-basil paste related to Italian pesto, though traditionally it contains no pine nuts. It is a homely seasonal soup, often made in late summer with whatever vegetables are freshest.
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