Soupe au Pistou

Soupe au Pistou - the definitive Soup of the South of France - is one of my favorites and a classic of French Riviera and Provençale Cuisine. A vegetarian soup full of hearty beans, delicious vegetables and flavorful basil.

Similar to a Minestrone Soup, but without the tomato base. The perfect meal in a bowl and an ideal meal prep to get you through the week.

Not to be confused with "Pesto" , "Pistou" soup is a hearty yet refreshing bean soup packed with summer vegetables, pasta and yes, LOTS of basil. The Pistou Sauce will become your new favorite condiment - you will want to serve it on everything!

Those who follow my instagram know that I love my soups, regardless of the season. I love making a BIG pot and portion it out to eat for the rest of the week; I then freeze the leftovers. As a working mom with 2 kids, anything I can do to make multiple healthy meals at once is a huge time saver. A reheated bowl of hearty, homemade soup, like Soupe au Pistou, is one of the best meals when you need something quick.

Ingredients:

Cooking time: two hours. Best to make it on a morning when you are doing other things around the house - there is lots of simmering time.

• 3 cups dry white beans (soaked overnight) Cranberry beans are ideal but if you can't find them White Lima beans work very well. If you are using canned beans no need to soak them overnight.
• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 3 shallots or one white onion
• 2 branches of fresh thyme ( I used lemon thyme - so yummy!)
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 5 carrots
• 4 big yellow potatoes or 8-10 new potatoes
• 2 cups green beans
• 5 zucchinis ( I mixed green and yellow)
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 cups elbow pasta or small shape pasta

For the garnish

• 1 big bunch of basil (impossible to have too much!)
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¾ cup of grated parmesan
• ½ cup of grated hard cheese such as gruyere or Edam
• ½ cup of olive oil
• pinch of fleur de sel
• pinch of black pepper ( 3 turns on the pepper mill)

How to make Soupe au Pistou

For the Soup

Lightly sauté the onions in a large pot ( I love my Le Creuset Caribbean Blue Stock pot) with olive oil. Add the garlic, paying careful attention that it does not burn. Add the white beans and 16 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Add a generous pinch of sea salt and 2 branches of thyme and let simmer for 45 minutes until the beans begin to soften. If you are using canned white beans this process needs only be 25 minutes. This is what creates your vegetable bouillon.

While the bouillon is cooking, chop your tomatoes and zucchinis into little cubes. Peel and chop your carrots and tomatoes into little bite sized pieces as well. Snap the ends off your green beans and dice them into small sections.

Add the diced potatoes and carrots to the bouillon . Cook stirring often for 30 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, zucchini and green beans. Let simmer an additional 30 minutes before adding the pasta: then let simmer for final 15 minutes.

If at any time you need to add more water - do so. The potatoes and the pasta absorb a lot of the liquid. You can also add salt and pepper to taste.

Pistou (make while the soup is simmering):

Best made with a pestle and mortar but a food processor also works well. (I have been using this immersion blender set for over 5 years now - I like that it doesn't take up counter space)

Muddle the garlic cloves to create a paste. Add the basil leaves and a pinch of salt. Pulverize them into a thick paste. Add the olive oil while stirring continuously. Lightly stir in the diced tomatoes, the pepper and the cheese . (do not pulverize again to keep the vibrant green color of the pistou) In the words of Bocuse, the pistou should have the consistency of thick cream. If it is too thick, dilute with some of the vegetable bouillon from the soup.

Once the Soup is cooked (test that the white beans are done), remove the branches of thyme from the pot and serve into individual bowls. Grate parmesan on each bowl and serve with a spoon full of Pistou. Add some basil leaves to garnish if you wish. (Le Chef's Wife tip: If you run out of time or will to make the Pistou - use a spoonful of pesto out of a jar. Not the same thing but the desired outcome is pretty similar and honestly, good enough...)

I served our Soupe au Pistou with a fresh baked baguette (that I made while the soup was cooking - here is the recipe for an easy to make baguette) and a wheel of goat cheese. This makes for a beautiful lunch on its own.

French Riviera Cuisine

I first tried Soupe au Pistou at my husband’s grandmother’s house for lunch in Toulon, France. Mamie Pierrette is a master at the multi-course weekend lunch and makes the most amazing meals out of her tiny kitchen. She had gone down to the market on Cours Lafayette that morning and had picked up fresh green beans that had inspired her to make the soup. Served with a crusty baguette and a wheel of fresh goat cheese, the soup brings me back to the French Riviera every time I eat it.

Vegetarian meal in a bowl

There are multiple versions of Pistou, with meat or without meat. This version is the vegetarian one. If you would like to make it with meat, traditionally a ham hock is added to the soup. Sliced Italian sausage is also a great addition.

In my quest of making the most authentic Pistou possible, I referred to two of my favorite French cook books for insiration: Paul Bocuse's "365 Recettes et Terroires de France" and "L'Authentique Cuisine de Provence" by Guy Gedda. Chef Gedda (pictured above) is considered to be the "Pape de la Cuisine Provençal" or "Pope of Provençal Cuisine". (Funny anecdote: Guy was my husband's culinary mentor as a young Chef so they called Le Chef, "Le Petit Prince de la Cuisine Provençal" ).

Frequently Asked Questions about La Soupe au Pistou:

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.

I served our Soupe au Pistou with a fresh baked baguette (that I made while the soup was cooking - here is the recipe for an easy to make baguette) and a wheel of goat cheese. This makes for a beautiful lunch on its own.

Bon Appétit!

Le Chef's Wife

Other Le Chef's Wife Recipes You will Enjoy:

Les Petits Farcis Niçois

Lemon Thyme French Roast Chicken (Poulet Rôti)

Chicken & Orzo

Confit Bayaldi

Tomatoes Provençal

Mediterranean Branzino Filet Recipe with Vierge Sauce

Let me know if you are cooking any of my recipes, I love to hear from you!

Bon Appétit,

Le Chef's Wife

ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE

Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.

Look inside our Kitchen with this recent Washington Post Article. We were recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:

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Soupe au Pistou Recipe

• Author: lechefswife
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: starters, soups
• Cuisine: French
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

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Description

La Soupe au Pistou is a hearty yet summery vegetarian bean soup packed with mixed vegetables, pasta and LOTS of basil. The perfect meal in a bowl , ideal meal prep to get you through the week.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cooking time: two hours. Best to make it on a morning when you are doing other things around the house - there is lots of simmering time. (cooking time can be reduced significantly by using canned beans instead)

• 3 cups dry white beans (soaked overnight) Cranberry beans are ideal but if you can't find them White Lima beans work very well. If you are using canned beans no need to soak them overnight.
• 4 cloves of Garlic
• 3 shallots or one white onion
• 2 branches of fresh thyme ( I used lemon thyme - so yummy!)
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 5 carrots
• 4 big yellow potatoes or 8-10 new potatoes
• 2 cups green beans
• 5 zucchinis ( I mixed green and yellow)
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 cups elbow pasta or small shape pasta

For the Pistou: (Basil/garlic garnish to be served on top of the soup at the end)

• 1 big bunch of basil (impossible to have too much!)
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¾ cup of grated parmesan
• ½ cup of grated hard cheese such as gruyere or Edam
• ½ cup of olive oil
• pinch of fleur de sel
• pinch of black pepper ( 3 turns on the pepper mill)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

For the Soup

Chop up the onion and garlic. Lightly sauté in a big soup pot ( I love my Le Creuset Caribbean Blue Stock pot) with olive oil. Add the white beans and 16 cups of water. Add a teaspoon of sea salt and 2 branches of thyme and let simmer for 45 minutes until the beans begin to soften. If you are using canned white beans this process needs only be 25 minutes. This is what creates your vegetable bouillon.

While the bouillon is cooking, chop your tomatoes and zucchinis into little cubes. Peel and chop your carrots and tomatoes into little bite sized pieces as well. Snap the ends off your green beans and dice them into small sections.

Add the diced potatoes and carrots to the bouillon . Let simmer for 30 minutes stirring from time to time.

Add the tomatoes, zucchini and green beans. Let simmer an additional 30 minutes before adding the pasta: then let simmer for final 15 minutes.

If at any time you need to add more water - do so. The potatoes and the pasta absorb a lot of the liquid.

Pistou (make while the soup is simmering):

Best made with a pestle and mortar but a food processor also works well. (I have been using this immersion blender set for over 5 years now - I like that it doesn't take up counter space)

Muddle the garlic cloves to create a paste. Add the basil leaves and a pinch of salt. Pulverize them into a thick paste. Add the olive oil while stirring continuously. Lightly stir in the diced tomatoes, the pepper and the cheese. (do not pulverize again to keep the vibrant green color of the pistou) In the words of Bocuse, the pistou should have the consistency of thick cream. If it is too thick, dilute with some of the vegetable bouillon from the soup.

Once the Soup is cooked (test that the white beans are done), remove the branches of thyme from the pot and serve into individual bowls. Grate parmesan on each bowl and serve with a spoon full of Pistou. Add some basil leaves to garnish if you wish. (Le Chef's Wife tip: If you run out of time or will to make the Pistou - use a spoonful of pesto out of a jar. Not the same thing but the desired outcome is pretty similar and honestly, good enough...)

I served our Soupe au Pistou with a fresh baked baguette (that I made while the soup was cooking - here is the recipe for an easy to make baguette) and a wheel of goat cheese. This makes for a beautiful lunch on its own.

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Notes

Does this recipe freeze well?

Yes, but without the pasta. Pasta absorbs a lot of water and becomes mushy in the freezer. If you are planning to freeze the soupe au pistou, my recommendation is to portion out the soup you want in freezer containers BEFORE you add in the pasta. Let the soup in the freezer containers cool on the counter before freezing for food safety. Then, a few weeks or months later when you are ready to enjoy your soup, simply bring to a simmer in a sauce pan and add the pasta then. A delicious meal in under 15 minutes! 

Keywords: soup recipe, soupe au pistou, french recipe, french soup, provencal soup, pesto

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