Soupe au pistou is the Provençal answer to a late-summer counter full of zucchini and green beans that are all ripe at once. It belongs alongside our ratatouille niçoise (recipe on the site) as a late-August fixture.

This is essentially a hearty vegetable and white bean soup, built from whatever is in season, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, and a handful of small pasta simmered right in the broth. What sets it apart is the finish: a spoonful of pistou, a Provençal paste of basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan, stirred in right before serving. It is essentially a cousin of Italian pesto, minus the pine nuts, and it turns a simple vegetable soup into something bright and fragrant enough to serve to company.

Like salade niçoise and socca (recipes on the site), this is unfussy, market-driven cooking that changes slightly every time depending on what looks good that week. Do not stress over the exact vegetable ratios; the pistou stirred in at the end ties everything together.

Soupe au Pistou Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

For the Soup:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small zucchini, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced (or 1 cup canned diced tomatoes)
1 can (15 oz) cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cup small pasta, such as vermicelli pieces or ditalini
Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Pistou:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt, to taste

Cook along

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leeks and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the carrots and potatoes and cook 3-4 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are nearly tender.
Add the green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, and white beans. Simmer 10 more minutes.
Stir in the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes, adding a splash more stock or water if the soup gets too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
While the soup finishes, make the pistou: in a food processor, blend the basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan into a thick, fragrant paste. Season with a pinch of salt.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a generous spoonful of pistou, letting guests stir it in themselves at the table.