Vegetable Soup with Basil

Name: Vegetable Soup with Basil (Soupe au Pistou)
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: Salt and black pepper to taste; 1 cup small pasta, like ditalini or capellini, broken into pieces; Freshly grated Parmesan to taste; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed; 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and well rinsed, or 1 large onion, sliced; 1½ cups fresh shell beans, preferably a combination of white, red, and black, or ½ cup dried beans, soaked overnight and drained; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 2 zucchini, chopped; 4 medium tomatoes, cored, seeded, and chopped; 4 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 cups fresh basil leaves; 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped; 2 carrots, chopped

Soupe au Pistou

Preparation info

Makes
4
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

The Best Recipes in the World

By Mark Bittman

Published 2005

About

Pistou is a garlic-basil paste almost identical to pesto—the names in fact are the same, just in different dialects. In France it’s used less to dress pasta than to thicken soups while heightening their flavor. Pistou is usually passed at the table so your guests can add as much as they like.

Ingredients

1½ cups fresh shell beans, preferably a combination of white, red, and black, or ½

Europe
France
Vegetarian
Soup
Mediterranean

Method

Place the beans, leeks, carrots, celery, and potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 7 cups water. Bring to a boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add the zucchini and 3 of the tomatoes and simmer for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, pound the garlic and basil in a mortar and pestle or process in a food processor until pasty. Add the r