Traditionally a summer dish, this beautiful French vegetable soup, Pistou soup, is packed with an array of vegetables, pasta and beans. Topped with a fresh basil pistou, it is an easy recipe to enjoy summers bounty. Serve with fresh baguette on the side, or on its own!
This rustic soup is an easy soup recipe that comes together in under 45 minutes, and is such a useful recipe for using up seasonal vegetables, or odds and ends of vegetables in the fridge.
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What is soup au pistou?
Soupe au pistou, originally from Provence, gets its name from the basil and garlic paste, pistou, that is dolloped on top when the soup is served. Like the Italian minestrone, this vegetable, pasta and bean soup is a showcase of fresh summer produce. However, instead of pesto, this soup is topped with Provencal pistou – very similar to Italian basil pesto but made without pine nuts and parmesan.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
Pasta, tinned beans and a selection of seasonal vegetables make up the base of this easy French soup; then top with fresh basil and garlic pistou and serve!
For the full list of ingredients and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Beans – white beans such as cannelloni beans or haricot beans are most commonly used in pistou soup. You can cook raw beans separately and then add to the soup, but for ease I have made this is a ‘cheats version’ and uses a tin of cooked white beans, drained and rinsed.
- Pasta – any small pasta shape like macaroni, or use broken vermicilli.
- Water – this light soup is made with water rather than stock, which we prefer as it lets the flavour of the vegetables shine. However if you have any homemade vegetable stock or chicken stock, you can of course use that in place of the water. If using stock you will however more than likely need to use less salt than when using water.
- Vegetables – here I have used courgette (zucchini), carrot, green beans, peas; however feel free to swap in any seasonal vegetables like Swiss chard, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, fennel, broad beans – it really is an adaptable soup!
- Basil – fresh basil is the star of the show. If buying basil, look for bunches with green leaves that aren’t wilting or discoloured.
- Olive oil – I recommend using EVOO for its flavour, especially in the pistou. However, feel free to use your favourite regular olive oil if you prefer.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is a must here! To keep it kid-friendly I use 1 clove to make the pistou, but if you want a punchy garlic flavour then use 2 or even 3 garlic cloves.
How To Make Soup au Pistou
The Pistou
While you can use a food processor to make the basil pistou, after testing both methods I much preferred the taste of it made in a pestle and mortar. Gently crush the basil with the garlic and salt, adding enough olive oil to get your desired consistency. I tend to stop as soon as it easily drops off the spoon.
The Vegetable Soup
The vegetables are cooked for a while over a low heat to release an abundance of sweet flavour from them – this is a really important step in making the soup! Then the pasta is added and cooked for a few minutes before the final vegetables and tinned beans are added.
It is important not to add the tinned beans to early as they can become mushy if they are overcooked.
As soon as the pasta and vegetables are tender and the soup is ready, it is ladled into bowls, topped with a dollop of pistou, and served. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it stands therefore the soup is best served straight away.
FAQ
Pistou means to ground, pounded.
Pistou is pronounced pee-stoo.
My recipe tips
- Cook the vegetables for a long time – apart from the leafy vegetables – to create a body of flavour.
- Different vegetables – feel free to mix the vegetables depending with what is in season. Make a winter soup with celeriac and kale, swap the onion for a leek, add broad beans or peas…this really is a soup you can make your own! If using spinach or chard / silverbeet, add in the last 5 minutes of cooking to prevent it from overcooking.
- Garlic – use 2-3 cloves or garlic if you are a fan of strong garlic.
- Spoon the pistou on to the soup at the last minute – or serve the soup and then let everyone spoon the pistou on themselves, then stir it through the soup.
- Gluten free soup – this can be made with either gluten free pasta, or use rice instead of the pasta.
Serving Ideas
This vegetable and pasta soup is a meal in itself, however some fresh crusty bread or baguette (or garlic baguette!) on the side to mop up all the flavour-packed juices is always popular.
Make ahead/storage
This soup will keep up to 3 days, covered, in the fridge. However it thickens as it stands as the pasta absorbs the liquid. If you are planning on making this soup ahead, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and storing in the fridge in seperate containers. Then reheat together just before serving.
The pistou is best made just before serving as it will become brown over time.
Why not try…
You may also like these other family friendly soups:
Pistou soup (Soupe au pistou)
Author: Robyn
Equipment
- large saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste / tomato puree
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 courgette / zucchini diced
- 1 litre (4¼ c) water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 50g (1½ – 2 oz) small dried pasta eg macaroni
- 100g (3½ oz) green beans cut unto 2-3 cm lengths
- 100g (3½ oz) peas fresh or frozen
- 400g (14 oz) tin / can white beans, drained and rinsed eg canneloni
- freshly cracked black pepper
Pistou
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 1-2 cloves garlic depending on how strong a garlic flavour you like
- pinch salt
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes then add the garlic and cook for a minute.
- Add the bay leaf, fresh thyme, tomato puree / paste, diced carrots, diced courgette / zucchini and cook. covered, over a low heat for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still have a little bite to them.
- Pour in the water and 1 teaspoon salt, then bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 7 minutes, then add the green beans, peas and drained white beans and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the pasta and vegetables are tender.
- Check for seasoning, adding black pepper to taste.
To make the pistou
- While the soup is cooking, make the pistou.
- Add the basil leaves, garlic clove(s), salt and olive oil to a pestle and mortar or small food processor, and pound or blitz to a smooth paste, adding a little more olive oil if you prefer a slightly runnier pistou.
- Serve the soup immediately with a spoonful of pistou on top.
Notes
- Beans – white beans such as cannelloni beans or haricot beans are most commonly used in pistou soup. You can cook raw beans separately and then add to the soup, but for ease I have made this is a ‘cheats version’ and uses a tin of cooked white beans, drained and rinsed.
- Pasta – any small pasta shape like macaroni, or use broken vermicilli.
- Water – this light soup is made with water rather than stock, which we prefer as it lets the flavour of the vegetables shine. However if you have any homemade vegetable stock or chicken stock, you can of course use that in place of the water. If using stock you will however more than likely need to use less salt than when using water.
- Vegetables – here I have used courgette (zucchini), carrot, green beans, peas; however feel free to swap in any seasonal vegetables like Swiss chard, cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, fennel, broad beans – it really is an adaptable soup!
- Basil – fresh basil is the star of the show. If buying basil, look for bunches with green leaves that aren’t wilting or discoloured.
- Olive oil – I recommend using EVOO for its flavour, especially in the pistou. However, feel free to use your favourite regular olive oil if you prefer.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is a must here! To keep it kid-friendly I use 1 clove to make the pistou, but if you want a punchy garlic flavour then use 2 or even 3 garlic cloves.
- Cook the vegetables for a long time – apart from the leafy vegetables – to create a body of flavour.
- Different vegetables – feel free to mix the vegetables depending with what is in season. Make a winter soup with celeriac and kale, swap the onion for a leek, add broad beans or peas…this really is a soup you can make your own! If using spinach or chard / silverbeet, add in the last 5 minutes of cooking to prevent it from overcooking.
- Garlic – use 2-3 cloves or garlic if you are a fan of strong garlic.
- Spoon the pistou on to the soup at the last minute – or serve the soup and then let everyone spoon the pistou on themselves, then stir it through the soup.
- Gluten free soup – this can be made with either gluten free pasta, or use rice instead of the pasta.
Nutrition
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