Soupe au pistou, a French summer soup

Summer is discretely pushing Spring away and May’s showers are already forgotten! We can now enjoy dinners on the patio, backyard BBQs and outdoors games with the kids. Did you already get a little sun kissed? Do you feel how time is nicely slowing down as we are enjoying our down time outdoors with our loved ones?

Even though I live in Canada now, I still keep some of my French lifestyle and feel like I’m still in Provence…

The recipe & the elephant in the room

You know what else is amazing in summer? Veggies. Oh boy, do they taste better. So, I have this soup recipe for you and I guarantee you will fall in love with it!

Can I convince you?

It is an explosion of flavours. You will not be able to deny it.

This dish is healthy.

It’s easy to prepare and your guests (or family) will be impressed

And, it’s French! Ah, do I need to say more? Mouhahahhaa!

The recipe of the French Soupe au Pistou

Speaking about this dish brings me back to my childhood. I can still remember the first time I had it… It was a late Saturday night, we were eating outside on the terrace of some friends, the sky was filled with stars and crickets and cicadas were all singing together.  Although, nights in the South of France can sometimes be fresh but you don’t always put a cardigan on, you just want to enjoy your body cooling down from the hot day. So the soup actually works perfectly for your upcoming summer evenings.

More precisely, this pot is filled with 3 types of beans, carrots, potatoes and at the end a handful of pasta. The pistou then will enhance all the dish.

Of note, the key to this successful dish is mainly in a pistou rich in flavour. Therefore, you will need a ridiculous amount of basil = a whole plant. The paste that you will create with the leaves, the garlic and the olive oil will just marry to perfection your gently simmered vegetables.

Basil. Oh and basil!

Print Recipe

Soupe au pistou, a French summer soup

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs

Course: appetizers, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: French

Servings: 6 persons

Author: Mélanie

Ingredients

• 1 cup of carrots diced
• 3 cups of navy beans
• 3 cups of sweet snap peas
• 3 cups of green beans
• 1 cup of potatoes diced
• 1 cup of pasta shell or macaroni shape
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 cup packed of basil leaves
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup of olive oil

Instructions

• In a large pot, put the carrot, navy beans, sweet snap peas and green beans. Add the salt. Fill with water to the top. Bring it to a simmer and leave for an hour.
• Meanwhile, peel the garlic, wash the basil leaves and place it in the food processor along with the tomatoes and the olive oil. Set aside, you have your pistou.
• Add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes. Then, add the pastas and cooked as required on the package.
• Now, add your pistou and stir. Your soup is ready, you can add some shredded emmental on top after serving.

Notes

At the beginning of the recipe, you can cook some bacon and add it to the 3 beans in the pot. It will add some flavor. Some versions of the Pistou soup can include some zucchinis. It is a great addition, you can add 2 or 3 diced at the same time than the potatoes.

 

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