Provençal soupe au pistou
Ingredients
Method
- Peel the onion, carrots and potatoes and cut them into small dice. Top and tail the green beans and cut them into pieces. Dice the courgettes and chop the tomatoes.
- Put the water, coco beans, onion, carrots and potatoes in a large pot. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Add the green beans, courgettes and tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes more, then add the pasta and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, make the pistou: pound the garlic with a pinch of coarse salt in a mortar, add the basil little by little, then pour in the olive oil in a thin stream while you keep pounding.
- Off the heat, ladle the soup into bowls and add a spoonful of pistou to each. Serve the grated cheese on the side.
Notes
Coco beans, courgettes, pounded basil and garlic: Provençal soupe au pistou is the great summer dish of Provence. Here is our recipe, generous and simple, with 30 minutes of preparation and 55 minutes of cooking, for a pot of garden vegetables scented with homemade pistou.
Traditional soupe au pistou recipe, step by step
This traditional soupe au pistou recipe comes together in three stages. First, the coco beans cook with the onion, carrots and potatoes. Then come the tender vegetables, green beans, courgettes and tomatoes, followed by the small pasta. Finally, the mortar-pounded pistou goes into each bowl, off the heat, so it keeps all its fragrance.
An authentic soupe au pistou
An authentic soupe au pistou is a Provençal cousin of Ligurian minestrone, served from Nice to Marseille when fresh beans and basil reach the markets. The word pistou comes from the Provençal “pistar”, to pound. Every family has its own version: with or without tomato, with macaroni or vermicelli, thicker or thinner. It is a complete dish, often served warm as a main course.
Homemade pistou: basil, garlic, olive oil
A homemade pistou with basil, garlic and olive oil is made in a mortar. Pound the garlic with a little coarse salt into a paste, add the basil leaf by leaf, then the olive oil in a thin stream. The mortar crushes the leaves without heating them, so the pistou stays bright green. With a blender, use short pulses and well-chilled oil.
A summer vegetable soup with pistou
This summer vegetable soup with pistou celebrates the July and August vegetable garden. Fresh coco beans, white and marbled red, give a melting texture. Courgettes and green beans bring freshness, and the potatoes lightly thicken the broth.
Vegetables for soupe au pistou
The classic vegetables for soupe au pistou are white and red coco beans, green beans, courgettes, potatoes, carrots, onion and tomato. Out of season, jarred beans and frozen vegetables work very well.
An easy, quick soupe au pistou
For an easy, quick soupe au pistou, use jarred coco beans, drained and rinsed: add them with the courgettes and the cooking time drops to 30 minutes. The pistou can be made in a blender in 2 minutes.
Grandmother’s Provençal pistou soup
The secrets of grandmother’s Provençal pistou soup: slow cooking, vegetables cut small, and a soup made the day before, because it tastes even better reheated. In summer it is served warm, never piping hot, with the pistou added at the last moment.
Soupe au pistou without pasta
Soupe au pistou without pasta is lighter and gluten-free, as long as you serve gluten-free bread alongside. Add one more potato to keep the soup filling.
A vegetarian soupe au pistou
This recipe is already a vegetarian soupe au pistou, full of vegetables and rich in fibre from the beans. Note that Parmesan is made with animal rennet. For a strictly vegetarian meal, choose a hard cheese made with vegetable rennet, or serve the soup without cheese.
Which cheese for soupe au pistou?
Which cheese for soupe au pistou? Depending on the family, it is grated Parmesan, aged Gruyère or Emmental, sometimes mixed into the pistou, sometimes passed round at the table. Both ways are found in Provence.
Difference between pistou and pesto
The main difference between pistou and pesto is the pine nuts: Genoese pesto contains pine nuts and cheese, while Provençal pistou has no pine nuts, just basil, garlic and olive oil, with cheese optional. For other versions, try our carrot top pesto, our pumpkin seed pesto or our caprese salad with homemade pesto.
What to serve with soupe au pistou
As for what to serve with soupe au pistou, offer slices of toasted country bread rubbed with garlic and a bowl of grated cheese. A well-chilled Provence rosé completes the summer meal.
Freezing soupe au pistou
For freezing soupe au pistou, let it cool completely and freeze it without the pistou, in freezer-safe containers, for up to 3 months. Freeze the pistou separately in an ice cube tray. In the fridge, the soup keeps for 3 days.
What to do with leftover pistou?
What to do with leftover pistou? Cover it with a thin layer of olive oil and keep it in the fridge for 3 days. Stir it into pasta or gnocchi, toss it with tomato salad or spread it on toast.
More soups to try
Fancy more soups? Try our creamy Puy green lentil soup with cumin, tourin, the garlic soup from Périgord, or Portuguese caldo verde. To learn all about spices, see our spice guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make soupe au pistou the day before?
Yes, it is even better the next day. Make the pistou at the last minute, or keep it in the fridge covered with oil.
Can you use dried beans?
Yes. Soak them overnight in cold water, then pre-cook them for 45 minutes before adding them to the soup.
