Lately I've been topping off my soup with pesto to eat more greens and add some additional flavor to it. I recently discovered I was making what is essentially a Provençal version of minestrone soup. Unlike my classic Minestrone Soup and my Smokey Minestrone Soup this recipe uses fresh tomatoes and no tomato paste or tomato sauce. And for folks not eating tomatoes it's easy to substitute the fresh tomatoes with another vegetable.
I keep the list of vegetables short but you can easily add some zucchini, green beans, or other favorite soup additions. It's also easy to pull together however I do make the beans a day ahead. I've included my recipe for creamy beans that are ready to add to a soup. If you'd like to avoid the beans, you can load it up with peas and lentil pasta. I recommend adding green beans, zucchini, and other quick cooking vegetables once the beans are soft.
For pesto, I keep mine simple with just some basil, olive oil, and salt and grind it in a mortar and pestle or pulse it in my food processor. For a really nice dairy-free pesto try my Basil Walnut Pesto. And if kale is calling you, you'll like my Kale Pesto.
I recommend using fresh herbs when making this soup. I create a simple bouquet garni with a few sprigs of thyme and parsley. It stays in the soup unit the end and then I remove it before serving. Enjoy!
Soupe Au Pistou
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil and more as needed
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 leeks
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large carrots trimmed and diced
- 2 celery stalks trimmed and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half or diced plum tomatoes
- 1 quart water plus extra if needed
- 2 parsley stalks
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 ½ cups white beans cannellini or navy; prepared ahead of time following the recipe below this one
Instructions
- Prepare the beans ahead of time using the recipe below this one.
- Place a stockpot on a low to medium heat.
- Add the olive oil to the pot and warm for a moment.
- Add the onions, leeks, and garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the celery, carrots, and tomatoes, and sauté for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the water, ¾ teaspoon of salt, stir to blend in and then place the herbs on the top of the soup slightly immersed in the soup. Bring the soup to a steady simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the beans and soup are creamy but not mushy.
- If you're adding green beans and other quick cooking or frozen vegetables, add them 5 to 10 minutes before the soup is ready. You may need to add more water to cover the soup. Add additional salt to taste.
- Serve with pesto and grated Parmesan (if you're ok with some aged cheese). Store in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for a few months.
Nutrition
How to Make White Beans Creamy
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot or other pressure cooker; optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry cannellini beans
- water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soak the beans for overnight or at least 8 hours. Add enough water to fully cover the beans plus and extra few inches of water and stir in the salt. The beans will expand as they absorb water.
- Drain the beans and discard the soaking water.
- Add the beans to an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker and add enough water to cover about half of the beans.
- Put the cover on (no venting) and pressure cook the beans for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and then take the beans out to use in a soup, salad or stew. They'll be soft and but shouldn't be mushy. If you prefer them less soft, cut the time by 5 minutes.
- They're now ready to be added to a soup recipe or other recipe using white beans.
- Store them in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze for a few months.
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