Soupe au Pistou
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 37 mins
This French soup requires a lot of chopping, but once that's done, it's no-fuss. Perfect with crusty bread, it's similar to minestrone but not as heavy and quite fresh tasting. Pistou is the French version of Italian pesto.
Ingredients
- 2-- tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 3-- red potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2-- carrots, diced
- 3small zucchini, chopped
- 1-- handful green beans, cut in thirds
- 1-- leek, white part only, thinly sliced
- 1-- onion chopped
- 2quarts water
- 1teaspoon salt
- -- Coarsely ground back pepper
- 1/2teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves)
- 1-- bay leaf
- 1can (15-ounce) cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1cup frozen green peas
- 1/2cup small pasta-such as mini penne
- 1/2cup basil pesto (preferably homemade)
Instructions
- Combine first seven ingredients (tomatoes through onion) in a large stockpot. Add water, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, covered.
- Add beans and peas. Cook 5 minutes. Add pasta, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, until pasta is done. Remove from heat and stir in pesto.
- Cover and let stand 10 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese and additional pesto if desired.
Recipe based on Anne Willan's Soupe Au Pistou in The Country Cooking of France (Chronicle Books, 2007).
Nutritional Info *per serving
- Calories 310
- Glycemic Load 0
- Fat 8g
- Saturated Fat 1.5g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 5mg
- Sodium 650mg
- Potassium 870mg
- Carbohydrate 51g
- Fiber 9g
- Sugars 12g
- Protein 11g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Vitamin A 120%
- Vitamin C 70%
- Calcium 20%
- Iron 30%
