Bring Provence to your table with this easy Soupe au Pistou! Fresh seasonal veggies, creamy beans, and a swirl of bright green herby pistou—ready in about an hour.
I have been working on a recipe for Soupe au Pistou in my head since I took a cooking class in Provence 20 years ago. First, that garlicky basil pistou and gently simmered vegetables became a topping for a roasted fish dinner I made again and again during my 10+ years as a personal chef.
But the soup was always on my mind! How to create a recipe for this French cousin of minestrone, that would not require an overnight bean soak or a 2-page ingredient list?
A couple little chef’s shortcuts, and a focus on classic ingredients got me there. Serve this with a couple of slices of Baguette Garlic Bread, and be ready to be transported.
Jump to:
Why Make This Recipe
- Packed with Vegetables: Carrots, zucchini, onions, and tomatoes make this soup both colorful and nourishing.
- That Pistou!: This vibrant swirl of basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan transforms this humble vegetable soup into something magical.
- Not a Weekend Project: Get this on your table in about an hour thanks to canned beans and a streamlined recipe.
- Taste of Provence: Summery vegetables, herbs, and beans deliver classic flavors.
🥗 Ingredients for Soupe au Pistou
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes are the key ingredients in this dish. Feel free to sub in leeks for onions (or just add some in). Many Soupe au Pistou recipes call for green beans or peas as well, but I prefer to stick to the classics.
- Butter Beans: Try white beans or cannellini beans as a substitute, but it’s worth seeking out creamy butter beans. They are the perfect texture for this soup. Fava beans would also be excellent, though they are a lot of work to peel.
- Pasta: This recipe calls for ditalini, but feel free to use any small shaped pasta like macaroni or orzo.
- Vegetable Stock: Traditional French recipes for soupe au pistou just use water rather than vegetable broth. I found that vegetable stock adds a flavor boost you need if you are not picking perfectly ripe zucchini and tomatoes from your farm in the South of France!
- Herbs: Thyme adds an herbal note to the broth. You could opt for rosemary instead, a bay leaf, or even fresh dill. Fresh basil is necessary for the classic pistou.
- Parmesan Cheese: A little parmesan adds great flavor to the pistou. Sub with pecorino romano if you’d like.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Peel and chop 1 small yellow onion. Peel and chop 2 large carrots. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
2. Dice 1 large zucchini. Core and seed 3 plum tomatoes, then chop.
3. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan, and heat over medium. Sauté chopped carrots, onion, and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.
4. Add the zucchini and tomatoes, and sauté for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
5. Add 2 cups vegetable broth, 3 cups water, and another ¼ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to bring to a simmer. Add 1 thyme sprig to pot. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the pistou by combining 1 cup packed basil leaves, 1 clove garlic, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a small food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
7. Add 1 can rinsed and drained butter beans and ¼ cup ditalini pasta to the soup, and cook until pasta is tender (about 15 min). Remove thyme sprig. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.
8. Serve with dollop of pistou and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Storage Tips
Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store pistou in a separate container in the refrigerator and swirl in before serving.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Soupe au Pistou
Pistou is the Provençal version of Italian pesto—like pesto, it is made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan, but unlike pesto it does not include toasted pine nuts (or any nuts). Some pistou recipes call for a tomato or tomato paste to be added to the pistou.
Yes! Freeze the soup without pasta for the best texture when you defrost and reheat the soup. Add in freshly cooked pasta when reheating, then dollop on the pistou just before serving.
Yes, the flavors of this soup are even better the second day. However, the pasta will swell the longer it is in the broth. If you know you want to make the soup a day or more in advance, cook it without the pasta. When you're ready to eat, bring it back to a simmer and add in the pasta, then finish cooking it. Or, just reheat the soup and add in separately cooked pasta.
Yes, you can. Just skip the parmesan in both the soup and the pistou, or use a dairy-free parmesan alternative.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Traditionally, a mortar and pestle are used for the pistou (the actual meaning of the word pistou is “pounded”). Feel free to use if you have one, and want the rustic feel of a homemade pistou. Your pistou will likely be a little chunkier than the food processor version.
The pasta in this soup will swell the longer it sits in the pot. If you know you are going to eat the soup immediately and not have any leftovers, you can up the pasta to ½ cup to make this soup even heartier. If not, stick to the ¼ cup, especially if you know you will have leftovers. If the pasta has swelled up in the refrigerator, you can add in some water or vegetable stock as you are re-heating.
This soup will taste even better if you let it sit overnight (though in that case, I recommend holding off on adding the pasta until the next day).
For a non-vegetarian version of this recipe, add a ham hock into the broth when it’s cooking. Then remove the ham hock and shred any cooked ham to return to the pot.
The key to this recipe is to use the best quality seasonal ingredients you can find. This recipe is perfect for summer vegetables, but you can play around with other vegetables, depending on what’s in season. Try fresh green beans, potatoes, leeks, kale, peas, and celery.
What to Serve with Soupe au Pistou
This soup is so hearty that it is basically a full meal on its own. A big slice of crusty bread or baguette toasts are perfect with this soup. You can also pair it with a simple side salad or a Salade de Tomates. Try it with a grilled cheese sandwich or with a slice of Spinach Quiche or Mushroom Quiche.
More French Soup Recipes
Looking for more classic French soup recipes? Try one of these favorites next:
If you try this soupe au pistou recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Soupe au Pistou
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 large carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 large zucchini
- 3 plum tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- Fresh thyme sprig
- 1 15-oz. can butter beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup dried ditalini pasta or similar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Parmesan cheese for serving
For the pistou:
- 1 cup packed basil leaves about 2 ounces
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Peel and chop onion. Peel and chop carrots. Peel and finely chop garlic cloves.
- Dice zucchini. Core and seed tomatoes, then chop.
- Add olive oil to a large saucepan, and heat over medium.
- Sauté chopped carrots, onion, and garlic in olive oil for 10 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.
- Add the zucchini and tomatoes, and sauté for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Add vegetable broth, 3 cups water, and another ¼ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to bring to a simmer.
- Add thyme sprig to pot.
- Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the pistou by combining ingredients in a small food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add beans and pasta to the soup, and cook until pasta is tender (about 15 min).
- Remove thyme sprig. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.
- Serve with dollop of pistou and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this French vegetable soup recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
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