Soupe au Pistou (Provençal Vegetable Soup)
A hearty summer soup from Provence, full of vegetables, white beans and small pasta, finished with pistou: a fragrant paste of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Start the soup
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Add the root vegetables
Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, water or stock and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the green vegetables and beans
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Cook the pasta
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Make the pistou
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Finish and serve
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Start the soup
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft.
Add the root vegetables
Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, water or stock and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the green vegetables and beans
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Cook the pasta
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Make the pistou
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Finish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Soupe au pistou is the summer soup of Provence, made when gardens overflow with beans, courgettes and basil. Every family has its own mix of vegetables, but the pistou stirred in at the end is always the star.
It is a close cousin of Italian minestrone with pesto from Genoa, just along the coast. The word pistou comes from the Provençal for 'pounded', because the basil and garlic are crushed in a mortar.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The raw basil and garlic paste turns a simple vegetable soup into something bright, fragrant and unmistakably Mediterranean.
💡 Fun Fact
Unlike Italian pesto, classic Provençal pistou has no pine nuts.
Provence (Nice and Marseille)
43.71°N, 7.26°E
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