Provençal Vegetable Soup; Pistou Soup
Soupe au Pistou is Provence in a bowl: white beans, green beans, zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes simmered in vegetable stock with small pasta, then finished at the table with pistou — fresh basil, garlic and olive oil pounded together with a little cheese. The soup is gentle on its own; the pistou is what makes it sing. One serving is about 450 g.
Soupe au pistou is the summer soup of Provence, in the south of France, made when the gardens are full of beans, zucchini and tomatoes and the basil is at its best. Its name comes from pistou, the Provençal word for the basil paste pounded in a mortar — from the old word pistar, to pound. Unlike its Italian cousin minestrone, which builds its flavour in the pot, this soup stays gentle and lets the raw pistou, stirred in at the very end, do the talking.
Pairs well with: Crusty bread, a dry white wine and a green salad with a sharp vinaigrette
Provenance
France
Provençal Classic
Nordic & European
Time Dedication
1h 5m
25m prep • 40m cook
Batch Yield
6 Servings
310 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 450 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (Two Parts)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Prime Metabolic Fit
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Provençal Classic
Photo: Jason Clevenger, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)
A good soupe au pistou is light and brothy with every vegetable still holding its shape, and the pistou should be bright green and fragrant, never boiled.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Chop the Vegetables, Pound the Pistou
25 Mins • Prep
Dice the onion, leek and carrots small, the potatoes larger, and the zucchini and green beans smaller — the hard vegetables go in first, the soft ones later. Then make the pistou while the vegetables wait: pound the basil, the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar, or pulse them in a small food processor, then work in the olive oil a little at a time until you have a thick green paste, and stir in the grated cheese and tomato paste. The pistou is the soul of the soup, so make it before the pot gets hot.
Maestro Tip: Pound the pistou by hand if you can — a mortar gives a coarser, more fragrant paste than a blender, which can turn the basil bitter.
8 minutes Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Warm 15 ml of the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and carrots with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes until soft and sweet-smelling but not browned. Stir in 3 chopped garlic cloves and cook for 1 more minute.
Do not rush this step: the gentle base is what the whole soup stands on.
Done when: Vegetables soft and glossy; garlic fragrant but not coloured.
25 minutes Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Add the potatoes, tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down, cover loosely and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the zucchini, green beans and cannellini beans and simmer for 10 more minutes until everything is tender.
Keep it at a lazy simmer, not a rolling boil — hard boiling breaks the vegetables apart and clouds the broth.
Done when: Potatoes tender, green beans bright, beans creamy.
12 minutes Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Stir in the coquillettes and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pasta is just tender. Taste and season with salt. Take the pot off the heat.
Cook the pasta in the soup, not separately: the starch it releases gives the broth a little body.
Done when: Pasta al dente; soup hot and steaming, about 74°C (165°F) or above.
3 minutes Off the heat
Stir two-thirds of the pistou into the hot soup — the heat wakes up the basil and garlic — and ladle into wide bowls. Put a spoonful of the remaining pistou on top of each bowl so every person can swirl in as much as they like.
Never boil the soup after the pistou goes in: boiling dulls the basil and turns the paste dark.
Done when: Soup flecked green with pistou, fragrant with basil and garlic.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the soup hot with the extra pistou in a small bowl on the table, so everyone stirs in their own. A thread of olive oil over the top and crusty bread beside it is all the ceremony it needs.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
310
kcal / serving
Protein
11g
Complete AA
Carbs
41g
Complex
Fats
12g
Healthy
| Energy | 310 kcal |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fibre | 6.8 g |
| Sugar | 6.4 g |
| Sodium | 829 mg |
| Energy | 69 kcal |
| Protein | 2.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.1 g |
| Fat | 2.6 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g |
| Sugar | 1.4 g |
| Sodium | 184 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A (carrots, tomatoes), vitamin C (tomatoes, green beans, basil), folate and iron (cannellini beans), vitamin K (basil, green beans).
A Pot Full of Vegetables
Seven vegetables go into one pot, so a single bowl covers a large share of a day's vegetable intake, with beans adding fibre and plant protein.
Fresh Basil, Raw and Bright
The pistou is raw basil, garlic and olive oil — nothing cooked out of it — so the soup finishes bright and fragrant rather than heavy.
Slow Energy, Good Fats
Beans and pasta give slow-release energy, and the olive oil in the pistou adds the kind of fat that helps the body absorb the vegetables' vitamins.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Crusty Bread
Crusty bread is made for this soup: it soaks up the broth and is the right tool for chasing the last of the pistou around the bowl.
Drinks
Dry White Wine
A dry white wine from Provence matches the basil and garlic without fighting them, and keeps the lunch feeling like summer.
Vegetables
Green Salad
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette gives the meal a crisp, acidic contrast to the soft, warm soup.
Full Menus
Bread, Salad and Soup
Soup as the main bowl, bread and salad beside it, wine if it is the weekend — a complete Provençal lunch.
Complete menu
Serve soupe au pistou as the main bowl with crusty bread and a green salad, followed by fresh fruit; a glass of dry white wine suits it in the evening.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
A Huge Spoonful of Raw Pistou
The pistou contains raw garlic, which is strong; people with a sensitive stomach may find a large spoonful uncomfortable, so start with a little and add more. This is general information, not medical advice.
Ordinary Parmesan in the Pistou
The cheese in the pistou adds a lot of salt, and ordinary Parmesan is made with animal rennet, which would make the soup no longer vegetarian; use the vegetarian hard cheese as written. This is general information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
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