Soupe au Pistou (Vegetable Soup with Pesto)
Soup au Pistou- a hearty French-inspired vegetable soup topped with a delicious dairy-free pesto. Just one pot and 30 minutes! (vegan with gluten-free option)
Man, you guys must be cold! When I asked whether you would rather see cookies or soup on Facebook yesterday, soup won by a longshot. I’m still in shock.
Just wait till you see those cookies. Of course they’re healthy cookies but I’ve been eating so many of them that I’m starting to worry I won’t be able to fit into my dress.
By the way, it finally came in! I went for my first fitting last week and it needed quite a bit of tweaking but I go back next week for round two. I can’t wait to see it after all the changes. Ahh, nervous excitement! Yep, I need to pace myself with the cookies.
Truth be told, I’m really happy that you chose soup. It comes from someone who is very dear to me, my lovely Grandmere. Her parents were originally from Bezier, a small city in the region of Provence, where this recipe originates from.
Just saying proh-vahnce gives me butterflies. The lavender, the beaches, the wine…ugh, be still my heart. I can only dream of the south of France as I slurp each delightful spoonful of Soupe au Pistou.
I have to admit, I did Americanize this recipe a little. The original version uses dried white beans, string beans, fresh tomatoes and saffron threads, in addition to all of the other listed ingredients. But for the sake of time and money, I simplified it a bit.
The ingredient list makes this sort of a summery recipe but not many people crave soup in the middle of summer. Or I don’t, at least. So let’s have it now while we dream of big floppy hats and warm Provençal summers on the beach. Bon appetit!
Soupe Au Pistou (Vegetable Soup with Pesto)
Yield: 6 bowls
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 30

Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups finely chopped onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 cup finely chopped carrot (about 3 large carrots)
- 1 cup finely chopped leek (about 2 leeks)
- 1 cup diced Yukon gold or red potato (about 2 small potatoes)
- 2 cup diced zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cups vegetable broth (I recommend Better Than Bouillon)
- 1 cup water
- 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup whole grain orzo*
For the Pesto
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- juice 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan**
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
Directions:
In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cook for about 3 minutes. Next add the potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and leeks. Cook for about five more minutes.
Pour in the vegetable broth, the water, tomato paste and the diced tomatoes with their juices. Turn heat to high to bring to a boil. Add the pasta, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, until pasta and potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile, make the pesto by placing all of the ingredients into a food processor or a blender then blend until smooth.
Once the pasta is cooked and the vegetables are tender, add the drained and rinsed beans. Cook until heated through. Ladle the soup into bowls for serving then top with a tablespoon of the pesto and enjoy!
*You can also use whole grain spaghetti broken into bite size pieces. Substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta to make GF.
**To make your own vegan cashew parmesan, combine 1 cup raw cashews with 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Leftovers can be stored sealed tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Click Here for Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts are for 1/6th of recipe
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!

Ahhh this looks delicious! I have to say that although I love cookies, I have to agree with the vote and say I’d rather see soup. It really is freezing around here!
This is probably the one time of the year when I would choose soup over cookies…is winter over yet? ;-) Looks amazing!
I’m always a soup over cookies kind of gal. Weird? This looks seriously divine. So comforting! So warm! So ahhh…. And so exciting your dress came in! That’s just the best feeling in the world. :)
It’s still been freezing here and we’ve been getting tons of snow, so I’ve definitely been gravitating more to soup, and this seems like the most perfect one to make. Looks amazing, as always!
SO glad soup was the winner…I’m needing some comfort food with this extra-cold winter we’ve been having. Though I’m also excited for the cookies that are coming :) This soup looks delicious…healthy, too! Love it!
Ahh this soup looks amazing and so comforting. I haven’t been craving sweets lately either so I’m glad you went with soup!
I’m a big soup person any time of the year and this one looks incredible. Thanks for sharing!
Lucky you… you can directly fly to the Hawaii! I can be in Paris in two hours or so from London but yeah…. it’s all the same miserable cold weather. A soup like this one matches very much with the situation here. Love the bread in you pictures, it reminds me of the Italian bread I miss so much.
I love soup! I’m in such a soup mood lately. This one looks particularly good!!
Such great comfort food!! I love this idea for soup!
I’m so glad you did soup today too! I’m freezing up here and this sounds absolutely delicious. Such exciting news about your dress!! Can’t wait to hear more details!
A direct fly to Hawaii sounds amaaaazing! I hope you guys enjoy yourselves there ;–)
This has to be one of the tastiest soups I’ve ever seen. Oh wow, it looks incredible! I need to get my hands on some fresh basil to make this. Pinning! x
I am so happy to be one of the people who requested soup because this soup is one of my favorites!!! I love making pistou and swirling it into delicious minestrone-style soup. I will have to get in on this version!
Sounds deeeeelish. I’ve been digging all of your recipes lately missy! I can’t say that I’ve ever had soupe au pistou before.
OMG I can’t wait to see your wedding dress! Funny that you mention Hawaii as your honeymoon – my hubby and I had the same thought process and also vacationed in Hawaii since we’re on the West coast. Well, he was actually deployed and met me halfway around the world, but hey, it was a direct 6 hour flight for me from Cali! ;-)
This soup sounds so good! I’ve been making a lot of soup lately – maybe I’m just trying to get my fix in before the weather starts to get warm again! And yay for your dress coming in!! I loved that part of the wedding planning – it was always so fun wearing a pretty special dress … even just at the fittings!
Oh wow! I’ve never heard of soupe au pistou, but it sounds amazing! Need to buy a big container of basil and try this ASAP.
P.S. So exciting that you had your dress fitting! Cannot wait to see pics of it after the wedding, eek!!
Pinning this to Pinterest to save for when it is winter here! It looks like another hearty and delicious soup, not sure if it would beat your mushroom and barley one but only one way to find out :)
Funny you say no on craves soup in the summer. When I stayed with family in Hungary (known for the humidity and crazy heat in the summer) soup was with ALL lunch and dinners. Mostly broth based with veggies and dumplings or noodles of our choosing. But it was always served as a course before the main entree. Now I’m longing for Hungary. . . .
I’ve never heard of this soup before. I’ll have to make it soon. It sounds incredibly flavorful :)
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