The simple soup my mother makes from the vegetables she grows in her own garden next to the house where I grew up in St. Viet, Carinthia, Austria, is very little different from the following traditional French recipe: just lots of good, fresh vegetables and some liquid to cook them in.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 45 min |
| Yield: | : 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 small leeks, white part only
- 1 large potato, peeled
- 1 small onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium zucchini
- 12 green beans
- 2 medium carrots, peeled
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 gallon chicken stock (or 1/2 gallon water, 4 bouillon cubes, a pinch of thyme, and 1/2 bay leaf)
- 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 4 medium garlic cloves
- 30 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the leeks, potato, onion, celery, zucchini, green beans, and carrots into 1/4-inch dice.
- In a 6-quart stockpot, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil with the water. Add the vegetables and saute over medium-low heat until all the water evaporates. Do not brown the vegetables.
- Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook at a gentle boil for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, put the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Pulse until pureed.
- Stir the puree into the cooked soup. Do not let the soup return to a boil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve the soup hot or cold from a tureen or in individual bowls.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 346 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 10 mg |
| Sodium | 1491 mg |
Reviews
This soup is bursting with vibrant flavors of tomato and basil. It’s simply beautiful! As a vegan, I just sub the chicken stock with “Not-Chicken” Bouillon by Edward & Sons or “No-Chicken Broth” by Imagine Foods. I also like to make half as the recipe makes quite a lot and bulk up a bit on the potato, zucchini, and carrots as the soup is very brothy. I prefer something a little more substantial. I also like to add a can of drained and rinsed great northern or cannellini beans when I want to add some protein to a meal. Delicious!
We’ve made it over and over again! Never gets old! So delicious and simple!
I tasted the soup after it was done and thought “How are we going to eat all of this bland soup?” Then I tasted the pistou and thought “How are mushy tomatoes going to help?” Well, you put them together and WOW! You get a fabulous fresh take on vegetable soup. Will definitely make again for ease of preparation and fresh taste!
This soup is just wonderful. I have added even more veggies to it and it still turns out great every time. One of the best vegetable soups I have ever had.
The puree at the end of this recipe really makes this amazing. If you love vegetable soup, but are kind of bored with it this will do the trick. Being a vegetarian we just substituted vegetable stock and it still tasted great and hearty.
1 leek is plenty (instead of 2) and I added mushrooms. Great w/ sour cream on top.