| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 medium leeks, dark green parts trimmed and discarded, light green and white parts thoroughly washed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 8 cups chicken stock
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black and white peppercorns
- 4 small sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 small sprigs fresh parsley
- 12 green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
- 6 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 30 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- 6 to 8 slices French bread, about 1/4-inch thick
- Olive oil
- 6 to 8 ounces fresh creamy goat cheese
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and saute just until they start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute about 1 minute more. Add the carrots and celery and continue sauteing until the vegetables deepen in color but have not yet begun to brown, 3 to 4 minutes more. Pour the stock into the pan, bring it to a boil, and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt.
- Tie the peppercorns, thyme, and parsley in a square of cheesecloth, securing it with kitchen string. Add this bouquet garni to the pan. Stir in the beans, zucchini, summer squash, and tomato. Continue simmering until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the Pistou: Put the garlic and tomatoes in a blender or food processor with about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Begin processing. With the machine running, add the basil leaves, and then pour in enough extra-virgin olive oil to make a smooth, thick, but fluid paste. Transfer about 2/3 of the paste into a serving bowl to pass alongside the soup.
- Make the Goat Cheese Croutons: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brush the bread slices with olive oil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn on the broiler. Spread 1 side of each crouton with goat cheese and put it back on the baking sheet. Broil until the cheese is warm and slightly bubbly, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
- When the soup is ready, stir the remaining pistou into the saucepan, ladling some of the hot broth into the blender or processor bowl to swirl and rinse any pesto clinging inside into the pan. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt.
- Ladle the soup into individual heated serving bowls. Float a crouton in the center of each bowl. With a spoon, drizzle a little more pistou over the crouton and soup in each bowl. Serve immediately, passing more pistou alongside for each person to add, to taste.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 454 |
| Total Fat | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 19 mg |
| Sodium | 1342 mg |
Reviews
I made this without the croutons, and the flavor was very good. I would have liked to have approximate amounts of vegetables measured in cups or grams, though. My three leeks seemed to take over the soup, and squash sizes vary according to the season.
I’ve made this soup for well over a decade (Wolfgang’s recipe) but without Chicken stock (I use veggie bouillon instead). And my one modification is I add a couple small, diced yellow potatoes (A previous version of this recipe used to list one large potato). It’s my absolute favorite recipe! I even had the nerve to make it for my future wife when I met her for the first time in Paris; I guess it passed the test – She was impressed 🙂 I’d definitely recommend it… just don’t add the pistou to the soup, but keep it separate and add it bowl by bowl when you are serving it.
It may not mean much to non-vegetarians but, soupe au pistou is traditionally made with water not stock. It’s very flavorful without it. It’s fun when you challenge yourself to rely on the earthy flavor of vegetables.
Very good taste, next time I will add double the amount of pesto, its delicious!
In a word, delicous! So healthy too. I used whole wheat pasta to make it even more so. The pistou was the finishing touch. I made extra. My husband and sons spread it on bread for a quick snack. Thanks again, Ina. You make every meal special and elegant.
Takes some time, but worth it! Don’t leave out the goat cheese croutons… This is a big recipe – so be prepared for leftovers. I used a low sodium stock and still had great flavor.
I love this recipe. the tomato based “pesto” is wonderful and the goat cheest crouton…ooh la la. I added 1 cup of presoaked and gentley simmered cannelini beans to the recipe, dropped the yellow squash and loved it. Bon appetit!!
Of course this soup can be made at any time of the year and with a host of substitions, but with ingredients from the garden or farmers market, it was truly sublime! I didn’t make the croutons as we fixed this on a weekenight, but the recipe was so simple to just keep chopping ingredients and adding them to the soup pot. The tomato pistou (first I’ve ever seen pistou with tomatoes) made with tomatoes and basil from my garden was fantastic and I only used two clove of garlic so I wouldn’t be tasting it the next day. Finally I mixed in some chunks of catfish at the end for some added protein and used fish stock and vegetable stock instead of chicken. Will definitely make again and freeze!
This soup is fantastic!!