How to make Soup au Pistou
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30 min
Serves: 4
For the Soup:
14-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery stalks, chopped
1 Yellow onion, chopped
1 Zucchini quartered lengthwise and chopped
1/4 pound green beans, stemmed and halved
1 Garlic clove, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon dried thyme plus \a squeeze of lemon juice
2 teaspoon dried thyme plus a squeeze of lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup cooked white beans
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup small dried pasta, such as small shells
How to make Soup au Pistou
1.Empty the canned tomatoes into a large bowl. Take one tomato and split it in half; set one half aside for the pistou. Use your fingers to crush the remaining tomatoes into smaller pieces and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onion starts to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, green beans, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper and cook until the thyme is fragrant about 1 minute. Stir in the beans, crushed tomatoes and juice, and broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the pasta and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook, following the package instructions, until the pasta is al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside.
How to make the pistou:
While the soup and pasta are cooking, place the basil, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 tomato reserved from the soup, salt, and pepper in a good processor and puree until it is a runny paste. Stir 1 tablespoon of the pistou into the soup. To serve, divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Drizzle some pistou over each serving and then ladle in some of the hot soup and serve.
for the pistou
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.
