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Provençal Vegetable Soup

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on June 1, 2011

Yield

Serves 6 as a main course

Provençal Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

PISTOU

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)⅓ cup olive oil 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced ½ inch thick, and rinsed thoroughly1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces1 carrot, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thickSalt and ground black pepper 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)3 cups vegetable broth 3 cups water ½ cup orecchiette 8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths (see note)1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped medium

Before You Begin

If you cannot find haricots verts (thin green beans), substitute regular green beans and cook them for an extra minute or two. You can substitute any small pasta shape or thin strand pasta broken into 2-inch lengths for the orecchiette (the cooking time might change slightly). Rinsing the canned tomatoes after they’ve been drained and chopped prevents the soup from looking murky. The pistou can’t be made more than a few hours ahead, or its color will dull.

Instructions

    for the pistou

  1. Process basil, Parmesan, oil, garlic, and pepper together in food processor until pureed and smooth, about 10 seconds; transfer to serving bowl and set aside.

    2. for the soup

  2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add leek, celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water and bring to simmer. Stir in pasta and simmer until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in haricots verts and simmer until bright green but still crunchy, about 3 minutes. Stir in zucchini, cannellini beans, and tomatoes and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes longer.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and garnish each with generous tablespoon of pistou before serving.
Provençal Vegetable Soup

Provençal Vegetable Soup

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 6 as a main course

Ingredients

PISTOU

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
⅓ cup olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced ½ inch thick, and rinsed thoroughly
1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
Salt and ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
½ cup orecchiette
8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths (see note)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped medium

Ingredients

PISTOU

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
⅓ cup olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced ½ inch thick, and rinsed thoroughly
1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
Salt and ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
½ cup orecchiette
8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths (see note)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped medium

Ingredients

PISTOU

¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
⅓ cup olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

SOUP

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced ½ inch thick, and rinsed thoroughly
1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
Salt and ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
½ cup orecchiette
8 ounces haricots verts, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths (see note)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 small zucchini (about 6 ounces), halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and chopped medium

Why This Recipe Works

For our Provençal Vegetable Soup recipe, we steered toward a simple, clean soup filled with vegetables of the season: leeks, green beans, and zucchini. Staggering the cooking times of these vegetables ensured they were each cooked properly. We used canned white beans for our recipe, which tasted just as good as fresh but were much more convenient, and orecchiette pasta for its easy-to-spoon shape. And to simplify the traditional pistou, we just whirred everything in our food processor.

Before You Begin

If you cannot find haricots verts (thin green beans), substitute regular green beans and cook them for an extra minute or two. You can substitute any small pasta shape or thin strand pasta broken into 2-inch lengths for the orecchiette (the cooking time might change slightly). Rinsing the canned tomatoes after they’ve been drained and chopped prevents the soup from looking murky. The pistou can’t be made more than a few hours ahead, or its color will dull.

Instructions

    for the pistou

  1. Process basil, Parmesan, oil, garlic, and pepper together in food processor until pureed and smooth, about 10 seconds; transfer to serving bowl and set aside.

    2. for the soup

  2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add leek, celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water and bring to simmer. Stir in pasta and simmer until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in haricots verts and simmer until bright green but still crunchy, about 3 minutes. Stir in zucchini, cannellini beans, and tomatoes and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes longer.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls and garnish each with generous tablespoon of pistou before serving.

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