Vegetable Soup with Pesto

Vegetable soup with pesto is a perfect soup for this time of year when the weather is unpredictable and you want something warming, but you’re also yearning for summer vegetables. This one features cannelini beans, fresh tomato and zucchini as well as some garlic, carrots and onions to round out the flavors. All by itself it’s a satisfying bowl but when you stir in a spoonful of freshly made pesto the flavor promises warmer days ahead.

Chef Eric Ripert’s Pistou Soup inspired this hurry up version which uses canned beans instead of dried. I also used store bought chicken broth and the last of the Easter ham I had in the freezer. Eric’s soup makes use of a bouquet garni which is a sachet of herbs and spices that is cooked along with the soup and removed before serving. You won’t believe this, but the dog ate my cheesecloth. I ended up just tying the parsley and thyme with some kitchen string and dropping the bundle along with the bay leaves into the broth, fishing them out at the end. It worked.

The pesto is very easy to make, especially if you have a stick blender. I’ve given measurements, but it’s really something you can do by eye. Start with a cup of fresh basil leaves, one or two peeled garlic cloves and a tablespoon or so of your best extra virgin olive oil. Then puree, adding more oil as needed to adjust the consistency. I’ve found it’s better for me to add the oil in small increments, especially when I buy a pack of herbs from the store where I can’t go pick some more basil if I get a little heavy handed with the oil. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pistou, the French analog to pesto, traditionally doesn’t have added cheese. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer.

Vegetable Soup with Pesto

This soup just begs to be served with a crusty loaf of bread.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: French, Mediterranean, vegetarian

Servings: 6 servings

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil for sauteing
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
• 3 - 4 carrots, peeled and cut small (about a cup)
• 4 - 5 cloves garlic, peeled. Reserve a couple cloves for the pesto, dice the rest
• 2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock (8 cups)
• 2 cans cannelini beans (12 or 16 ounce), drained and rinsed OR 3-4 cups cooked cannelini beans
• 1 cup thickly cut ham, diced (or more)
• several sprigs of fresh thyme and parsley, tied into a small bundle
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 - 2 tomatoes depending on the size, seeded and diced

For the pesto

• 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
• Up to 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 peeled cloves of garlic as mentioned above
• 3 - 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, saute the onions and chopped garlic in a small amount of olive oil until softened. Stir in the carrots and cook a few minutes more.
• Add the beans and chopped ham and cover with the broth.
• Drop in your herb bundle and bay leaves.
• Bring the soup to a vigorous simmer, then reduce the heat so that it's just bubbling. Simmer for until the carrots are tender.
• Add this point add the diced zucchini and tomatoes. Cook until warmed through.
• Make the pesto by pureeing the basil, remaining two cloves of garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil together with a stick blender. Add the Parmesan cheese and blitz to combine. Adjust the texture of the pesto by adding more oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and spoon a dollop of pesto on top.

Notes

Variations:

Make the pesto as described, substituting parsley for basil.

For a vegan preparation, use vegetable stock and substitute chopped mushrooms for the ham, adding them with the carrots. Omit the Parmesan cheese or use your favorite alternative.

Clear your fridge by adding other bits of leftover vegetables like corn, peas or cut green beans. You may need to add more liquid.

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More delicious soups for any time of year:

I’m sharing this recipe with the bloggers of I Heart Cooking Clubs. The theme this week was From the Mediterranean. I can’t wait to see what the others have prepared. I expect we’ll see recipes from Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis and Yotam Ottolenghi to name a few of the past featured chefs.