Soupe au Pistou -- A classic from Southern France

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: pecorino cheese

Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor with fewer calories.

Start by apologizing for background noise from construction.

Introduce the dish as Soupe au Pistou, explaining that pistou is similar to pesto.

Gather ingredients: fresh pork belly, 4 carrots, 2 potatoes, 1 onion, 1 leek, about 0.5 pounds green beans, 2 zucchinis, 350 to 400 g tomatoes, 150 g pasta, salt, black pepper, olive oil, garlic, and basil.

Add about 3 liters of water to a large pot and add chopped pork belly and beans.

Salt the meat and add black pepper.

Chop and add the onions, followed by the leeks and carrots.

Cut potatoes into larger pieces and add them last to the pot.

Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, skimming off any foam that forms on top.

After about 30 minutes, remove some potatoes to cool for the pistou.

Use a hand blender to blend garlic with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and basil leaves to make the pistou.

Add the reserved potatoes to the pistou mixture once cooled.

Add the green beans and zucchini to the pot.

Add 150 g of pasta and stir everything together.

Let the soup cook for an additional 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

Prepare the tomatoes by seeding and chopping them, leaving the skin on.

Once the pasta is cooked, remove the pot from heat and add the chopped tomatoes and pistou.

Stir the soup and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve the soup in bowls, garnishing with black pepper and optional grated cheese.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens