With the last of the red basil I prepare today the soupe au pistou minestrone with pesto, as we call it here.
The origin of the soupe au pistou is Genoese and Tuscan, established in Corsica where it is called soupe Corse and later in the South of France as soupe au pistou. According to the Provençal gastronome Jean-Baptiste Reboul, the soup came from Genoa and it seems that when La Cuisinière provençale was first published in 1897, the pistou soup had not yet become part of the tradition of Provençal families.
The author specifies: “Cette soupe, d’origine génoise, n’est guère en faveur qu’en Provence” (This soup, of Genoese origin, is appreciated mainly in Provence). On the other hand, in Provence as in nearby Liguria, the local specialties were and still are precisely the ingredients of the soupe au pistou, namely green beans, new potatoes, peeled tomatoes, then pasta and a pesto made of garlic, basil and olive oil.
Today I wanted to prepare the soupe au pistou minestrone with pesto using red basil, because we are talking about red basil today in the column herbs and flowers on the plate. At the bottom of the page you will find the recipes from friends using this fragrant and distinctive basil.
Red basil is widely used in Asian cuisine to prepare curry. Here it is used exactly like its green cousin, although it has a slightly different flavor.
We know well that basil, besides being indispensable in our Mediterranean cuisine, has medicinal properties. Basil relaxes the digestive system, helps counteract insomnia and also helps with headaches.
Below you will find the pesto recipes and other interesting recipes where to use this spectacular basil.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn, Summer
Ingredients — Soupe au pistou (minestrone with pesto)
There are various versions of the soupe au pistou; in Provence each family has its own with different vegetables. I stuck to the classic, although I used leek instead of onion and fresh borlotti beans; you can use fresh frozen or dried beans soaked overnight and then cooked separately.
For the pesto I always use my Genovese pesto recipe; there you will find it in 3 versions and you can choose your favorite, for this recipe I used red basil.
- 4 tablespoons Genovese pesto
- 1/2 leek (half)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes (0.35 oz (about 1 small cherry tomato))
- 2 carrots
- 2 zucchini
- 100 oz borlotti beans (3.53 oz (about 2/3 cup cooked))
- 100 oz green beans, frozen, cooked, boiled (3.53 oz (about 3/4 cup))
- 1000 cups vegetable broth (about 4.17 cups (approx. 1 L / 34 fl oz))
- 70 oz pasta (70 g → about 2.5 oz (approx. 2/3 cup dry))
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Steps — Soupe au pistou minestrone with pesto
First of all prepare the pesto or, if you froze some during the summer, take a portion out of the freezer. I remind you that I prepared mine with red basil.
Prepare the vegetables: wash everything, peel the carrots, trim the green beans and zucchini, slice the leek into rounds.
Put everything in a pot together with the borlotti beans (if you used dried beans, add them already cooked) and the vegetable broth. Cook for 30 minutes, then add the pasta and cook for another ten minutes.
Portion into bowls and let each diner add a spoonful of pesto to their bowl.
Serve with crostini.
Tips
The Soupe au pistou minestrone with pesto is even better if served the next day.
Check out the recipes with red basil from my friends:
Elisa: Sweet potato purée with red basil and lime sauce
Miria: Pumpkin and cannellini cream with red basil
Tiziana: red basil cocktail
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