Dinner
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Provençal Summer Vegetable Soup has a light, delicate broth with a simple mix of warm weather produce, small pasta shells, cannellini beans, and fresh ribboned basil.
I’m one of those weird people who eat soup in the summertime. Yes, I understand that it’s 98 degrees outside, but it’s 75 inside, and that’s totally cool enough to enjoy some soup! I’m not talking about a meat loaded spicy chili or a hearty beef stew people, it’s light brothy soups or gazpachos that are completely acceptable on those steamy days.
The only problem is that I know Kev isn’t a fan of this whole summer soup thing. He was blessed with an internal radiator (which came in super handy in Minnesota), but life in Texas proves a little more difficult. And yes, I do understand that after riding your bike home from work on the hottest day of the year and then walking in the door to see a pot of something simmering on the stove could possibly cause tremors. BUT! It’s not all bad. He ate this soup the other day AND THEN took it to work the following day… I think I sold him this time. Baby steps.
So, what the heck is a Provençal Summer Vegetable Soup you ask? In short, it’s a classic French summer soup where the star of the show is all the delicate veggies, made heartier with the addition of pasta and cannellini beans. The original recipe calls for a dollop of basil pesto on top, which I’m all for, but decided to leave off this time for the sole reason of not having any pesto supplies on hand! And, the good news is, the soup tastes just as amazing without it!
It’s pretty incredible that the only “seasoning” comes from salt and pepper. The rest of the soup is entirely flavored by the combination of fresh vegetables and the vegetable broth. I’m a fan! If you really want to go fresh, you should be able to find all of these vegetables at your local farmers market. Once you start prepping, chopping, and cooking, you can have the Provençal Summer Vegetable Soup ready in under an hour. It’s such a beautiful soup and I think it’ll convince you that soup should be allowed to hang in the summer months!
Provençal Summer Vegetable Soup
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 6
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (affiliate)
- 1 leek, white and green parts only (halved lengthwise, then sliced 1/2 inch thick and WASHED thoroughly)
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon course ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 32oz vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup mini pasta shells
- 8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 large tomato, core removed, seeded, and chopped into medium sized chunks
- 8 basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium heat, then add leek, celery, carrot, salt, and pepper. Cook until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in veggie broth and water, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Stir in pasta and simmer until slightly softened, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in green beans and summer about 4 minutes.
- Stir in cannellini beans, zucchini, and tomato and simmer until all veggies and pasta are tender, about 3-5 minutes. *I recommended testing each of your vegetables to see if they’re getting close to being done. They will continue to soften as the soup sits, so I like to cook them a little under right away.
- Serve topped with ribbons of basil and more salt and pepper to taste!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
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