Soupe's On!

By Nancy Eisman

In order to dispel the belief that plant-based meals are missing something, it’s essential that the food is delicious and satisfying. Recipes filled with ingredients at their peak of flavor, full of fiber and a variety of textures and colors, go a long way to show that plant-based means more, not less. The “meat” may be missing, but there’s an unlimited number and variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fats to choose from, those that a more conventional diet usually overlooks.

Salads, soups, stir-fries, sautés, casseroles, and stews are some of the dishes in which produce and fragrant herbs and spices form the foundation for palate-pleasing and belly-filling meals. With a little healthy fat to round out all the flavors, not only do plant-based recipes deliver deliciousness, but it’s the best way of eating to maximize nutrition, boast energy, and support optimum health.

Soupe au Pistou is a Provençal vegetable soup made with fresh vegetables, herbs, and aromatics. This version features Melissa’s Dutch Yellow® Potatoes (DYPs®), and can be found on page 204 of Melissa’s DYPs® Cookbook. A little chopping, sautéing, boiling, and simmering, with simple, easily found ingredients, results in a very tasty and satisfying soup for any cold winter’s day. Topped with a dollop of creamy pistou, this mélange of hot broth, nutritious vegetables, and flavorful herbs, elevates a soup to a soupe, without the expense of traveling to the south of France.

Soupe au Pistou

Pistou:
6 cups Fresh Basil
2 cups Fresh Parsley
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Soup:
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ cup Chopped Leeks
½ cup Chopped Shallots
½ cup Chopped Baby Carrots
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
2 cups cubed Dutch Yellow® Potatoes
1 cup Green Beans, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ teaspoon Salt
2 cups Chopped Tomatoes
1 Bay Leaf
1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme Leaves
2½ cups Water
1½ cups Cooked White Beans (or Fava Beans)

Place the pistou ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine until completely smooth. Add more oil if necessary to reach a smooth consistency. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, shallots, and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the DYPs® and green beans and stir to coat. Add the ½ teaspoon salt, tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and water and bring to a boil.

Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes. Stir in the beans, simmer for another 10 minutes, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Spoon the soup into bowls and top each serving with a dollop of the pistou.