Summer Vegetable Soup with Pesto
This Summer Vegetable Soup with Pesto is packed with summer’s best produce, vibrant flavor, and it’s topped with bright, herbaceous basil pesto sauce. It’s a fresh take on the French classic Soupe au Pistou and is a delicious way to eat your veggies!
I eat soup year round no matter what the weather is like outside. Yes, it’s hot outside right now, but summer vegetables are abundant and there’s no better way to use them then in this Summer Vegetable Soup with Pesto!
This is summer comfort food, pure and simple. It’s brimming with some of the best vegetables that summer has to offer, including zucchini, corn, spinach and more, but what sets this soup apart is the bright, herbaceous basil pesto sauce.
This summer soup recipe was inspired by the classic French Soupe au Pistou (which simply means “soup with pesto”) that I enjoyed in cooking school over 10 years ago.
We made a big pot of it the first day of school, and it was literally summer in a bowl.
The version that we made in school included homemade white beans and a garlicky basil pesto made with a mortar and pestle, but this recipe is much less time consuming as it utilizes canned white beans and an easy basil pesto sauce made in a food processor.
The glory of this recipe is that you customize it with your favorite summer vegetables, beans, or use store bought pesto sauce, and you can add pasta if you’re so inclined.
Who says summer isn’t soup season? 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This is a wonderful seasonal soup recipe that’s brimming with summer veggies, creamy white beans and herbaceous basil pesto sauce.
- It’s an easy, one-pot meal that’s light yet hearty.
- It’s great for meal prep and is also freezer-friendly.
- You can customize it with your favorite in-season produce, beans, pasta and so much more.
Recipe ingredients
This easy summer soup recipe includes a wide variety of veggies that can easily be swapped out with other summer produce. See my July seasonal produce guide for a list of in-season produce.
- Aromatics. Carrots, celery, leeks and garlic are essential to adding great flavor to the base of the soup. I chose leeks for their sweet, mild onion flavor, but regular onion can be used as well.
- Zucchini. Sub with any type of summer squash or green beans.
- Corn. Adds color, sweetness and crisp texture. Use fresh or frozen corn.
- Diced tomatoes. Canned fire roasted diced tomatoes add a ton of flavor here. If you don’t have any, you can certainly chop 1-2 fresh tomatoes and add them in with the beans and corn.
- Vegetable stock. Use homemade vegetable stock for the best flavor, or your favorite store bought brand.
- Baby spinach. Use fresh or frozen. If using frozen, thaw slightly and blot dry, and add it in during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
- Lemon. Adding fresh lemon juice at the end adds bright flavor to the soup.
- Pesto. Use my basil pesto sauce recipe for the freshest flavor, or your favorite store bought brand in a pinch. You can also try my spinach pesto recipe or see my post on how to make pesto sauce with any herbs or greens.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make soupe au pistou
This soup au pistou, or soup with pesto, is extremely easy to make. Simply chop your veggies, rinse the beans and have your pesto sauce warmed and ready to go for serving.
Pro tip: Prepare the basil pesto sauce and prep your summer vegetables up to a few days in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
Prepare the pesto sauce
- Prepare my basil pesto sauce recipe using a food processor according to recipe instructions. This can be done up to a few days in advance, or the sauce may be frozen for up to 3 months.
Prepare the soup
Recipe FAQs
Start with aromatics like carrots, celery, onion and garlic for a great flavor base. Use leeks instead of onion for a more mild, sweet flavor.
Zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, green beans, corn and greens such as spinach, chopped kale or arugula are great options as well.
Fire roasted diced tomatoes add great flavor, but this is also a great place to add fresh tomatoes. Simply chop them and add during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time.
This soup is garnished with basil pesto sauce for aromatic flavor, but you can certainly omit that and simply stir in freshly chopped basil for herbaceous flavor.
The pesto sauce includes parmesan cheese, so if you wish to make this recipe vegan, simply omit the parmesan cheese from the pesto or prepare my vegan carrot top pesto recipe.
Yes! Soup is one of the best make ahead meals. It keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
This summer vegetable soup recipe is light yet hearty meal on its own, or serve it up the following ways:
- Sop it up with one hour focaccia bread, brown butter beer bread, or your favorite crusty bread.
- Serve with a fresh side of butter lettuce salad or my sweet and savory raspberry salad recipe.
- Make this soup even more satisfying by adding 1/2 cup dried pasta. Add up to 1 cup additional vegetable stock as needed.
- Add cooked shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken for a protein boost.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Prepare the basil pesto sauce and prep your summer vegetables up to a few days in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- Serve with a dollop of pesto sauce, or stir the desired amount of pesto sauce right into the soup. It’s also great with a drizzle of olive oil!
- Make this recipe vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese from the pesto sauce, or prepare my vegan carrot top pesto recipe.
- Store vegetable soup with pesto in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
More recipes you’ll love
- Autumn vegetable soup
- Creamy roasted tomato soup
- Easy cabbage soup recipe
- Instant pot vegetable soup
- Mushroom barley soup
- Spring vegetable soup
- Summer squash soup
- Winter minestrone soup
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Summer Vegetable Soup with Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large leek halved, washed and sliced into half moons; sub with regular onion
- 1 large carrot chopped; about 1 cup chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped, about 1 cup chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large zucchini halved and chopped; 1 cup or more chopped
- 15 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable stock add 1-2 more cups as desired
- 15 ounces cannelini beans rinsed and drained; sub with Great Northern beans
- 1 cup corn fresh or frozen
- 3 cups baby spinach fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- basil pesto sauce for serving; see note 3
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large leek, 1 large carrot, 1 stalk celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 large zucchini
- Add the diced tomatoes and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then add the beans and corn. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened to the desired consistency.15 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes, 5 cups vegetable stock, 15 ounces cannelini beans, 1 cup corn
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and spinach. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.3 cups baby spinach, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Serve the soup with warm pesto sauce and a drizzle of olive oil or parmesan cheese as desired. Enjoy!basil pesto sauce
Notes
- Pro tip: Prepare the basil pesto sauce and prep your summer vegetables up to a few days in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- Customize this soup with your favorite summer vegetables like green beans, bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, summer squash or greens.
- Serve with a dollop of pesto sauce, or stir the desired amount of pesto sauce right into the soup. It’s also great with a drizzle of olive oil!
- Make this recipe vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese from the pesto sauce, or prepare my vegan carrot top pesto recipe.
- Nutrition information does not include the pesto sauce as that has been calculated in a separate post.
- Store vegetable soup with pesto in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
