This nourishing and hearty soup has been a winter favourite in my family for years - perfect for weekday lunches and easy suppers. The recipe is a medley of homestyle Italian tomato based stews and the lighter provincial French style Soup au Pistou. The result is a warm and satisfying meal with incredible flavour and richness. You can follow our recipe exactly, or substitute the veggies for whatever you have buried in the fridge. Celery, cauliflower, swede or parsnip would also be perfectly at home in this pot. You can also substitute the quinoa for barley, fregola any type of pasta if it saves you a trip to the grocery store.
Winter Vegetable Soup w Pesto & Comte
Renee Sillato
This soup is gluten free and vegetarian when following the recipe, and can be served vegan simply by leaving off the pesto and cheese. You can also substitute with Dairy Free Pesto and some capers for a vegan friendly alternative.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
- 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
- 2 large potatoes, roughly chopped
- Generous handful of green beans, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp quality tomato paste
- 400g tin of tomatoes
- 1L of vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup trio colour quinoa, rinsed
- basil pesto (we recommend Roza's Traditional Pesto)
- 125g comte, 12 months old
- quality salt* and pepper
to serve
- soy & linseed sourdough, toasted
- cultured butter
Directions
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a heavy based soup pot. Add onion and cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir until the aroma releases.
Add the chopped vegetables in small batches, adding a little salt and olive oil as you go. Stir regularly as the vegetables start to brown (colour equals flavour!).
Once all the veggies are in, well coated with oil and salt, and slightly brown on the edges, add the tomato paste and continue to stir to coat. Add the tin of tomatoes and stock, then slowly bring to the boil.
Once boiling, add the quinoa. Stir well and reduce the heat. Allow the soup to cook slowly over a low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring often. The soup will be ready when the texture has become thick, the quinoa is soft to the tooth and the vegetables are fully cooked.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide the soup between your serving bowls and top with a generous amount of pesto and lashings of grated comte. Finish with cracked pepper, and serve with toasted sourdough.
Comments (3)
Laura Battistella on April 20, 2023
This is amazing, thank you Renee
Stacey on April 20, 2023
This was amazing Renee! I think it is going to be a staple in my house for the rest of winter.
Elizabeth Fry on April 20, 2023
Sounds delicious. I love the way you write Renee and enjoy the extra tips on types of tinned tomatoes , pesto etc
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