Soupe au Pistou with Weeds!
A vibrant green vegan soup perfect for a spring time cleanse, using wild greens and a swirl of homemade pesto.
It’s weed season! In the early spring I often crave a digestive cleanse to clear out the stagnant energy of winter. Based on a traditional Provencal template, this soup optimizes the tender weeds of spring and is packed to the rim with nutrition and a delicious blast of flavor.
You can use any combination of edible weeds and leafy greens. Some of my favorites this time of year are nettles, wild mustard greens, chickweed, dandelion greens, and wild violet greens. I supplement with kale, chard, and beet greens when needed.
While this recipe calls for mushrooms and, well, I’m a wild mushroom lover, I use cremini for this recipe. Cremini are delicious, and their flavor holds up to the pesto better than more delicately flavored wild mushrooms. Blewits would probably be amazing, and maybe meaty black morels too.
Soupe au Pistou with Weeds (Wild Greens) Recipe
Ingredients
For the soup:
1 tbs olive oil
I medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups rinsed and chopped leeks (white and light green parts only)
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 cups water
2 cups white or yellow potatoes, diced
4 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
3-4 cups early weeds, with other leafy greens as needed, woody stems removed, rinsed and chopped
1 can cannellini beans
For the pistou:
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cup combination of fresh weeds and basil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup raw walnuts
Directions
In a soup pot heat the oil. Add onion, celery, leeks, and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables start to soften, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the water, potatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the greens and beans, and simmer for about 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, make the pistou: Put garlic, fresh weeds, basil, oil, and walnuts in a food processor. Process until smooth like pesto.
To serve, ladle warm soup into bowls and swirl a spoonful of pesto into each.
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