No, not all of my soups are blended! This chunky dish is a prime example of how a basic pistou (as the French call it) can take simple to spectacular. It’s my partner, Scott’s, favorite meal, so to keep things interesting, I vary the vegetable-and-bean blend, the pistou, or both. (Sundried tomato and macadamia pistou is delightful.) This soup freezes well if you freeze the soup and pistou separately and without the additional lemon juice. You can easily make pistou in a food processor, but I use a blender because it provides smooth texture with no chunky bits.
I keep the flavors of the soup itself pretty mild so the pistou really shines. The pistou tastes great without the miso if you can’t find it, but this addition gives it a rich and cheesy taste that is downright incredible. Once you stir the pistou into your soup, you’ll be transported. The soup and pistou are meant to be served together, but for people who don’t like pistou, I omit it, increase the quantity of herbs and seasonings in the soup, and add a bit more pasta.