Summer Pistou

Name: Summer Pistou
Prep time: 11 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 31 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 1 tbs Rapeseed Oil; 2 finely chopped Leek; 1 large Courgettes; 1L Vegetable Stock; 400g Cannellini Beans; 200g Green Beans; 3 chopped Tomatoes; 3 chopped Garlic Clove; Small pack Basil; 40g Parmesan

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with France flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 51 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 31 min total

1 tbs Rapeseed Oil
2 finely chopped Leek
1 large Courgettes
1L Vegetable Stock
400g Cannellini Beans
200g Green Beans
3 chopped Tomatoes
3 chopped Garlic Clove
Small pack Basil
40g Parmesan

Step-by-step instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the leeks and courgette for 5 mins to soften.
Pour in the stock, add three-quarters of the haricot beans with the green beans, half the tomatoes, and simmer for 5-8 mins until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, blitz the remaining beans and tomatoes, the garlic and basil in a food processor (or in a bowl with a stick blender) until smooth, then stir in the Parmesan.
Stir the sauce into the soup, cook for 1 min, then ladle half into bowls or pour into a flask for a packed lunch.
Chill the remainder.
Will keep for a couple of days.

Why this works on a weeknight

Summer Pistou lands at about 31 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Summer Pistou actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Vegetarian France