Vegetable Pistou Soup

3 quarts	water
2 cups	yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups	carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups	leeks, cleaned and diced
2 Tbsp	salt
1 ½ cups	Pastene Italian Orecchiette
2	14 oz cans Pastene White Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups	fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1-2 cups	fresh peas and/or red bell pepper, diced
¼ tsp	freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp	curry powder
	To make pistou:
2 Tbsp	Pastene Minced Garlic
6 Tbsp	Pastene Tomato Paste
⅓ cup	fresh basil, chopped
⅓ cup	fresh parsley, chopped
¾ cup	fresh parmesan cheese, grated
¾ cup	Pastene Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For: 6-8 People Prep: 15 min. Cook: 55-65 min.

To make soup base, bring water, potatoes, carrots, leeks, and salt to a boil in a 6-quart soup pot. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes.
Add white beans, pasta, and curry to the soup and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the green beans, peas and/or pepper and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, until they are cooked through but still crunchy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
While the soup is simmering, make the pistou. In a food processor, add the garlic, tomato paste, basil, parsley and cheese and pulse to a paste. While the food processor is running, slowly add the oil until fully combined.
To serve, spoon the soup into bowls and top with 1-1 ½ tablespoon of pistou and stir to fully blend.
Serve hot with French bread or croutons.

Vegetable Pistou Soup￼