When I went out to walk the dog this morning, I noticed that our basil plants were not too happy about our overnight cold snap. The purple opal ones were particularly droopy, and since the weather’s only going to get colder, I knew I needed to use them soon. I’d already frozen as much basil as my fridge could hold back in the summer, so I started thinking of warm, winter dishes that I could use a whole bunch of basil in. I’d made a wonderful Provençal Bean and Vegetable Soup with Pesto back in April, but I was hoping to make something a lot simpler than that, something I could whip up quickly for lunch. Something creamy.
And this potentially addictive soup is what I came up with. It’s warm and creamy but somehow tastes like summer. And it’s purple! Who could ask for more on a chilly day in November?
Purple Pesto Soup
Obviously, it’s purple because of the variety of basil I used, but it would be just as delicious with regular basil.
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups hot water
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 1/2 cups (or 1 15-ounce can) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup purple basil leaves, firmly packed (or use green)
1 tablespoon cashew butter (or try almond butter or tahini) *
white pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
additional garlic, to taste
Sauté the onion in a non-stick pan until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute more. Add the hot water and cauliflower, reduce heat, and cover. Cook until the cauliflower is completely tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the basil and cashew butter. Use a hand blender to puree the soup until it is completely smooth. (Alternately, put the soup in batches into a regular blender and blend smooth; return soup to the pot.) Add white pepper and salt to taste and add additional garlic if desired.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 154 Calories (kcal); 3 g Total Fat; (14% calories from fat); 10 g Protein; 26 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 54 mg Sodium; 9 g Fiber
*Note: The cashew butter contributes a lot to the creaminess and the flavor, but leave it out if you prefer your soup to be lower in fat.
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Delicious! The cauliflower taste really comes through. I used green basil but it still turned out kinda purple. Not that I’m complaining.
I love your blog, Susan! It has been inspirational to me for years. When you mentioned freezing basil, did you mean the actual leaves?? or chopped, or as pesto…? Just curious. thanks!
I chop it in the blender with a little water and freeze it in ice cube trays.