Nothing says home quite like a pot of homemade soup bubbling on the stove, filling the kitchen with cozy warmth and savoury aromas. Soup is good for a quick lunch or a snack, as the first course of an elegant dinner or the centerpiece of a late supper in front of the fire.

Vegetable Soup with Basil is reminiscent of Soupe au Pistou, a Provencal vegetable soup with pistou sauce added at the end. My soup, a hearty concoction of beans, pasta, and chunky vegetables, uses finely minced fresh basil instead. This filling soup is a meal in a bowl. It doesn't need much in the way of accompaniments, maybe a simple green salad and some thick slices of whole grain bread to dip into the delicious broth.

Vegetable Soup with Basil

3 cups water
3 cups tomato juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup cubed potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup small cauliflower florets
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup canned or home-cooked cannellini beans or Great Northern beans
1/3 cup whole wheat orzo

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare dried cannellini beans or Great Northern beans, place a cup of dried beans in a medium bowl with water to cover, and let sit in a cool spot overnight. Drain the beans and place in a medium saucepan with fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid, and simmer for two hours, or until soft. This will yield approximately two cups of cooked beans.

To prepare the soup, place the water, tomato juice, minced garlic, onion, potatoes, and carrots in a large saucepan or soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid, and simmer gently for half an hour. Add the cauliflower florets, cut green beans, cooked cannellini beans, and whole wheat orzo. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the green peas and the pesto. Let sit for five minutes while the peas heat through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.

Makes 4 generous servings.