It’s officially soup season, so therefore, you must try this Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone. This soup is easy to make and it’s not only a hearty dish, but healthy as well. It’s full of vegetables and also includes ditalini pasta, making it a filling meal that everyone will enjoy.
Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone
As a busy mom, I try to make things easier on myself when it comes to dinnertime. I love to create intricate dishes, but sometimes you just need to get dinner on the table! It always seems to be that if something is easy, it’s not always healthy. This Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone checks all of the boxes for me. It’s simple to put together, doesn’t require much attention and is a healthy meal that all of my kids enjoy. Pro Tip: Serve this soup with a warm loaf of Italian bread from the bakery. It’s great for dipping!
What is Minestrone?
Minestrone is an Italian originated soup that is a thicker almost stew type soup that consists of pasta and/or rice, vegetables and beans. The great thing about minestrone is that you can make it with whatever vegetables or pasta that you and your family like. It’s also great if you have some extra vegetables in the fridge that need to get used and just requires a few extra pantry staple ingredients. I like to make mine in the slow cooker because I can put it together in the morning and let it cook while I go about my day. Then, when it’s time for dinner, I’m not scrambling trying to finish a complicated dish, because it’s already done. Here is a LINK to my favorite slow cooker that I use in my kitchen.
Ingredients for Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone?
My recipe for this delicious minestrone consists of three main ingredient groups: fresh vegetables, pantry staples and of course, seasonings.
Fresh Vegetables
- Garlic
- Onions
- Celery
- Carrots
- Zucchini
Pantry Staples
- Tomato Paste
- Diced Tomatoes with Italian Seasoning
- Vegetable Stock
- White Cannellini Beans
- Dark Red Kidney Beans
- Ditalini Pasta
Seasoning
- Dried Oregano
- Marjoram
- Bay Leaf
- Salt & Pepper
These ingredients can be switched or substituted depending on what you have on hand or what you prefer. You can add fresh spinach or even yellow squash to the fresh vegetables. You can do black beans or even garbanzo beans instead of the cannellini and kidney beans I have used. Not a fan of dried oregano? How about dried basil or even parsley! This recipe has been made vegan, but if you would like, you can add parmesan cheese when serving.
Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
- ½ cup chopped fresh white onion
- ½ cup chopped fresh celery
- ½ cup chopped fresh carrots
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts vegetable stock
- 1 14 oz can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 14 oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 ½ cup uncooked ditalini pasta
- salt & pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Combine garlic, onion, celery, carrots, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, oregano, marjoram, bay leaf and vegetable stock all into the slow cooker.
- Stir to combine everything together and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Add in beans, zucchini and pasta and cook for an additional hour on high. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve!
I hope you enjoy this Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone recipe. If you are looking for more slow cooker recipes, here are some of our favorites:
Happy Cooking!
