Toss fresh veggies, Italian seasonings and beans in the slow cooker to make one hearty and flavorful slow cooker minestrone soup!
Beans get a bad wrap in my house. Whenever Ted or Joey see beans in a dish, they pick them out and set them aside for Anthony to eat. Despite my best efforts to get my crew to raise the roof for canned beans, I hadn’t found the trick. Until I served them in this veggie-packed slow cooker minestrone soup.
Do the great northern beans look like pasta? Yep. Does a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan cheese make the beans in soup taste even better? Joey seems to agree [and I do too]. Don’t ask me why beans are picked out of burritos, tacos, nachos, or tortilla soup and enjoyed in this slow cooker minestrone soup. I’ll never understand the brain of a toddler just like my boys will never understand the thinking of their Mom!
Here’s why I’m serving up more beans [regardless of the peanut gallery’s protesting]: beans are an economical source of protein, they are a good source of fiber, and a little goes a long way when it comes to nutrition.
While most minestrone soup recipes call for a few different beans, I decided to go easy on my guys [and our waistlines] and add just 1-2 bean varieties. Not a fan of great northern beans? That’s ok! Swap in for your favorite. Just don’t forget the Parmesan cheese. Your kids will thank me….
Slow cooker minestrone soup is one hearty and budget-friendly weeknight meal! Click To Tweet
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- 1- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 32 ounces chicken broth [you can substitute vegetable broth]
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1- 15 ounce can green beans, drained
- 1- 15 ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup ditalini pasta
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- Parmesan cheese, grated for serving
- Place garlic, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth and seasonings into your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
- After cooking time is up, add zucchini, beans, pasta and basil to insert. Cover and cook on high until pasta is tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add more chicken broth if soup is too thick.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese.
Low 20’s here in NH today, I need a hot bowl of this delicious slow cooker soup!!!
Will this recipe fit in a 3.5 Quart slow cooker