Homemade Minestrone Soup (Slow Cooker)
An easy to make, a minestrone soup recipe that tastes 1000 times better than the Olive Garden's version! My minestrone soup is loaded with good for you veggies, like spinach and zucchini. It's also protein packed with red kidney beans and great northern beans. You'll be full for hours from this healthy, nutritious soup!
Ingredients
- 2 cansdiced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoonstomato paste
- ¼ cupsun-dried tomato pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1parmesan rind
- 4 cupsvegetable stock
- 2 cupswater
- 1 cupcarrots, diced
- 1 ¼ cupcelery, diced
- 1 ½ cupwhite onion, diced
- 4 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1 teaspoondried oregano
- 1 sprigrosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 canred kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cangreat northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cupszucchini, diced
- 1 ½ cupstubular (ditalini) pasta
- 1 cupfrozen green beans, thawed
- 2 ½ cupsbaby spinach, chopped
- finely shredded parmesan cheese, for serving (or romano)
Directions
- 1
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato pesto, parmesan rind, vegetable stock, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves to a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
- 2
Add in red kidney beans, great northern beans, zucchini, and pasta and cook on high heat for an additional 20- 25 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes until heated through. Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese and garlic toasts.