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Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
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Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Any leftover vegetables can be added into the slow cooker to enhance this minestrone soup—think parsnips, cabbage, potatoes, turnips, kale, and more. The more, the merrier when it comes to this soup.

Ingredients

Servings  6   Serving Size   2 cups

  • 1 medium yellow onion (peeled, finely chopped)
  • 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots (around 4 medium carrots)
  • 2 cups sliced celery (around 5 to 6 celery stalks)
  • 2 cups chopped green beans (trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1 tablespoon salt-free Italian seasoning blend
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 no salt added, diced tomatoes
  • 1 can no salt added kidney beans (drained)
  • 1 can no salt added garbanzo beans (chickpeas) (drained)
  • 3 cups no-sodium, or, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 zucchini (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup frozen, chopped spinach (thawed)
  • 1 cup whole wheat ditalini pasta (or medium shells)
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 cup chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

  1. Prepare the vegetables: peel and finely chop the onion; peel and slice carrots; chop the celery; and trim and cut green beans into 1-inch pieces.
  2. Add all the chopped vegetables into the bowl of 4 quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in Italian blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Top vegetables with canned tomatoes, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Do not stir. (This makes sure the vegetables-which need the most cooking time-are closest to the heat source of the slow cooker.) Cover with lid and cook 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low.
  3. Thirty minutes before serving, use tongs to remove bay leaves, discarding them. Stir soup with a spoon. Finely chop zucchini and add to the slow cooker bowl, along with the spinach. Cover and let cook on high heat, if not already on the setting.
  4. Prepare the ditalini pasta according to package directions. Drain and add oil into pasta so it doesn't stick together.
  5. When the soup is finished cooking, ladle into bowls, topping with a few spoonfuls of pasta and (optional) parsley.

Cooking Tip: While ditalini pasta is the one most commonly used for minestrone soup, any small pasta will do, like macaroni or orzo.

Keep it Healthy: Enjoy your soup on the thicker side? Pureeing 1 to 2 cups of the soup and then adding it back into the mix is a great way to thicken soup without adding any calories.

Tip: When storing soup leftovers, make sure to store the pasta separately from the soup. Otherwise, the pasta will soak up all the liquid.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
CaloriesCalories
306 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
16.1g Per Serving
FiberFiber
12.4g Per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Calories 306
Total Fat 2.9 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 244 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 12.4 g
Sugars 11.7 g
Protein 16.1 g

Dietary Exchanges
3 starch, 3 vegetable, 1 lean meat

 
Any leftover vegetables can be added into the slow cooker to enhance this minestrone soup—think parsnips, cabbage, potatoes, turnips, kale, and more. The more, the merrier when it comes to this soup.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
CaloriesCalories
306 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
16.1g Per Serving
FiberFiber
12.4g Per Serving
×
Calories 306
Total Fat 2.9 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 244 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 12.4 g
Sugars 11.7 g
Protein 16.1 g

Dietary Exchanges
3 starch, 3 vegetable, 1 lean meat

Ingredients

Servings  6   Serving Size   2 cups

  • 1 medium yellow onion (peeled, finely chopped)
  • 2 cups peeled and sliced carrots (around 4 medium carrots)
  • 2 cups sliced celery (around 5 to 6 celery stalks)
  • 2 cups chopped green beans (trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1 tablespoon salt-free Italian seasoning blend
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 no salt added, diced tomatoes
  • 1 can no salt added kidney beans (drained)
  • 1 can no salt added garbanzo beans (chickpeas) (drained)
  • 3 cups no-sodium, or, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 zucchini (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup frozen, chopped spinach (thawed)
  • 1 cup whole wheat ditalini pasta (or medium shells)
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 cup chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

  1. Prepare the vegetables: peel and finely chop the onion; peel and slice carrots; chop the celery; and trim and cut green beans into 1-inch pieces.
  2. Add all the chopped vegetables into the bowl of 4 quart or larger slow cooker. Stir in Italian blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Top vegetables with canned tomatoes, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Do not stir. (This makes sure the vegetables-which need the most cooking time-are closest to the heat source of the slow cooker.) Cover with lid and cook 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low.
  3. Thirty minutes before serving, use tongs to remove bay leaves, discarding them. Stir soup with a spoon. Finely chop zucchini and add to the slow cooker bowl, along with the spinach. Cover and let cook on high heat, if not already on the setting.
  4. Prepare the ditalini pasta according to package directions. Drain and add oil into pasta so it doesn't stick together.
  5. When the soup is finished cooking, ladle into bowls, topping with a few spoonfuls of pasta and (optional) parsley.

Cooking Tip: While ditalini pasta is the one most commonly used for minestrone soup, any small pasta will do, like macaroni or orzo.

Keep it Healthy: Enjoy your soup on the thicker side? Pureeing 1 to 2 cups of the soup and then adding it back into the mix is a great way to thicken soup without adding any calories.

Tip: When storing soup leftovers, make sure to store the pasta separately from the soup. Otherwise, the pasta will soak up all the liquid.
 

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