Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Easy and hearty, this slow cooker minestrone soup is loaded with veggies, beans, and pasta, making it a one-stop meal that’s always a family favorite.

This slow cooker soup is a winner when you need a comfort meal that doesn’t require any babysitting. The only prep work you need is chopping a few vegetables and opening a few cans. What could be easier?

This minestrone soup is full of healthy vegetables, beans, and tomatoes that simmer in a base of chicken broth and Italian seasonings for 4-6 hours in your crockpot. Before you’re ready to serve, just add dried pasta and let it soften before ladling up this substantial soup for a filling meal.

And bonus: any leftovers are amazing! They keep in the fridge or freezer, ready to be reheated for another easy meal.

Ingredients Needed

• Vegetables – Carrots, zucchini, onion, celery, garlic. These veggies add flavor, nutrition, and seasoning to the soup.
• Canned ingredients – Diced tomatoes, dark red kidney beans, white cannellini beans. These add protein and fiber, making the soup hearty and filling.
• Chicken broth – This is the liquid flavor base that the soup will simmer in while in the slow cooker.
• Italian seasoning – Use a blend of Italian dried herbs for easy seasoning and flavor.
• Ditalini pasta – Small, tubular pasta that’s added toward the end of cooking so it can soften.
• Parmesan cheese – Garnish each bowl of soup with freshly grated cheese before serving.

How To Make Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

1. Dice all of the vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker.
2. Add in the can of chopped tomatoes.
3. Drain and rinse both cans of beans and add to the slow cooker.
4. Add in chicken broth and Italian seasoning.
5. Stir it all to combine.
6. Place the lid on and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
7. Add pasta during the last 30 minutes of cooking so it has time to soften before serving.
8. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve.

What Is Ditalini Pasta?

Ditalini, in Italian, means “little thimbles” because the size and shape of this tube-like pasta resemble sewing thimbles. It’s the traditional pasta used for minestrone.

Substitutions For Ditalini Pasta

Most larger chain grocery stores carry ditalini pasta, but if you can’t find it, no worries! Elbow macaroni pasta is a great substitute and so are small pasta shells.

Variations

The wonderful thing about minestrone soup is that you can use almost any vegetable or any bean in it and it will still taste amazing!

It’s also the perfect soup to make when you need to clean out your fridge and use those veggies that need to be eaten immediately. It’s the same for any canned tomatoes or beans that are nearing their expiration dates.

• Other veggies to try: green beans, spinach, curly kale, savoy or curly cabbage
• Other beans to try are garbanzo beans, black beans, pinto beans, navy beans, and great northern beans. Just make sure they’re cooked, canned beans, not dried, for this recipe.
• Other canned tomatoes to try: Fire roasted tomatoes would be amazing and a little heat and zip to this soup.
• Broth to try: Make this vegan by using vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
• Pasta to try: And last, but not least, it’s also a forgiving soup if you don’t have exactly the ditalini pasta on hand. I gave substitutions for the pasta above, but in general, any small pasta will work in this soup, even orzo, which is pasta that resembles rice.

Is Minestrone Soup Healthy For You?

Yes, Minestrone Soup is full of healthy fiber and great for you. Loaded with vegetables, greens and beans, it is a very healthy mixture. It’s a very filling and delicious soup.

Serving Suggestions

This slow cooker minestrone soup is a meal in a bowl, but having bread on the side is always appreciated. Here are a few easy choices and a few homemade bread recipes.

My Cheesy Garlic Bread would pair perfectly with this soup. My Sourdough Bread would also be wonderful, as would my Country Bread recipe. You could also try my Stand Mixer French Bread recipe.

How To Store And Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerator: Make sure and let the leftover soup cool before storing it in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Make sure and let the leftover soup cool before storing it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Don’t fill your container or bags to the brim; leave a little headspace for expansion. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

To reheat leftover soup: Reheat in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat until your desired temperature is reached.

This is the soup recipe you want to make when you need to come home to a delicious and cozy meal. It’s also great for chilly weather as it’s warming and filling, And best of all, it’s simple and easy!

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Related Slow Cooker Soup Recipes

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