Crock Pot Minestrone
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This Minestrone Soup is chock full of fresh vegetables, and so simple to make. Everything, including a jar of pasta sauce, goes right in the crock pot so you can set it and forget it, making this the perfect soup recipe for busy weeknights to lazy weekends.
Soup has always been my favorite meal, it’s just so comforting to me. I remember coming home from school, and getting that whiff of dinner when I walked into the house. “What’s for dinner?” (that age-old question) My mom would tell me ‘soup’ and I was elated! Not only did that mean I was going to enjoy dinner, but I would enjoy it for lunch the next day, too. (Yes, I was that kid with the Snoopy lunch pail and thermos!)
My oldest daughter is just like that. When she would ask “What’s for dinner?” and soup was the answer, she was thrilled! She would eat soup for breakfast when given the chance, and she loves minestrone,so back in 2015, I decided my website wouldn’t be complete without a recipe for her to refer to when she wanted to make it for her family someday.
Crock Pot Minestrone
Loaded with veggie goodness this healthy soup has carrots, celery, green beans, zucchini, and spinach in a rich marinara-based broth so it’s super flavorful. The canned beans add protein making it hearty enough to serve as a complete meal. Okay, maybe with some crusty bread or this garlic bread on the side but that’s pretty much all you need.
Italian Minestrone Soup
Slow cooker recipes are my favorite, I love being able to throw everything into the pot and let it do its thing while I get on with my day. Perfect for a busy weeknight, all you need is a few minutes to prep everything in the morning, and then when you get home you can add the last few ingredients and supper is on the table in no time at all. Or, if meal prep is your thing you can easily make this easy recipe for delicious soup over the weekend and reheat it during the week.
If you love this minestrone soup recipe, you are sure to love these too: Creamy Chicken Parmesan Soup, Tortellini Soup With Sausage, or this Easiest Lasagna Soup.
Vegetarian Minestrone Soup
I am always up for a warm bowl of soup on a cold day and I’m glad my whole family loves one too. Though we tend to eat more soup in the fall and winter, we eat soup year-round.
You can’t go wrong with this minestrone as the great thing is you can use whatever vegetables are in season or what you’ve got on hand.
Ingredients for crockpot minestrone soup
For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card.
- Marinara sauce – I like to use Mezzetta® Napa Valley Homemade™
- Diced tomatoes – Use petite diced tomatoes + 1 can of water.
- Vegetable stock – Choose a low-sodium vegetable stock or broth. If you aren’t concerned about having a vegetarian soup you can also use chicken broth.
- Shallots – Add chopped shallots.
- Herbs – Dried oregano, dried rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Salt & Pepper – Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pasta – Use ‘ring-shaped’ pasta or your favorite small pasta. Ditalini pasta is also a good option as is gluten-free pasta.
- Beans – Use Great Northern Beans and red kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving.
- Onions– Add chopped onions, any type will work.
- Garlic – Fresh minced is best but jarred is a good substitute.
- Celery – Fresh diced celery adds more flavor to the soup.
- Carrots – Carrots, diced, add flavor and color.
- Zucchini – Use diced green zucchini. No need to peel.
- Green beans – I used frozen green beans, thawed, but you can also use fresh.
- Spinach– Chopped fresh spinach is ideal but sub for frozen if you don’t have fresh.
How to make slow cooker minestrone soup
This crock pot minestrone soup only has a few simple steps.
First: Add to your crock pot: Marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, shallots, onion, celery, carrots, water, vegetable stock, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Give a stir, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours OR on low for 6-8 hours.
Second: Add the kidney and Great Northern beans, ring pasta, and zucchini to the crock pot, and heat on high for about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Third: Before serving, stir in green beans and spinach and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Allow leftovers to come to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. In the freezer, leftovers will keep for up to 3 months.
Love it? Pin it!
If you love this slow cooker minestrone soup recipe, make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
FAQs about crockpot minestrone
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What’s minestrone soup made of? Minestrone soup is made with vegetables, pasta, and beans.
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What’s the difference between minestrone and vegetable soup? Vegetable soup doesn’t usually have beans or pasta as minestrone does.
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Why is minestrone soup healthy? Minestrone soup is loaded with vegetables and contains protein from the beans making it a healthy soup to add to your repertoire.
Substitutions
Remember that when it comes to making substitutions in recipes, you don’t need to be afraid to get creative and use ingredients that suit your personal taste and dietary preferences. Make it your own!
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Change up the beans and try cannellini beans, chickpeas, white beans, or any canned beans you have on hand.
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Use chicken or beef broth instead of vegetable broth if you aren’t concerned the soup is vegetarian.
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Try your favorite pasta sauce if you don’t have marinara sauce or use crushed tomatoes instead. If you opt for crushed tomatoes make sure to add some Italian seasoning for flavor.
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Swap the spinach for Swiss chard or kale.
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Modify the vegetables based on what you’ve got on hand. Fresh or frozen both work.
Tips & Tricks
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If you want a thicker broth stir in a few tablespoons of tomato paste.
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For a touch of spice add some red pepper flakes.
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To make on the stove top, place everything in a soup pot on medium heat and let the soup simmer until the vegetables are soft.
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Add a parmesan rind to the crockpot for an extra cheesy, salty flavor.
More Recipes to Love
I have loads of soup recipes here on my website. Here are a few of my favorite soups:
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Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe (pictured above)
This great soup has so much flavor and it’s so easy to prepare. It’s honesty the best way to feed your family a healthy meal with minimal effort.
Crock Pot Minestrone
Ingredients
- 1 jar of Mezzetta Marinara Sauce
- 2 cans 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes + 1 can water
- 32 ounces Vegetable stock
- 1 cup shallots chopped
- 1/2 cup onions chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups celery diced
- 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
- 3 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 7 oz package pasta
- 1 15 oz can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups zucchini diced
- 1 cup frozen green beans thawed
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- Fresh Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add to your crock pot: Marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, shallots, onion, celery, carrots, water, vegetable stock, garlic, rosemary and oregano. Give a stir, cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours OR on low for 6-8 hours.
- Add kidney and Great Northern beans, ring pasta and zucchini to the crock pot, and heat on high for about 30 minutes. Salt & Pepper to taste.
- Before serving, stir in green beans and spinach.
- Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on September 2, 2015, as part of a paid partnership with Mezzetta. It has been updated to improve user experience and reshared on March 6, 2024.
Such a delicious soup! I loved every single spoonful.
My mom used to make minestrone all the time when I was a kid, but I remember it was a ton of work. I’m excited to try the crockpot version!