Slow Cooker Minestrone

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Old-fashioned minestrone made easy.

Making home-cooked meals has never been so easy and effortless. With a slow cooker, just combine all of your ingredients, and it will do all the work for you. It doesn’t create mess on the stovetop, nor are you obliged to keep on checking every few minutes. In a saucepan, an Italian minestrone takes almost an hour of simmering that must be minded at all times. Using the slow cooker, you can just sit and relax while your meal is prepared.

A minestrone is an Italian soup made with a variety of diced vegetables in a clear broth. It sometimes has rice or pasta mixed in. The vegetables vary depending on the season, so toss in any veggies you find that are fresh at your grocery. Cooking it with a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese rind is common practice to give it more flavor. Never throw away those Parmesan rinds!

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Slow Cooker Minestrone

A versatile Italian soup, this minestrone is slow-cooked to perfect yumminess and is a favorite in the colder months.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Yield 6 people
Serving Size 1.25 cups
Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 onion small, diced
  • 1 celery stalk diced
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 zucchini sliced
  • 1 large potato peeled and cubed
  • 2 cups green beans fresh or frozen
  • 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
  • 2 cups kale coarsely chopped or other green leafy vegetable like spinach or chard
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water (add 1 additional cup for a thinner minestrone)
  • 15 ounces diced tomatoes can, with liquid
  • 15 ounces kidney beans can, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup vegetable juice or tomato juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 basil leaves fresh, diced
  • 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano or parmesan

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a slow cooker, except kale, basil, and parmesan. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or high 3 to 4 hours.
  • When the minestrone is cooked, add kale. Place lid back on slow cooker and allow the kale to wilt, approximately 5 minutes.
  • When ready to serve the minestrone, drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the top of individual bowls. Sprinkle with fresh basil and Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan.
  • Optional: Add 1 cup whole wheat penne pasta 30 minutes before the end of cooking.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 250mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 8
Keywords Gluten-Free, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian

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If you liked this soup, we have a lot more delicious and healthy Slow Cooker soup recipes to share with you:

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Rowena Dumlao-Giardina

Rowena is a recipe developer and food & travel writer/photographer from Italy with Asian roots. Creating healthy dishes in her own kitchen is priority. She believes there is nothing more satisfying than knowing that her family is eating natural & nutritious meals.

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