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Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
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Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

This one-pot meal is full of fiber and flavor. It has all the tradition of the classic version with far less sodium.

Ingredients

Servings  6   Serving Size   2 cups

  • 1 medium onion (yellow preferred), finely chopped
  • 2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
  • 2 cups sliced celery (about 5 medium ribs of celery)
  • 2 cups chopped green beans, trimmed and 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 pepper
  • 3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3 medium bay leaves
  • 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1 cup whole-wheat ditalini pasta or medium pasta shells
  • 2 teaspoons canola or corn oil
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

  1. Put the onion, carrots, celery, and green beans in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in the Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, and bay leaves.  Do not stir. Cook, covered, on high for 5 hours or on low for 10 hours.
  3. Thirty minutes before serving, using tongs, discard the bay leaves. Stir in the zucchini and spinach. If using the low setting, change it to high and re-cover the slow cooker. Cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the ditalini pasta according to the package directions. Drain well in a colander. Drizzle the oil over the pasta, tossing to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
  5. When the soup is finished cooking, ladle into serving bowls. Top with the pasta. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Cooking Tip: Ditalini pasta is commonly used for minestrone soup, but any small pasta, such as elbow or orzo, can be used, too.

Keep it Healthy: If you prefer thick soup, after the soup has cooked, in a food processor or blender, carefully puree 1 to 2 cups of the soup (vent the blender lid) until smooth. Stir it back into the remainder of the soup. 

Tip: For leftovers, 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
16g Per Serving
FiberFiber
12g Per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Calories 306
Total Fat 3.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 244 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 12 g
Sugars 12 g
Protein 16 g

Dietary Exchanges
3 starch, 3 vegetable, 1 lean meat

 
This one-pot meal is full of fiber and flavor. It has all the tradition of the classic version with far less sodium.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
CaloriesCalories
306 Per Serving
ProteinProtein
16g Per Serving
FiberFiber
12g Per Serving
×
Calories 306
Total Fat 3.0 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 244 mg
Total Carbohydrate 57 g
Dietary Fiber 12 g
Sugars 12 g
Protein 16 g

Dietary Exchanges
3 starch, 3 vegetable, 1 lean meat

Ingredients

Servings  6   Serving Size   2 cups

  • 1 medium onion (yellow preferred), finely chopped
  • 2 cups sliced carrots (about 4 medium carrots)
  • 2 cups sliced celery (about 5 medium ribs of celery)
  • 2 cups chopped green beans, trimmed and 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 pepper
  • 3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 3 medium bay leaves
  • 1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1 cup whole-wheat ditalini pasta or medium pasta shells
  • 2 teaspoons canola or corn oil
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.

  1. Put the onion, carrots, celery, and green beans in a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in the Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas, and bay leaves.  Do not stir. Cook, covered, on high for 5 hours or on low for 10 hours.
  3. Thirty minutes before serving, using tongs, discard the bay leaves. Stir in the zucchini and spinach. If using the low setting, change it to high and re-cover the slow cooker. Cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the ditalini pasta according to the package directions. Drain well in a colander. Drizzle the oil over the pasta, tossing to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
  5. When the soup is finished cooking, ladle into serving bowls. Top with the pasta. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Cooking Tip: Ditalini pasta is commonly used for minestrone soup, but any small pasta, such as elbow or orzo, can be used, too.

Keep it Healthy: If you prefer thick soup, after the soup has cooked, in a food processor or blender, carefully puree 1 to 2 cups of the soup (vent the blender lid) until smooth. Stir it back into the remainder of the soup. 

Tip: For leftovers, store the pasta separately from the soup. Otherwise, the pasta will soak up all the liquid.
 

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