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    Home » Real Food » Slow Cooker Recipes » Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

    Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

    By Kristen Chidsey | 6 Comments | Published September 21, 2018 | Updated October 25, 2021 *This post may include amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Made with a rich tomato base, fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta, Slow Cooker Minestrone is an easy, healthy soup perfect for any day of the week. It is light on calories but big on taste!

    Made with a rich tomato base, fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta, Slow Cooker Minestrone is an easy, healthy soup perfect for any day of the week.

    Pair this Crockpot Minestrone with a tossed Greek salad and a loaf of Italian Bread for an easy, wholesome family meal.

    Slow Cooker filled with homemade minestrone.

    Why You Will Love This Soup

    From the rich broth to fresh vegetables, to the hearty pasta, Minestrone is a light, yet filling soup that is easy to prepare, especially when made in the slow cooker.

    This recipe for Slow Cooker Minestrone is as easy as mixing everything together and setting it to simmer low and slow to create a rich broth filled with perfectly cooked vegetables.

    Added for the last 30 minutes of cooking, even the pasta cooks to perfection in the crockpot. Meaning this is a meal that is made start to finish right in the slow cooker.

    Notes on Ingredients

    • Tomatoes: If you have textural issues with diced tomatoes, replace them with tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes.
    • Tomato Sauce: For the BEST flavor in minestrone soup, use your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce or marinara.
    • Vegetables: Add any vegetables you like to this soup--chopped zucchini, carrots, green beans, yellow squash, celery, etc--whatever your family likes or you have on hand.
    • Greens: I use either cabbage, kale, or spinach as the added greens in the soup.
    • Beans: Kidney beans, cannellini beans, northern white beans, and pinto beans all work in Minestrone. Use all of one variety or mix and match.
    • Red Wine: Use a dry red wine, such as Merlot or a Cabernet, to add additional flavor and depth. But feel free to omit it.
    • Broth: If you don't have vegetable broth and are not vegetarian, chicken stock works just as well in this soup.
    • Parmesan: It is traditional to top Minestrone with shaved parmesan but without that addition this soup is vegan-friendly.

    How to Make Crockpot Minestrone

    • In a large slow cooker, mix together the broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, zucchini, carrots, and green beans with the seasonings.
    • Stir in red wine and cabbage if using.
    • Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
    • Turn slow cooker to high and add elbow noodles to minestrone and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.
    • If using fresh spinach or kale in place of cabbage, stir the spinach into the soup to wilt.
    • Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
    Minestrone Soup made with pasta green beans and carrots.

    Storage

    Leftover Minestrone Soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days. To reheat the soup, you may want to add in a splash of additional stock to thin out the broth, as the noodles will soak it up as it sits.

    You can also freeze leftover Minestrone in an airtight container, leaving 1-inch of space for expansion. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on low heat in a saucepan, adding more broth if needed.

    More Delicious Soup Recipes

    • Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
    • Easy Homemade Tomato Soup
    • Tortellini Soup
    • Vegetable Beef Soup

    If you tried this Crockpot Minestrone, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

    Slow Cooker with Minestrone in it.

    Slow Cooker Minestrone

    This classic Italian soup, featuring a tomato base, fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta, is simmered to perfection in the crockpot for one of the easiest, healthiest soup recipes. 
    4.8 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 8 hours
    Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 201kcal
    Author: Kristen Chidsey

    Ingredients

    • 28 oz diced tomatoes
    • 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
    • 15 ounces marinara sauce
    • 2 cups red beans pre-cooked or canned
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoons oregano
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
    • ½ pound green beans cut into 1 inch chunks
    • 2 large zucchini diced
    • 1 large carrot diced
    • ½ cup red wine optional
    • 2 cups cabbage sliced into thin ribbons
    • 1 cup elbow noodles
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • Parmesan cheese for serving
    Prevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

    Instructions

    • In a large slow cooker, mix together the broth, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, bay leaf, garlic, onion powder, zucchini, carrots, and green beans. Stir in cabbage and red wine if using.
    • Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
    • Turn the slow cooker to high. Add in the pasta and cook for 20-30 minutes until pasta tender.
    • Remove bay leaf, stir in vinegar, and serve with a generous grating of Parmesan.

    Equipment Needed

    • 6-8 quart Slow Cooker

    Notes

    Tomatoes: If you have textural issues with diced tomatoes, replace them with tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. 
    Marinara: For the BEST flavor in minestrone soup, use your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce or marinara. 
    Vegetables: Add any vegetables you like to this soup--chopped zucchini, carrots, green beans, yellow squash, celery, etc--whatever your family likes or you have on hand.
    Using Spinach instead of Cabbage: If you prefer spinach over cabbage, omit cabbage and stir in spinach when you stir in the red wine vinegar and let wilt before serving. 
    Beans: Kidney beans, cannellini beans, northern white beans, and pinto beans all work in Minestrone. Use all of one variety or mix and match. 
    Red Wine: Use a dry red wine, such as Merlot or a Cabernet, to add additional flavor and depth. But feel free to omit it.
    Broth: If you don't have vegetable broth and are not vegetarian, chicken stock works just as well in this soup.
    Storage: Store leftover Minestrone soup in a sealed container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. You may need to add a splash of stock or water before warming up as the noodles absorb the stock as as they sit. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 670mg | Potassium: 940mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2485IU | Vitamin C: 38.9mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 4.4mg
    Liked this Recipe? Tag me Today!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram - I would love to see!

     

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    About Kristen Chidsey

    Hi, I am Kristen, creator of A Mind "Full" Mom. I believe that making a wholesome family meal does not need to be hard or expensive! I love nothing more than to share with you delicious solutions for your hungry family.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ashley F

      September 29, 2019 at 4:22 pm

      5 stars
      I love the idea of using onion powder instead of diced onion! My kids actually ate it! Just perfect!

      Reply
    2. Jennifer Banz

      September 29, 2019 at 2:36 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    3. Amy Anderson

      June 11, 2019 at 9:48 am

      Hi Kristen,

      Can you clarify step 3? It says add the pasta and greens-not sure what that means since step 1 said to add everything but the pasta and cheese.

      thank you 🙂
      Amy

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        June 11, 2019 at 10:05 am

        Oh absolutely Amy--the greens was a misprint! But just an FYI, if you were using fresh spinach instead of cabbage you would want to add that when you add pasta. I hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Laura

      October 15, 2018 at 1:13 pm

      This looks delicious! Will dry beans work or just canned? I dont believe the recipe specified which. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kristen Chidsey

        October 15, 2018 at 1:18 pm

        For this recipe, you need canned beans (and I will clarify that now). You can used dried beans, but you will need to pre-cook. Enjoy!

        Reply

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