Try this Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 white onion diced
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 15 ounces red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces cannelloni beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces green beans drained
- 2 cups potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1.5 cups celery chopped
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini diced
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 cup ditalini (tubular) pasta
- Carbohydrate 31.8462454914947 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.767156331279495 g
- Fiber 8.0001528746848 g
- Protein 6.5991717817696 g
- Saturated Fat 0.171676546283328 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (590g)
- Sodium 716.134467511242 mg
- Sugar 23.8460926168099 g
- Trans Fat 0.0134952847023906 g
- Calories 149 calories
Step-by-step
- Place your diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, white onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bay leaves into your crockpot.
- Add in vegetable stock, water, and tomato juice.
- Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
- After cooking time is up, add in red kidney beans, cannellii beans, zucchini, green beans and pasta
- Cook on high heat for an additional 10-15 minutes until pasta is tender.
Tomato juice anchors this vegetable-heavy slow-cooker soup by supplying both the liquid base and a high concentration of glutamates, which build savory depth during extended simmering. Traditional Italian minestrone evolved as a flexible, seasonal peasant dish designed to use whatever legumes and garden vegetables were on hand rather than adhering to a rigid formula. Long cooking breaks down the structural pectin in root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, releasing starches that naturally thicken the broth without requiring added flour or cream. Cannellini beans and red kidney beans contribute plant-based proteins that remain intact through hours of gentle heat, provided they are added at the correct stage so they do not disintegrate.
What to Serve Alongside
Pairing a hearty bean and pasta soup requires contrasting textures and fat content to balance the acidity of the tomato base. A warm loaf of crusty sourdough bread smeared with salted butter offers a crisp structural counterpoint to the soft root vegetables. Alternatively, a shaved fennel and arugula salad dressed in a sharp lemon vinaigrette cuts through the starch of the ditalini pasta. The peppery bite of raw greens refreshes the palate between spoonfuls of rich broth. Ensure the salad dressing maintains a three-to-one oil-to-acid ratio to prevent it from overpowering the herbal notes of the Italian seasoning.
- If the pasta absorbs too much liquid while sitting, stir in an extra half-cup of boiling water or warm vegetable broth before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Keep the lid sealed tightly during the main cooking cycle to maintain a steady internal temperature of roughly 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
