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This easy slow cooker minestrone soup is a hearty vegetarian dinner chalked full of pasta, beans and zucchini. This easy and delicious weeknight dinner is one the whole family will love.
This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for content.
As a busy mom, I try to make things easier on myself when it comes to dinnertime. I love to create intricate dishes, but sometimes you just need to get dinner on the table!
This slow cooker minestrone soup recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight or when it's cold outside. Serve this easy soup with cheddar chive biscuits, homemade honey wheat bread or italian pesto bread.
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🥘 Ingredient notes
- Pasta - Minestrone soup is a classic Italian soup made with a smaller type pasta. This recipe uses ditalini pasta which is a small tubular shaped pasta. Small shells or elbow macaroni can be used as a substitute.
- Vegetables - This recipe uses garlic, onions, celery, carrots and zucchini. Fresh tomatoes, yellow squash, green beans, spinach and/or kale can be used as well!
- Beans - I like using cannellini beans and kidney beans in this slow cooker minestrone soup recipe. Garbanzo beans or black beans could also be used!
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Meat - If you prefer meat in your minestrone soup, cooked ground beef, italian sausage or even diced cooked chicken can be added at the end with the pasta and zucchini.
- Spicy - Add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes with the other seasonings to spice this soup up a bit!
- Cheese - This soup can be garnished with fresh parmesan cheese before serving for extra flavor if desired.
- Gluten Free - Switch out the pasta and zucchini for some zucchini noodles to make this slow cooker minestrone soup gluten free. Gluten free pasta can be used as well, however, I recommend cooking it ahead of time and adding it right before serving.
- Vegan - This slow cooker minestrone soup is naturally vegan as long as the pasta you are using does not contain animal products such as eggs. Check the package instructions to verify.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Combine the garlic, onions, celery, carrots, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, seasonings and stock all into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Add in beans, zucchini and pasta and cook for an additional hour on high until pasta is cooked through but still al dente.
Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
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⭐ Expert tips
- Serve this soup with a warm loaf of Italian bread from the bakery. It's great for dipping!
- Buy or make bread bowls for an extra special way to serve this delicious soup!
🥘 Alternative cooking methods
Stovetop - This soup can be made on the stovetop instead of the slow cooker. In a large pot or dutch oven heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and then saute the garlic, onions, carrots and celery for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add in the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Lower the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are completely softened and pasta is cooked through.
⏲️ Make ahead instructions
This minestrone soup can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time and reheated on the stovetop or in the slow cooker. Additional broth may need to be added as the pasta will continue to soak up the liquid as it sits.
🥡 Storage suggestions
This easy minestrone soup will keep up to 5 day in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container. If frozen, allow the soup to thaw completely before heating. Additional broth may need to be added during reheating.
🥘 More hearty soup recipes
If you loved this recipe for easy slow cooker minestrone soup, check out these other hearty soup recipes that I know you will love too!
- Creamy Tortellini Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Three Bean Slow Cooker Chili
- Authentic Pasta Fagioli
Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh garlic, approximately 3 cloves
- ½ cup chopped white onion, approximately ½ of a small onion
- ½ cup chopped celery, approximately 2 small stalks
- ½ cup chopped carrots, approximately 2 small carrots
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts vegetable stock
- 14 ounce canned white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 14 oz canned dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 ½ cup ditalini pasta
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine garlic, onion, celery, carrots, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, oregano, marjoram, bay leaf and vegetable stock all into the slow cooker.
- Stir to combine everything together and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Add in beans, zucchini and pasta and cook for an additional hour on high.
- Remove bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and serve!
Notes
- Serve this soup with a warm loaf of Italian bread from the bakery. It's great for dipping!
- Buy or make bread bowls for an extra special way to serve this delicious soup!
Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta - Small shells or elbow macaroni can be used as a substitute for ditalini.
- Vegetables - Fresh tomatoes, yellow squash, green beans, spinach and/or kale can be used as substitutes or in addition to the other vegetables.
- Beans - Garbanzo beans or black beans are other beans that can be added or used as substitutes.
- Meat - If you prefer meat in your minestrone soup, cooked ground beef, italian sausage or even diced cooked chicken can be added at the end with the pasta and zucchini.
- Spicy - Add ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes with the other seasonings to spice this soup up a bit!
- Cheese - This soup can be garnished with fresh parmesan cheese before serving for extra flavor if desired.
- Gluten Free - Switch out the pasta and zucchini for some zucchini noodles to make this minestrone soup gluten free. Gluten free pasta can be used as well, however, I recommend cooking it ahead of time and adding it right before serving.
- Vegan - This soup is naturally vegan as long as the pasta you are using does not contain animal products such as eggs. Check the package ingredients to verify.
Daylea Hanzel
This soup has been added to my weekly menu. I add a squash as well as the zucchini for even more veggies. Perfect for those cold days. Plus when you leave it in the fridge and reheated the next day it just seems to be even better. 🥰
Amanda
Thank you! It's one of our favorite Winter dinners as well!