Minestrone soup is so easy to make at home – much easier than people think, actually! This specific recipe serves up to 8 people, so you can make this and have lots of leftovers! Or if you are like me, you can invite your family over and enjoy it all at once! The best part about this recipe is that it is a slow cooker kind, therefore you just have to throw everything in the pot, turn it on and walk away.
In about four and a half hours, you will have the best soup you have ever tried simmering away in your kitchen. Simple as that! Check out what our friends over at Little Spice Jar had to say about this:
“An easy to make, minestrone soup recipe that tastes 1000 times better than the Olive Garden’s version!”
I can totally get behind that statement. Simple and easy are what describe this dish!
Ingredients
2 cans (14.5 oz) Heinz diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons Heinz tomato paste
1/4 cup Heinz sun-dried tomato pesto (homemade or store-bought)
1 parmesan rind
4 cups Swanson vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 cup carrots, diced
1 1/4 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cup white onion, diced
4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 sprig rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15 oz) Bush’s red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) Bush’s great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups zucchini, diced
1 1/2 cups tubular (ditalini) pasta
1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
2 1/2 cups baby spinach, chopped
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving (or Romano)
Instructions
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato pesto, parmesan rind, vegetable stock, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves to a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
Add in red kidney beans, great northern beans, zucchini, and pasta and cook on high heat for an additional 20- 25 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir in the spinach and green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes until heated through.
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Quick Tip: Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese and garlic toasts.
Thanks again to Little Spice Jar for this amazing recipe.