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Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup Recipe

Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup

A cozy slow-cooker vegetable soup packed with tomatoes, beans, pasta, and Italian-seasoned broth. This recipe makes about 6–8 servings and is finished with optional baby spinach and grated Parmesan.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 6 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Vegetables and Aromatics
  • 1 medium medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 ribs celery ribs, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium medium zucchini, cut into half-moons or small cubes
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
Canned Goods and Broth
  • 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Seasonings and Finishing Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 leaf bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup small pasta, such as ditalini, small shells, or elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups baby spinach, optional
  • as needed grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, zucchini, green beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, kidney beans, cannellini or great northern beans, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, kosher salt, and black pepper to the crockpot. Stir carefully so the vegetables and beans are evenly distributed.
  2. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 6–8 hours on LOW or 3–4 hours on HIGH. Slow-cooker temperatures vary, so check the vegetables toward the shorter end of the cooking range when using a newer or hotter appliance.
  3. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the uncooked small pasta during the final 20–30 minutes of cooking, cover again, and cook until the pasta is just tender.
  4. Stir in the baby spinach during the final 5 minutes, if using. Taste the finished soup and adjust the salt and pepper before serving.
  5. Ladle the soup into bowls and finish each serving with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot while the vegetables and pasta are tender and the broth is fragrant.

Notes

Add pasta near the end because long crockpot cooking can make it overly soft and cause it to absorb much of the broth. Low-sodium broth and canned beans allow better control over seasoning; taste at the end because canned tomatoes, broth, beans, and Parmesan may already contribute salt.