Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Minestrone Soup

Autumn is getting close and the temperature is slowly dropping here. You know what that means, don't you? It's time for soup! All kinds of soup. My kids love soup and so do I. My husband isn't the biggest fan of soup, but he'll eat the creamy ones and go back for seconds.

I only pureed half of the beans because I wanted to see some beans in the soup, and my kids like them. I guess if your kids don't like beans, you can puree the whole can. It turned out to be a bit thick, but you could add more broth if you need to.

V Leave out the cheese rind to make this vegan. Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top before serving to get that nutty flavour .

Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Minestrone Soup
Adapted from Skinny Taste

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup diced onions
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 3 1/2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (or 28oz canned)
• 1 piece of Parmesan cheese rind (leave out for vegan)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (I didn't have fresh)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 1 x 19oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped spinach (I used frozen, thawed and squeezed)
• 2/3 cups uncooked pasta (I used tubetti)

Directions

1. Place the onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, cheese rind, basil, parsley, rosemary, bay leaves and pepper into the slow cooker. Take 1 cup of the broth and 1/2 the beans and puree until smooth. Add the bean puree to the slow cooker along with the other 2 cups of broth and the rest of the beans.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
3. While that's cooking, boil your pasta according to package directions and set aside for later. 
4. Forty minutes before you're ready to eat the soup, add the zucchini and spinach. Give it a good stir and let it cook for an additional 30 minutes. Then, stir in the pasta. Cook it for another 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
5. Add a bit of fresh grated Parmesan cheese if you like.