The Slow Cooker Minestrone is so delicious! Every bite is filled with vegetables, beans and pasta in this one pot meal. Hearty and filling, it's a classic Italian Soup!
What is Minestrone?
Like me, you might have wondered what exactly is minestrone soup? It's a thick Italian vegetable soup. It contain vegetables, also usually beans and pasta or rice. The broth is a rich tomato broth.
Basically it's a vegetable soup with pasta or rice added.
If you look at it like that, you realize that you can make it all year long. In the summer use fresh tomatoes and summer squash from your garden. In the fall, butternut squash and even apples are delicious. Winter brings even heartier vegetables like cabbage, kale, and your basics like carrots, celery and onions. In the spring, use fresh green peas and asparagus.
Today's version is the version I make most often. It's my favorite transition from summer to fall soup!
Ingredients in a Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Here is where I usually include a photo of all the ingredients. Since this is a vegetable soup, heavy with vegetables, there are quite a few ingredients. The amount of effort it would take to lay out all the ingredients and take a photo far outweighed the ease and simplicity of this one pot meal!
So with no photo here are the ingredients:
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Zucchini - or yellow squash.
- Kidney Beans - canned.
- Salt, bay leaf, pepper, fresh parsley.
- Whole Tomatoes - canned (can use fresh.)
- Baby Lima Beans - frozen.
- Chicken Broth
- Swiss Chard - or Napa cabbage.
- Red Wine - optional, but delicious.
- Elbow Macaroni - or little shells.
- Parmesan Rind - optional, but I add it to all my vegetable soups. Save the rinds from you Parmesan chunks, or Whole Foods actually sells the rinds in a small tub that I keep stored in the fridge.
- Parmesan Cheese - for serving.
How to Make Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
This slow cooker recipe is a little different in that it has you add ingredients in 3 different stages.
- Optional - precook the onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini in a skillet over medium heat until softened and then add them to the slow cooker. Sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't.
- Add the kidney beans, salt, bay leaf, pepper, parsley, tomatoes, limas and chicken broth. Add water to cover everything by at least an inch. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
- Add the Swiss Chard or cabbage and red wine and cook for an additional 2 to 3 hours. Sometimes I do this and sometimes I just add the chard and wine at the beginning with everything else.
- About 30 minutes before dinner, turn the slow cooker to high and add the pasta. Cook for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and serve with fresh grated Parmesan Cheese.
More Crockpot Soup Recipes
Slow Cooker Thai Curried Noodles - creamy, spicy and so delicious!
Slow Cooker Spiced Beef Stew - fall flavors with butternut squash and sweet potatoes, but yummy all year round!
Sow Cooker Potato Leek Soup - a classic is updated with bacon croutons!
Slow Cooker White Chili with Avocado Cream - who doesn't love a good white chili!
Follow my Slow Cooker and Crockpot Recipes Board on Pinterest for even more!
Slow Cooker Minestrone
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 zucchini trimmed and diced
- 15 ounce kidney beans canned, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 28 ounce tomatoes canned, whole
- 10 oz lima beans frozen
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups swiss chard chopped, or cabbage
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ⅓ cup elbow macaroni or any small pasta
- parmesan rind
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil. Saute the onion, carrots, celery and zucchini for about 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add to slow cooker.
- Add the kidney beans, salt, bay leaf, pepper, parsley, tomatoes and their juice, limas and chicken broth. If needed add water until the vegetables are covered by at least 1 inch. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
- Add the chard (or cabbage) and the red wine. Cook for an additional 2-3 hours on low.
- Stir in the pasta and cook on high for about 30 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Remove the Parmesan rind and the bay leaf.
- Serve garnished with more Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
The was originally published in 2010 and has been updated for 2019.
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme says
Looks so comforting and perfect for the fall! Pinning for those cooler nights!
Pam Greer says
It is perfect!
Claire H Cary says
I am SO excited for soup season! Can't wait to make this
Pam Greer says
Me too!
Tonje says
Nothing's like a good slow cooker recipe, and this looks perfect 🙂 Such a time saver on busy weeknights.
Pam Greer says
The best time saver!
Traci says
I could eat this slow cooker gem every week during soup season! It’s the perfect recipe and totally hassle-free. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Pam Greer says
Me too!!
Debinhawaii says
A great classic soup--perfect for fall. Thanks for sending it to Souper Sundays. I look forward to seeing more soups from you. 😉
Lea Ann says
It's a hassle, but layer up Pam. It's been the same here in Colorado. Heater runs during the night and AC all day. I love minestrone soup! I have those sasme bowls, don't they make great little soup bowls!
Chris says
Yep, crazy weather here in East TN these days. Frost at night and hot during the day, our poor HVAC doesn't know what to do!
But the minestrone sounds wonderful.
grace says
quality. and yes, it's been a toss-up as to whether i need a coat and toboggan or if shorts and a tee will suffice. 🙂
Chanel11 says
I always need to use up Parmesan rinds, now I have another recipe to add it to 🙂
Mags @ the Other Side of 50 says
This time of year it's about dressing in layers, I guess, but I know what you mean about not knowing what to wear.
LOVE soup recipes. Keep 'em coming!
Mari @ Once Upon a Plate says
I hear you about the difference in temps from am to pm in autumn, it's the same here. I think dressing in layers is the only solution... and kind of a pain.
This Minestrone looks delicious and hearty, I hope to try it soon. Of course your beautiful photo sold me. 🙂
Do you like Beth's Slow Cooker cookbook? It's been in my cart at amazon for a while now as I'm on the fence about it.
Thanks for sharing, Pam! xo~m
Lynda says
I love Minestone, and I'm a meatlover too. Yours looks wonderful!
Fall is my favorite season, but it is hard to dress. You always need a jacket in the mornings.
La Table De Nana says
I always add rind:) Never wine..Sounds like a plan!
Pam says
It's cool and rainy today - this would be perfect for dinner!
Marjie says
Did you save me some for lunch? Because I'm hungry, and this looks divine!
chellebelle says
The soup looks wonderful! As to the dressing for the change in Temp? Well... this is the reason that Oregonians have the stereo type of always wearing flannel... because we layer a sweater, or a flannel shirt for the morning, and take it off in the afternoon... This is really normal. It's 39 degrees right now.. It is supposed to be 73 ish by 2:00 pm. That is our normal thing.. with or without rain
June says
Great looking soup Pam! Tiz the season here too thank goodness. We actually had a cool day yesterday (73) which is cause for celebration.
Joanne says
I think the problem is that no one should be allowed to be up that early in the morning. then you wouldn't even KNOW about the 40 degree switch.
But yes. i love fall in every way except for this whole clothing thing.
Great soup! Minestrone is such a comfort food for me...
Kalyn says
I know just what you mean about the temperature changes during the day. I never know what to wear when the seasons change.
This looks just like my mother's minestrone, and now I'm wondering why I've never made it!
hip-chick says
We do soup on Tuesday nights because it works well with our work schedules. Your minestrone looks good but all your recipes look good.
Melynda says
Hi Pam,
The Minestrone looks delicious, I have that book, maybe I should look in there again.
I think there are small segments of each new season where it is impossible to dress accordingly, sometimes it is easier to layer and remove.