Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
This Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup is packed with vegetables, two kinds of beans, and pasta in a rich tomato broth. Everything except the pasta cooks together in the slow cooker, making this an easy, hearty soup that doesn’t require much attention.
We cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl when serving. This keeps the pasta from getting mushy or soaking up all that delicious broth, especially if you’re planning on leftovers.
Why You’ll Love This
I love recipes like this because you can get everything going in the slow cooker and pretty much leave it alone for the day. This minestrone is hearty without being heavy, and packed with vegetables. And definitely keep the pasta separate; it makes a huge difference when you’re reheating leftovers the next day.
I was making this soup recipe for our vegetarian daughter to keep in her freezer. She loves having homemade soups available just to pull out, thaw, and eat.
Traditional minestrone varies from region to region, but it usually includes plenty of vegetables, beans, and often pasta or rice. This slow cooker minestrone soup recipe is closer to the Americanized Olive Garden style minestrone most people are familiar with.
- It’s an easy slow cooker meal – There’s some chopping involved, but after that, the slow cooker does most of the work.
- It’s loaded with vegetables – Carrots, celery, onion, zucchini, green beans, spinach, and tomatoes make this one seriously hearty bowl of soup.
- The beans make it filling – Kidney beans and cannellini beans add plenty of texture and make this soup satisfying without any meat.
- It makes great leftovers – Keeping the pasta separate means you can store the soup without the pasta getting soft and swelling up in the broth.
Looking for more soup recipes? Try our Thick and Hearty Homestyle Chili Recipe, Root Vegetable Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Easy Creamy One Pot Chicken Stew, and Beef Barley Soup.
Ingredients Needed
- Vegetable stock and water – Make up the base of the soup without overpowering the vegetables. You could also use a mild chicken broth.
- Diced tomatoes and tomato paste – Give the broth its rich tomato flavor. The tomato paste also adds a little extra depth.
- Carrots, celery, and sweet onion – The vegetable base for the soup and a big part of its flavor.
- Garlic – Four cloves give the broth plenty of garlic flavor without taking over.
- Parmesan cheese rind – Slowly adds a rich, savory flavor to the broth while the soup cooks.
- Dark red kidney beans and cannellini beans – Two different beans add flavor, texture, and make the soup much more filling.
- Italian seasoning – An easy blend of herbs that works perfectly with the tomatoes and vegetables.
- Bay leaves – Add another layer of flavor while the soup slowly cooks.
- Kosher salt and black pepper – Season the soup and bring all the other flavors together.
- Zucchini – Added later so it becomes tender without completely cooking down to mush.
- Frozen green beans – An easy way to add another vegetable without any extra prep.
- Fresh spinach – Stirred in near the end so it wilts into the hot soup without overcooking.
- Ditalini pasta – The classic little pasta shape is just right for getting a little bit of everything in each spoonful.
Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
How to Make Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Step 1: Add the vegetable stock, water, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, celery, sweet onion, garlic, kidney beans, cannellini beans, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and Parmesan rind to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.
Step 2: Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have had time to come together.
Step 3: Add the zucchini and green beans, stir, and cook on high for 20-25 minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the fresh spinach during the last few minutes of cooking. It only needs enough time to wilt into the soup, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 5: While the soup finishes, cook the ditalini according to the package instructions and drain. Remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind before serving. Spoon the cooked ditalini into individual bowls and ladle the hot minestrone over the pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
Tips
- Keep the pasta separate – We prefer cooking the ditalini separately instead of putting it directly into the slow cooker. Pasta continues to absorb liquid as it sits, and eventually you end up with a pot full of pasta and very little broth. Keeping it separate also makes leftovers much better.
- If cooking the pasta with the soup – Stir the pasta in with the zucchini and green beans and cook on high for 20-25 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
- Save those Parmesan rinds – When you finish a wedge of Parmesan, wrap the rind and keep it in the freezer. Tossing one into soups and sauces while they simmer adds a surprising amount of flavor.
- Cut the vegetables similar size – Try to cut the carrots and celery roughly the same size so they cook evenly. They don’t need to be perfect, just fairly consistent.
- Add the softer vegetables later – Carrots and celery can handle the long cooking time, but zucchini doesn’t need nearly as long. Add later so it becomes tender without getting mushy.
- Turn slow cooker to high – If you’ve been cooking the soup on low, turn the slow cooker to high when you add the zucchini and green beans.
Variations
Minestrone is one of those soups that’s easy to adjust based on what you have on hand. Yellow squash can replace some or all of the zucchini, and kale can be used instead of spinach.
You can also change up the beans. Great Northern beans or chickpeas will work if that’s what you have in the pantry.
Ditalini is our favorite pasta for minestrone, but small shells, elbow macaroni, or another small pasta will work just fine.
Storage
Store the soup and cooked pasta separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. This keeps the pasta from absorbing the broth while everything sits.
Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave, then add the cooked pasta to the hot soup. If the soup has thickened in the refrigerator, add a splash of vegetable stock or water until it reaches the consistency you like.
FAQs
The rind slowly releases flavor into the broth as the soup cooks. It adds a rich, savory flavor without making the soup taste overly cheesy. Just remember to remove it before serving.
Cooking it separately keeps the pasta from becoming mushy and prevents it from absorbing too much of the broth. It also makes storing and reheating leftovers much easier.
Yes. It adds great flavor, but the soup will still be delicious without it. We always sprinkle grated parmesan over the soup before eating, so you can do this to get the flavor.
Yes. For the best results, freeze the soup without the ditalini and add freshly cooked pasta when you reheat it. This keeps the pasta from becoming soft or breaking apart.
Yes. Cook the carrots, celery, and onion over medium heat in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, beans, zucchini, green beans, broth, water, cheese rind, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Cook the pasta separately and add it to the bowls when serving.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups Vegetable stock
- 2 cups Water
- 1 (28 ounce) can Diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup Diced carrots about 1 large carrot
- 1 cup Diced celery about 2 celery stalks
- 1 cup Sweet onion about 1 large onion
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Parmesan rind
- 1 (15 ounce) can Dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can Cannellini beans. drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Diced zucchini
- 1 cup Frozen green beans
- 2 cups Roughly chopped fresh spinach
- 1 1/2 cups Ditalini pasta or other small shaped pasta
Instructions
- Add the vegetable stock, water, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, celery, sweet onion, garlic, kidney beans, cannellini beans, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, and Parmesan rind to the slow cooker. Stir everything together.4 cups Vegetable stock, 2 cups Water, 1 (28 ounce) can Diced tomatoes, 2 tbsp Tomato paste, 1 cup Diced carrots, 1 cup Diced celery, 1 cup Sweet onion, 4 cloves Garlic, 1 Parmesan rind, 1 (15 ounce) can Dark red kidney beans, 1 (15 ounce) can Cannellini beans., 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 2 Bay leaves, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have had time to come together.
- Add the zucchini and green beans, stir, and cook on high for 20-25 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes, until wilted. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.1 1/2 cups Diced zucchini, 1 cup Frozen green beans, 2 cups Roughly chopped fresh spinach
- Meanwhile, cook the ditalini according to the package instructions and drain. Remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind before serving. Spoon the cooked ditalini into individual bowls and ladle the hot minestrone over the pasta.1 1/2 cups Ditalini pasta