Slow Cooker Minestrone
Minestrone is the Italian vegetable soup made with whatever vegetables are in season, usually with beans and often with a small pasta. In this slow cooker version, the beans, tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery and green beans cook gently in vegetable stock with oregano, basil and an optional Parmesan rind, which softens and seasons the broth. The zucchini, pasta and spinach go in for the last half hour on HIGH so they keep their shape. It takes about 20 minutes of chopping and makes 8 bowls.
By Maya Ellison
Published
- Prep Time
- 20 mins
- Cook Time
- 7 hrs 35 mins
- Total Time
- 7 hrs 55 mins
- Servings
- 8 servings
How do you make Slow Cooker Minestrone?
Put onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, an 800 g (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of drained beans, green beans, oregano, basil, bay leaves and 1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable stock in a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, then add zucchini and 150 g (5 oz) small pasta and cook on HIGH for 20-30 minutes. Stir in spinach.
- Total time
- 7 hrs 55 mins
- Calories
- 240 per serving
- Protein
- 10 g
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Method
- Slow cooking
Ingredients
To finish
To serve
Equipment
Slow cooker (6 litre) · Colander · Ladle
Quick Directions
Load the slow cooker
Put the oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, diced tomatoes with their juice, cannellini beans, kidney beans, green beans, oregano, basil, bay leaves, salt and pepper in the slow cooker.
Slow cook
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the carrots are tender.
Add the zucchini and pasta
Switch the slow cooker to HIGH if it was on LOW.
Wilt the greens and season
Stir in the spinach or kale and leave it for 2-3 minutes, until wilted.
Serve
Ladle into bowls and top each one with grated cheese, a little torn basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Every step for making slow cooker minestrone, written out in full.
Load the slow cooker
Put the oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, diced tomatoes with their juice, cannellini beans, kidney beans, green beans, oregano, basil, bay leaves, salt and pepper in the slow cooker. Pour in the stock and stir until the tomato paste dissolves. Tuck the Parmesan rind into the soup, if using.
Slow cook
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours, until the carrots are tender.
Add the zucchini and pasta
Switch the slow cooker to HIGH if it was on LOW. Fish out the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind, which will be soft, and discard them. Stir in the zucchini and pasta, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the pasta is tender. Slow cookers vary, so start tasting the pasta at 20 minutes. If the soup looks too thick, stir in 250 ml (1 cup) hot water or stock.
Wilt the greens and season
Stir in the spinach or kale and leave it for 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve
Ladle into bowls and top each one with grated cheese, a little torn basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe Tips
- For a deeper flavour, soften the onion, carrots and celery in the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for 6-8 minutes before they go into the slow cooker.
- Parmesan is traditionally made with animal rennet, so it is not strictly vegetarian. Use the rind and grated cheese of a vegetarian hard cheese, or leave both out, if that matters to you.
- If you plan to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl. Pasta left in the soup keeps soaking up broth and turns soft.
- Cut the vegetables to about the size of a bean so every spoonful gets a mix.
Variations
- Vegan: leave out the Parmesan rind and cheese, and finish each bowl with olive oil and black pepper.
- Add 1 peeled, diced potato with the other vegetables, or about 150 g (2 cups) shredded cabbage with the zucchini.
- Swap the green beans for 150 g (1 cup) frozen peas, stirred in with the zucchini and pasta.
- Stir 2 tbsp basil pesto into the finished soup, or add a spoonful to each bowl.
Nutrition (per serving)
| Calories | 240 |
|---|---|
| Protein | 10 g |
| Carbs | 41 g |
| Fat | 4.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.7 g |
| Fibre | 7 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Sodium | 720 mg |
Estimated from the listed ingredients; values vary by brand.
Related Recipes
Storing & Reheating
- Fridge
- Refrigerate in airtight containers within 2 hours of cooking and use within 4 days. The pasta softens and soaks up broth as it sits, so add water or stock when reheating.
- Freezer
- Freeze the soup before adding the pasta and spinach, for up to 3 months, leaving room at the top of each container. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then cook fresh pasta in it when you reheat.
- Reheat
- Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring and adding water or stock to loosen it, until it reaches 74°C (165°F).
Slow Cooker Minestrone FAQs
Can I put the pasta in at the start?
No. Pasta cooked for hours in the slow cooker turns mushy and thickens the soup too much. Add it for the last 20-30 minutes on HIGH, or cook it separately and spoon it into each bowl, which is best if you plan to have leftovers.
Is minestrone vegetarian?
Minestrone made with vegetable stock, as here, has no meat. Parmesan is traditionally made with animal rennet, though, so for a strictly vegetarian soup use a vegetarian hard cheese for the rind and topping. Leave out the rind and cheese altogether for a vegan soup.
Can I use dried beans in slow cooker minestrone?
Yes, but cook them first. A slow cooker may not get hot enough to destroy a natural toxin in raw red kidney beans, and the acid in the tomatoes keeps raw beans from softening. Soak the dried beans, then cook them until tender, boiling the red kidney beans hard for at least 10 minutes. Use about 500 g (3 cups) of cooked, drained beans in place of the two cans.
Can I freeze minestrone?
Yes. Freeze the soup before adding the pasta and spinach, for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, bring it to a simmer and cook fresh pasta in it, then stir in the greens.
Why is my leftover minestrone so thick?
The pasta keeps absorbing broth after the soup is cooked, so leftovers thicken in the fridge. Stir in water or stock as you reheat until it is as thin as you like, then taste and add a little salt.
Disclaimer
- Nutrition information is an estimate based on the listed ingredients. It changes with the brands, portion sizes and swaps you use.
- Read ingredient labels for allergens and for diet claims such as gluten-free or vegan. Products and their ingredients can change.
- Cooking times are a guide, since ovens, air fryers and slow cookers all run differently. Use a food thermometer and cook meat, poultry and fish to the safe internal temperatures in government food safety guidance.
- This recipe is general information, not medical or nutrition advice. If you have an allergy, a health condition or a special diet, check with a qualified health professional.
