Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

By ngaldi

Thick and creamy minestrone soup made with fresh vegetables in your crock pot. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians), divided
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 ounce chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• Salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach, chopped
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
• Extra Parmesan cheese, grated, for topping

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse and drain beans. Purée beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, puréed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, basil, parsley, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more.

Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig and Parmesan rind. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra Parmesan cheese.