Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
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Easy homemade slow cooker minestrone soup recipe that makes a hearty weeknight meal. It’s loaded with Italian flavors, beans and vegetables.
This is the best minestrone soup that everyone in my family approves of, which doesn’t happen too often! Now, I am not sure if this is an authentic Italian recipe, but I do know that it has all the flavors of a classic soup from one of my favorite restaurants in Canada. You may be more familiar with the Olive Garden version, but I think you will like this variation, too. If you enjoy this soup loaded with vegetables and flavor, you will want to try this Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe (One Pot) or Chicken Vegetable Soup (One Pot) as well.
Table of contents
Key ingredients
- Tomato paste- Adds the classic tomato flavor and thickens the base.
- Parmesan cheese- This traditional Italian cheese pairs well with all the complimenting flavors.
- Base- Water and vegetable broth are used for the foundation of this soup.
- Vegetables- Use carrots, celery, zucchini, diced tomatoes, onion, spinach, and frozen green beans for a healthy combination of texture and flavor.
- Spices and herbs- Include garlic, ginger, oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, pepper for the perfect flavor profile.
- Beans- Use canned (not dry) Red kidney beans and Northern beans.
- Pasta- It’s best to find a tubular kind such as Ditalini pasta or Rigatoni.
Variations
- Add in meat-You can add cooked ground beef, Shredded Chicken, meatballs, cooked sausage, or Ham pieces near the end to add more flavor.
- Vegan version- Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Add different vegetables- Such as yellow squash, corn, tomatoes, or any of your favorites.
- Spice it up- By adding red chili flakes or jalepenos for a little kick.
- Creamy option- Stir in about 1 cup heavy cream or half and half in the last 5 minutes to make the soup thicker and creamier. You can also add cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, or cream of mushroom soup.
- Gluten free version- Make this recipe as noted but use a gluten free pasta instead. Thankfully, there are many different options in local stores nowadays.
How to make vegetarian minestrone
- Combine the following in the slow cooker- Diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parmesan cheese, vegetable broth, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, ginger, oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. and cook for a few hours.
- Let that cook for a few hours- Then, add kidney beans, northern beans, zucchini, and pasta and cook again until pasta is tender.
- Add spinach and green beans– And cook for a few more minutes then enjoy!
Tips and techniques
- Don’t add the pasta till the very end– Or else they would over-cook and become very soft.
- Add Beans and vegetables near the end– To prevent them from over-cooking and becoming too soft.
- Don’t replace dried beans with canned beans– Because they take very long to fully cook and you would have hard beans following this recipe’s time table.
- Use low sodium broth- Because you don’t want the soup base to be too salty.
- Herbs and spices can be adjusted- According to your personal preference.
What do you serve with homemade soup?
- Dinner rolls
- Breadsticks
- Pull apart bread
- Garlic bread
- Biscuits
- Cornbread
Recipe FAQs
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
You can add some cornstarch if you like, but typically the starch from pasta helps to thicken it. You can also remove 1-2 cups of soup and use a food processor to puree it and add this thick mixture back into the soup to make it thicker.
Add more broth or water to reach the desired consistency.
Storage
- Make ahead- You can make this soup a head of time by placing it in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days. When ready, reheat and serve. You can also place in the freezer in a sealed container for up to 1 month, thaw in the fridge, and the reheat it to serve.
- Refrigerate– Place in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- Freeze– Place in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat.
- Leftovers– Reheat in a microwave safe bowl or over the stove in a pot.
More veggie soup recipes
- Tomato Tortellini Soup (one pot)
- Tomato Basil Soup (One Pot)
- Vegetable Beef Soup (One Pot)
- Italian Meatball Soup (One Pot)
- Beef Barley Soup (One Pot)
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cans Diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz cans
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups Vegetable broth, or chicken broth
- 2 cups Water
- 1 cup Carrots, Diced
- 1 cup Celery, Diced
- 1.5 cups Onion, Diced
- 4 cloves Garlic , Finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger, Minced
- 1 tsp Oregano, Dried
- 1 sprig Rosemary, Fresh
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt, To taste
- Pepper , To taste
- 1 can Red kidney beans, 15 oz can
- 1 can Northern beans, 15 oz can
- 1 cup Zucchini, Diced
- 1.5 cups Tubular pasta, E.g. Ditalini pasta
- 2 cups Spinach , Roughly chopped
- 1 cup Green beans, Frozen
Instructions
- In a slow cooker, add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parmesan cheese, vegetable broth, water, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, ginger, oregano, rosemary, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Drain and rinse kidney beans and northern beans.
- Add the beans, zucchini, pasta and cook on high for an additional 20- 25 minutes until pasta is tender.
- Stir in the spinach, green beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes until cooked through. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This looks perfect for a rainy day like today! YUM!
What a delicious and easy way to make minestrone! Perfect for the random spring chilly days we are having here in CO!
One of my favorite soups of all time!
I love everything in this soup! Looks flavorful!
This is everything I could as for in a soup! So flavorful and comforting!
Looks delicious and so easy to make! !
What is the serving size?
There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Do you cook the pasta or just throw it in the crockpot? Thanks!
You just add the dry pasta and don’t need to cook it first.
What if I threw my beans and pasta in without reading it needed to be added later….😬 please tell me it’s going to be fine? I’m so nervous now! Haha
Oh my! I think the pasta would become over-cooked. How did it turn out for you?
Hello ABeer,
I just signed up on your recipe site. I’m going to make the Minestrone Soup. the fresh herbs that are used, 1 sprig Rosemary, Fresh. How do I keep the leftover Rosemary and other fresh herbs that call for 1 TBSP etc ?
Hi Ben! I usually chop up my leftover fresh herbs and put them in an ice cube tray. Then, I pour olive oil over them and freeze. Any time I need some fresh herbs in cooking, I take one cube out and use that. Hope this helps.