This Crock Pot Minestrone Soup features tender vegetables, pasta, and beans in a flavorful seasoned broth. With a shorter ingredient list and the use of frozen vegetables, this will be the easiest minestrone soup you’ve ever made!
$8.11 per recipe / $1.01 per serving
I love a great soup on a chilly evening. A big bowl of this minestrone with some homemade sourdough bread is *chef’s kiss*.
My Crock Pot minestrone soup is sure to become one of your new favorite healthy dinners.
This recipe works because it’s:
- Easy to make. If you utilize frozen vegetables, there’s very little prep work involved.
- Great for a crowd. This makes a large amount of soup, so it’s perfect for a family dinner or potluck.
- A good way to use up food storage. You won’t need any fresh ingredients for this soup if you use frozen vegetables.
- Healthy and filling! If you go easy on the cheese, this is a hearty and filling dinner full of all the good stuff.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Peel and slice 2 large carrots (or use frozen).
Place the carrots, 1 cup frozen chopped onion, 2 cups frozen zucchini slices, 2 cloves minced garlic, 30 ounces canned kidney beans, drained, 28 ounces beef broth, 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in Crock Pot insert.
Stir well.
Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-5 hours, until vegetables are tender.
With 30 minutes of cooking time left, add 1½ cups of uncooked elbow macaroni. Cover, turn the heat to high, and finish cooking until the macaroni is tender.
Serve with Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
The cook time for this recipe will be a little different based on what type of slow cooker you’re using. I have a 7 quart Crock Pot that cooks very fast, so this recipe is usually done in 4 hours on low. The cook times listed in this recipe are a suggestion, so you may need to adjust depending on how your slow cooker cooks.
You can use fresh onions and zucchini if you like and those measurements are listed in the recipe card. But it’s easier to use frozen!
Using frozen vegetables in this recipe is also a great way to use up any food storage you may have.
You can use any small pasta shapes you want like ditalini, shells, or wagon wheels.
If you have pre-cooked zucchini or don’t want it to be too soft, you can add it in with the pasta so it can cook for about 30 minutes before serving.
You’ll notice that there’s not much broth in my pictures, and that’s on purpose. I don’t love a ton of broth in this soup, so I don’t add any extra liquid before serving. If you find that there’s not enough liquid for your liking, add up to 2 cups of water to the soup before serving. Alternatively, you can cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls before serving. This will keep the pasta from soaking up too much of the liquid.
To reheat this soup, put a serving in a microwave-safe bowl and add a few tablespoons of water. Cover and heat on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Stir to incorporate the water and enjoy!
Try these add-ins for some additional flavor:
- Sun-dried tomato pesto
- Chopped celery
- Bay leaves
- Potato cubes
- Dried rosemary
- Yellow squash cubes
- Parmesan rind
- Frozen green beans
- Spinach
- Butternut squash
- Sweet potato cubes
- Cooked ground beef
- Seared cubes of chuck roast
If you’re out of certain ingredients, try these substitutes:
Recipe Costs
This easy soup recipe is not only delicious, but it’s also incredibly cheap. It’s the perfect frugal meal to feed a large family or a smaller family for two meals. The entire recipe costs $8.11 which comes to $1.01 per serving.
- Carrots – $0.24
- Onion – $0.62
- Zucchini – $1.86
- Garlic – $0.06
- Kidney Beans – $1.64
- Beef Broth – $1.12
- Crushed Tomatoes – $1.52
- Dried Basil – $0.23
- Dried Oregano – $0.10
- Elbow Macaroni – $0.72
More Like This
Looking for more delicious soup recipes? You’ll love these!
- Coconut Cilantro Chicken Soup
- Healthy Turkey Lasagna Soup
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cheesy Vegetable Chowder
- Hamburger Stew
And if you’re looking for ideas on what to serve with minestrone soup, try these:
- Salads like Caesar salad, arugula salad, or persimmon salad
- Meat like balsamic chicken, Italian pot roast, or sausage links
- Sandwiches like grilled cheese, Monte cristo sliders, or paninis
- Bread like garlic bread, crescent rolls, or bruschetta
FAQs
Yes, but you’ll want to omit the cooked pasta. Place the soup in a gallon bag, seal the top, then lay it flat in the freezer for easy storage.
This soup will stay good for up to 3 months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, you can either defrost it in the fridge overnight, or you can place the frozen block directly in a Crock Pot or large soup pot. Heat the soup on the low setting (or medium-low heat) until it’s heated through. Add the pasta in and let it cook through.
Many people have dried beans in their food storage, and they can definitely be used in this recipe instead of canned.
To do this, cook the beans in water on low in the crockpot overnight alone. Then the next day, drain the beans and start the minestrone recipe like normal. This will ensure the beans get soft and don’t soak up too much of the liquid.
You sure can, but that’s an added step and an extra pot. This recipe is supposed to be easy remember 😉
If you’re worried about the pasta soaking up too much of the soup broth, you can definitely cook it on the stove before adding it. Cook it to al dente and then stir it into the soup (it will finish cooking and be perfectly soft when you’re ready to serve).
I hope your family loves this minestrone soup! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!
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Easy Crock Pot Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup frozen chopped onions, about 1 small onion
- 2 cups frozen zucchini slices, about 2 medium zucchini
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 30 ounces canned kidney beans, drained
- 28 ounces beef broth
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni
Instructions
- Peel and slice carrots (or use frozen).
- Place the carrots, onion, zucchini slices, minced garlic, kidney beans, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper in Crock Pot insert.
- Stir well.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-5 hours, until vegetables are tender.
- With 30 minutes of cooking time left, add uncooked macaroni. Cover, turn the heat to high, and finish cooking until the macaroni is tender.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese.