Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

This soup is amazingly close to the Olive Garden's Minestrone soup!
It is so delicious and very healthy.
Packed full of vegetables in a tomato soup base and then topped with Parmesan cheese.
This soup would also be really good if you wanted to add turkey sausage.
I usually serve it with bread sticks or french bread and a green salad.
I also love that it is made in a crock pot, that makes dinner time prep a bit more smoothly.


Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

serves 6 - 8

What you need:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 4 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1/2 cup of good shredded Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like shells or elbows (al dente)
• extra shredded Parmesan cheese to top

How to Make:

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

2. In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours OR on high for 4 hours.

3. 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 season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4. Serve soup into bowls and top with extra Parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!