Minestrone Soup

I made this last night for dinner, and it was great!  DS1 ate about 2 big bowlfuls! 

Crockpot Minestrone Soup

• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4" to 1/2" thick rounds
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 t dried basil leaves
• ½ t. dried oregano leaves
• ½ t. salt
• ¼ t. pepper
• 2 cups cooked small pasta
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients except for the pasta and Parmesan cheese in your crockpot. Cover cook on Low 8 to 9 hours or on High 4 to 5 hours. Stir in macaroni. Serve sprinkled with cheese. I substitute 1-1/2 t. Italian seasoning for the basil and oregano.  I used mini farfalle pasta, and it made it a very hearty soup - if you like, you could use mini shells to have a less pasta-filled dish.


NOTE:  This makes a TON of soup!  I could easily have made half of this recipe and it still would have been enough to feed all 4 of us, plus leftovers!  I have two big tupperware dishes full of soup in the fridge now - I'll try to freeze one and will let you know how it re-heated later.