This extreme cooking day involved lots of soups and stews because, by the time we need to cook again, it will be July (what an insane thought haha), and we will be well into Winter when we want hearty food that warms us from the inside. And this soup does just that.
And to top it off, my boy, who doesn't really like veggies, absolutely loves this soup!
By the way, if Tim asks, they are all stews, because he is insistent that he doesn't like soup... minestrone stew anyone?
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup | Portions: 12
Ingredients
for now
- 4 carrots, sliced
- 6 celery sticks, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed (I am not ashamed to say on huge cooking days, we use the already crushed garlic in a jar)
- 2 brown onions, diced
- 4 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 cans tomatoes (400g cans, can be diced or whole, or whatever you have to hand)
- 6 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 bay leaves
- 1.5 litres vegetable stock
- 3 zucchinis, sliced
- 2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- a couple of handfuls of baby spinach
to serve
- dried pasta (I have pasta shells, but any pasta will do)
- Parmesan cheese, shaved
- salt and pepper
- fresh parsley, finely chopped
Method
Step 1: put the carrots, celery, garlic, onion, herbs, canned tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock into the slow cooker and season with some salt and peppers
Step 2: cover with the lid and cook on high for 3 hours (set your timer!)
Step 3: when the timer goes off, add kidney beans, cannellini beans and zucchini and cook for a further 30 minutes (set another timer)
Step 4: turn off the slow cooker, stir in the baby spinach and leave to cool
Step 5: portion into 400g portions (in Tupperware) and freeze
When you are ready to eat:
- defrost the soup
- cook the dried pasta on its own (about 50g per person)
- put the soup on the stove with about a quarter cup of water and heat, stirring through the pasta and any additional seasoning
- serve with crusty bread and Parmesan cheese
And that's it - a super yummy, winter warmer soup!
Hx