Italian
Slow Cooker Bean Minestrone
Beans, tomato, and vegetables cook in the slow cooker, and the pasta goes in near the end so it does not turn to mush. Parmesan is stirred in after the heat is off.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 6 hr
- Total
- 6 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- The beans and vegetables can take the long cook.
- Pasta is timed so it stays a noodle.
- It is vegetarian and still a full bowl.
- Parmesan at the end adds salt without sitting in the pot all day.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $9–$13 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
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Instructions
- 1
Stir the oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, tomatoes, beans, broth, Italian seasoning, and salt in the slow cooker.
- 2
Cover. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. Leave the lid on.
- 3
Stir in the pasta and kale. Cover and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
- 4
Turn the cooker off. Stir in the Parmesan until it melts into the broth.
- 5
Taste for salt and serve.
Pro tips
- If you add the pasta at the start, you will have sludge by hour six.
- The soup thickens as the pasta sits. Add a splash of broth when you reheat.
- Kale stems stay tough. Use leaves.
Easy substitutions
- Parmesan
- Skip it for a dairy-free soup
- Small pasta
- A cup of cooked rice stirred in at the end
- Kale
- Spinach, added with the pasta
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Reheating
Warm on the stove with a splash of broth until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 290
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 9 g
Budget friendly · Slow Cooker · Vegetarian
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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