Vegetarian Slow Cooker Minestrone

Soup's On

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup 

 

Our cold weather continued this week. Well, cold for SoCal. Yes cold, as I poured my "cup of joe" while peering out the window to see rooftops covered in something white, otherwise known as frost. By the way, did you ever wonder about the phrase "cup of Joe". Here's a little theorizing on the subject: Cup of Joe.

I was 'shopping' around for a new soup recipe to try, when low and behold, I stumbled upon this Vegetarian Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup recipe  by Taralynn on her blog Undressed Skeleton. Her pics looked great, which is always a first for me and the ingredients sounded yummy! But, the biggest plus was the low cal advantage. :-bd

The origins of minestrone pre-date the expansion of the Latin tribes of Rome into what became the Roman Republic and later Roman Empire. There are many variations of minestrone soup, but common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock and tomatoes.

This particular recipe makes a lot of soup, so you need to make sure your slow cooker has the capacity. I started with my Hamilton Beach six quart cooker, but ended up transferring the ingredients to my Cuisinart Multi-Cooker which holds seven quarts and it was full!

Let's Try It!

Ingredients:

• 2 c. frozen peas, defrosted
• 3 med. yellow squash
• 1 c. green beans
• 2 med. zucchini
• 5 med. celery stalks
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 med. carrots
• 1 white onion
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 c. fresh chopped oregano
• 2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 2 14 1/2 oz. cans kidney beans
• 1 14 1/2 oz. can cannellini  beans(white kidney beans)
• 2 14 1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano
• 2 32 oz. boxes vegetable stock or equivalent cans
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• croutons, optional for serving

Preparation: (lots of chopping, are you ready!)

1. Prepare & add the following vegetables to a large bowl or directly to your slow cooker insert:

• Rinse green beans, snap off ends, cut/snap into thirds,
• Peel & dice onion,
• Rinse celery & dice,
• Rinse carrots & dice,
• Rinse squash & dice,
• Rinse zucchini & dice,
• Rinse bell pepper, remove seeds & dice.

2. Place kidney beans & cannellini beans in a strainer & rinse. Drain well.

3. Add vegetables, beans & tomatoes to slow cooker. Combine well, but gently. 

4. Add oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil, brown sugar, minced garlic & vegetable stock to slow cooker. Mix well, gently, gently... ;)

5. Set slow cooker on high, cover & cook 5-6 hours. (I let mine cook for 5 1/2 hours, which was perfect.)

How's that for a nice bowl of Vegetarian Minestrone Soup! I took Taralynn's advice and added in a few croutons, plus a nice little side salad. Left over soup will keep in the refrigerator for several days and can be warmed on the stove. And since there is only two of us, we had so much soup left that I decided to freeze some for a quick and easy meal in a couple of weeks! =;

Enjoy! WildWSS outta here!