Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

This Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe is simple, delicious, and the perfect weekday dinner that's made in the slow cooker.  This classic Italian soup loaded with vegetables, Italian Seasoning, and pasta is vegan, vegetarian, healthy and so tasty!  Perfect for a cold winter day.  

Love Crockpot soups? Try my 16 Cozy Vegetarian Crockpot Soup Recipes too!

Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe

This easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup is so flavorful and hearty.  It is really the perfect meal year-round, but especially when the weather is so cold.  The ingredients are so simple and include a gorgeous array of fresh veggies like tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, green beans, and onions.  The soup is filled out with two types of hearty beans, pasta, tomato broth, and Italian Seasoning.  It's a surprisingly hearty Vegan Minestrone Soup where you will never miss the meat.

If you love Olive Garden's Minestrone Soup. you are going to LOVE this one that has many of the same flavors and textures.  This one is even better because you can make it in your own crockpot or slow cooker.  And I've also updated the recipe below so you can now make it on your stovetop ANd instant pot if you prefer.

I love letting this Crockpot Minestrone soup simmer all day and then when I come home I add the pasta for the last few minutes of cooking.  Serve it with a salad and toasted garlic bread, for the best kind of veggie packed winter meal.

Why You'll Love this Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe...

• This Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup is super simple to prepare and uses easy-to-find ingredients.
• It's a cozy, hearty winter meal that's packed with vegetables.
• Kids and adults love it!  Such an upgrade over canned soup.
• It's vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and more.  You can even make it gluten-free with my notes below.  It's hearty enough that you don't miss the meat though!
• You can customize it with your favorite vegetables and what is in season.
• You can make this Easy Minestrone Soup in advance and enjoy it all week OR make it ahead and freeze it for meal prep.

Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.

• Celery: Rich celery adds a great vegetable base to this recipe.  It's a classic ingredient for Vegan Minestrone Soup.  Dice it into small pieces for even cooking.
• Carrots: Carrots are another must-have for a good vegetable soup like this one.  You'll also need to dice the carrots into small pieces so they cook completely.
• Onion: Onion is another must-have to add some rich flavor to the soup.
• Green Beans: I love adding fresh green beans to my soup for a more green color.  You could also swap out zucchini for the green beans.
• Vegetable Broth: Use your favorite vegetable broth.  Pick a high-quality one since it's the base of this soup.  The broth you pick will also determine how much salt you need to add to the soup.  Some easy minestrone soup recipes use chicken broth, but I keep this vegetarian and vegan by using just a vegetable broth.
• Kidney Beans: Beans are a key component of a good Vegan Minestrone Soup because they add some protein and heartiness without meat.
• White Beans: I like to use two types of beans in my soup.  White Beans are also known as Cannellini beans or Great Northern Beans in the store.  You can also sub out two types of kidney beans if you prefer.
• Garlic:  Any Italian soup recipe needs a hearty serving of garlic.  Feel free to add more with love.
• Italian Seasoning: I love using my Homemade Italian Seasoning for this soup.  You can use your favorite packaged brand or a combination of dried herbs of basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.
• Bay Leaf: A bay leaf adds some richness to the broth.  Make sure to remove it before serving.
• Elbow Pasta:  Pasta is another key ingredient for a minestrone soup.  A short pasta works best for this.  I used elbow macaroni but you can also use shells, ditalini, orecchiette,

Instructions:

This is an overview of the instructions to make this Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.

Step One: Cook the Soup

1. In a large crockpot, combine the celery, carrots, onion, green beans, vegetable broth, and undrained diced tomatoes.  I like to use this 6-quart slow cooker and would stick to that size or larger, as this makes a big batch of soup.
2. Stir in the drained dark kidney beans, great northern beans, garlic, bay leaf, and Italian Seasoning.
3. Add ½ teaspoon, and salt and pepper and adjust to taste.  Don't add the pasta now, you will cook that right before serving.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Step Two: Add the Pasta

1. Just before serving, turn Crock Pot to high.
2. If you had been cooking on low allow the crock pot to warm up for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the pasta and cook 10-20 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Variations

I love this Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.

• Use Frozen Vegetables: In a pinch or if you need to keep this budget-friendly you can use a bag of frozen vegetables to make this soup.
• Gluten Free Minestrone Soup: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta to easily make this gluten-free.
• Add Parmesan: If you do not need to keep this a Vegan Minestrone Soup and are ok with it just being vegetarian, you can add a parmesan rind to the crock pot while cooking for an extra richness in the broth.  You can also add freshly grated parmesan cheese just before serving.
• Use Fresh Greens: Amp up the nutrition and vegetables by stirring in some fresh greens at the end like spinach or massaged kale.
• Make it Spicy: To make it spicy, add a touch of red pepper flakes.  You can add as little or as much as you'd like to kick up the flavor profile.
• Make it Meaty: Not vegan or vegetarian? You can make this soup with chicken broth and add any meat from chicken, or pork to Italian Sausage.

Make it on Stove Top Minestrone Soup:

1. Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add the celery, carrots and onion and saute until tender for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Then add the green beans, vegetable broth, undrained diced tomatoes, beans, Italian Seasoning, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. 
4. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are mostly tender. 
5. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, add the pasta and cook until it's al dente. 
6. Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning to taste.  Serve in bowls and enjoy!

Make it Instant Pot Minestrone Soup:

1. Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in your Instant Pot.
2. Add the celery, carrots and onion and saute until tender for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Then add the green beans, vegetable broth, undrained diced tomatoes, beans, pasta, Italian Seasoning, bay leaf and salt and pepper. 
4. Cook the soup on the SOUP mode on the Instant Pot. 
5. When the pot beeps, manually release the pressure for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasoning to taste.  Serve and enjoy!

FAQ

How is minestrone soup different from vegetable soup?

It's not much different! The most noticeable thing is it's a bit heartier, packed with vegetables plus the addition of beans and pasta.  It makes more of a complete meal.

What other vegetables can I add? 

This is a fun recipe because you can make it with your favorite vegetables.  Other great options are potatoes, zucchini, chickpeas, squash, cabbage, kale, spinach and more.  Just be aware to cut the vegetables in pieces that will cook in about the same amount of time.

Do you stir soup in the slow cooker?

You can stir soups in the slow cooker, if you want.  This one has plenty of liquid though, so you can leave it for the day, without stirring and you don't have to worry about it sticking.  If you are home though, feel free to stir it.

Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe is Vegan Goodness!

This easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup is so delicious.  It's the perfect plant-based meal that's vegan, vegetarian, and oh so good! It's so hearty for meat eaters and vegetarians alike.  I love how cozy this soup is, but still completely packed with vegetables, making it a fabulous healthy meal in the winter, or even year-round.

It makes a fabulous meal on its own with garlic bread, or feel free to serve it with any of these Italian recipes below.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Serving Suggestions:

• Italian Chopped Salad
• Kale Ceasar Salad
• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Pesto Gnocchi
• Chopped Kale Salad
• Hearty Italian Pasta Salad
• Zucchini Pizza Bites
• Shortcut Stromboli
• Classic Four Cheese Lasagna

More Vegetarian Crockpot Soups:

• 16 Cozy Vegetarian Crockpot Soup Recipes
• Crockpot Lasagna Soup
• Crockpot Hearty Vegetable Soup
• Crockpot Lentil Soup
• Tomato Basil Soup

If you make this Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!

Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup

Julie Wunder

This Easy Crockpot Minestrone Soup recipe is simple, delicious, and the perfect weekday dinner that's made in the slow cooker.  This classic Italian soup loaded with vegetables, Italian Seasoning, and pasta is vegan, vegetarian, healthy and so tasty!  Perfect for a cold winter day.  

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine Italian, Vegetarian

Servings 8

Calories 264 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup diced celery, 2 small stalks
• 1 cup diced carrots, 2 medium carrots
• 1 ½ cups diced onion, 1 small onion
• 1 cup fresh green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 64 oz low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 16 oz can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15.8 oz can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 4 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups dried elbow pasta

Instructions

 

• In a large crockpot, combine the celery, carrots, onion, green beans, vegetable broth and undrained diced tomatoes. Stir in the drained dark kidney beans, great northern beans, garlic, bay leaf, and Italian Seasoning. Add ½ teaspoon and salt and pepper and adjust to taste.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Remove the bay leaf and adust seasoning to taste.
• Just before serving, turn Crock Pot to high. If you had been cooking on low allow the crock pot to warm up for about 10 minutes. Add the pasta and cook 10-20 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days.  If you are eating this all as leftovers, the pasta can get a little mushy in the soup.  You do have the option of cooking the pasta separately on the stove and storing it separately from the rest of the soup.  Add a little olive oil to it so it doesn't stick.  When you are ready to eat the leftovers, add the pasta back into the soup.  It's not bad if you just store it all together, but it's better to separate it.

 

Freezing

This is a great freezer meal!  Let the soup cool compactly, place it in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze it for up to three months.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 14gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 330mgPotassium: 576mgFiber: 10gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3243IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Crock Pot Minestrone Soup, Crockpot Minestrone Soup, Easy Minestrone Soup, Vegan Minestrone Soup

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