Minestrone soup

We had this soup at a church meeting a few weeks ago and it was wonderful. The lady was kind enough to share the recipe although it was not totally her recipe but a copycat. Oh so good, We both loved the soup.

Olive Garden Copycat Minestrone Soup {Slow Cooker}

Yield: 6 servings

4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

2 cups water

2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 cup diced celery (3 stalks)

1 cup diced carrots (2 carrots)

1 cup diced yellow onion (1 small)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried)

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp dried rosemary , crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste

1 1/3 cups diced zucchini (1 small)

1 1/3 cups shell pasta

4 cloves garlic , minced

1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can white navy beans drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can Italian green beans, drained

2 cups packed chopped fresh spinach

Add vegetable stock, water, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and sugar to a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook on low heat 6 - 8 hours or high 3 - 4 hours.

Add in zucchini, pasta, garlic, kidney beans and white beans and cook on high heat and additional 30 - 40 minutes until pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and Italian green beans and cook several minutes until heated through. Stir in more vegetable broth or water to thin if desired. Serve warm topped with grated Romano cheese.

Recipe Notes

This can also be made on the stove top - heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add carrots, celery and onions and saute 4 minutes adding in garlic during last minute of sauteing. Pour in broth, water and canned tomatoes. Add herbs, sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and and reduce heat slightly, allow to gently boil 10 minutes, then add zucchini and pasta, cover and gently boil 15 minutes longer, or until pasta is tender. Then add canned beans (green and legumes) and spinach and cook 2 - 3 more minutes.