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I am a sucker for crock pot recipes...but since 99% of the time they aren't overly heatlhy I have stayed clear from my crock pot the last few weeks.  I stumbled across this Minestrone soup, hesitant to try because I an very picky when it comes to MY minestrone.  More often than not it fails with my taste.  After reading over the recipe and changing a few things I gave it a try, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!  My entire family loved it (which is awesome) Even better I had left overs for lunch two days in a row for me and I was able to send it to school with Gracie in her lunch!  It's a must try Easy meal.  Side with a Whole Wheat bread stick or slice of bread and it's perfect for this Idaho Chilly weather!


(Taken from skinny Taste)
Minestrone soup is a classic hearty Italian soup with tomatoes, white beans, pasta and vegetables. You can use Swiss chard or kale instead of spinach if you wish and you don't have to puree the beans, it's just my preference. I modified this for the crock pot but I prefer to make this soup on the stove and let it simmer for about 45 minutes before adding the zucchini and pasta. The crock pot however is so convenient when you are working all day and want to come home to a cooked meal. I highly recommend adding the Parmesan cheese rind. This is also great with mini turkey meatballs, or even some sauteed crumbled turkey sausage.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)  I FOUND WHOLE WHEAT NOODLES IN THE BULK BINS AT WINDCO
• extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes,  beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper.Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese.