Slow Cooker Vegetarian Minestrone

Very good basic recipe. I have two suggestions. First I found you couldn't taste the garlic and onion. Next time I sauteed them before throwing them in. Second, the pasta soaks up all the broth especially if you have any leftovers. I would add the pasta to each bowl as served.

I want to make this for a Lenten soup supper this week so I decided,to try it this evening. I didn't have time for the slow cooker so I just made it in a large pot, I read the comments before I began. My critical husband & a visiting family friend thought it was delicious & to be added to our family staples. To make the most of the favors in the ingredients I added things differently than given for the slow cooker. First I sautéed the garlic & onion in about a tablespoon of olive oil. I added the celery to this, then the crushed tomatoes; while these simmered, I added the carrots. We have a deck garden of fresh herbs so I used them + dried for those I didn't have. To the tomato mixture I added about 1-T-fresh Oregano, the dried thyme, black pepper, fresh parsley, & fresh spinach. When this began to boil I added the vegetable broth, kidney beans, & remaining vegetables. When these came to a slow boil, I added the macaroni using varied vegi colored elbow macaroni & salt. When the pasta was cooked, we ate. We topped the soup with the Parmesan as described & it was fantastic. The favors were perfect for us.

Used this recipes on stovetop with a very low burner. It came out very tastey.

Needs a little kick for my liking, however it's a great recipe. I normally don't review recipes if I make a change but the changes I made were after the soup was almost done. As another reviewer stated, there wasn't enough liquid to support the elbows so I keep them separate. Put them in the bowls then ladled the soup over. Also added the green Tabasco. Perfect! There is a review that says the recipe is unsafe because the kidney beans need to be cooked first. I wanted to point out that the recipe calls for canned kidney beans which are completely cooked before canning! Duh. Enjoy the soup everyone.

I've made this recipe twice already and it's quickly becoming a favorite to my girls that don't eat meat. I haven't found a need to change anything as it's great just the way it is. Thanks for sharing!

Very good basic veggie minestrone soup recipe. Add more veggies, chicken broth or “clean out your fridge”’with this one...so versatile. But please don’t give this a negative review because there’s not enough green chipotle jalapeño Tabasco spicy spice for your taste because this is MINESTRONE, not southwest chipotle bean soup! I don’t believe this soup is a good candidate for a slower cooker tho. Definitely don’t need that much time. You can throw this together in under 30 min on the stove top. Why would anyone want to cook fresh veggies and pasta for 6-8 hours?! You’d have a big over cooked pot of mush...just sauté onions, garlic, celery, carrots in a couple TBLS of good olive oil, throw in your tomatoes, stir around for a couple minutes, add a couple small unpeeled cubed red potatoes, pasta, beans, broth,seasonings...everyone in the pot!...and cook at a medium boil for 15 min. Check for salt & pepper and That’s it! Delicious bowl of soup!

I'm not a vegetarian, but I liked this soup. This is one slow cooker recipe that I will make again (and there aren't many). Tasty and nutritious.

Frankly, I am shocked that something this easy to make can be so darn delicious. I'm so glad I made a huge batch, so I could freeze the rest and have some later. Even better the next day.

I prepared this soup for a Valentine's banquet at church as a last minute vegetarian main dish. It smells wonderful and tastes even better. It is so delicious that I just had to have a bowl for breakfast. I made two loaves of crusty french bread for dipping to go along beside it. It is definitely going to be a repeat recipe.

This was really good. I also cooked it in a stock pot and used mini shells instead of elbows. It was almost bland so I added smoked chipotle Tabasco and it was super yummy. I also make my veg stock from scratch and add a lot of garlic to it, so I did not saute the garlic and onions like others suggested. I will totally make this again.

This is actually a little dull and I sautéed onions, etc., ahead of time to get every bit of flavor I could. Wanted to love this but didn't. That said it is satisfying enough and is providing an easy lunch as leftovers. But no one else in my family will revisit it.

I'm one of those inexperienced 'cooks' that loves the idea of home made healthy foods but due to my schedule can rarely follow through. This recipe is healthy, hearty and unbelievably easy considering the outcome. The flavor is robust and the prep time minimal. I can take it to go for lunch, serve it over pasta for dinner and freeze it for both said options in a pinch. This will be an absolute staple in my very hectic schedule!

Bouncing off the ideas in the comments, I added tons of garlic, some red pepper flakes, and made sure to keep the pasta separate from the soup when storing. It was a healthy, quick-to-prep meal.

Followed this recipe exactly except I cooked pasta separately and added it and the spinach to the soup about 10 mins before serving. I also used the Smokey Chipotle Tabasco as suggested by another reviewer and I truly believe that made the difference between just a good soup and a superior soup. Made enough for two meals for hubby and I and enough to freeze for at least one more meal so very economical as well. On my repeat list for meatless Mondays. Thanks for posting.

I thought this was an excellent recipe with lots of flavor. I made a few minor adjustments, including cooking it with a parmesan rind. I've seen that done in other minestrone recipes, and I think that contributed to the flavor.

I tried it - although not a complete vegetarian and it was delicious ! My hubby also really enjoyed it... thanks for the recipe !

Very good and filling. We're not vegetarians so I used 4 cups of the vegetable broth and 2 cups of beef broth. I only put in 1 cup of frozen spinach and used a bag of frozen vegetables. I also used colored veggie pasta. Everything else I kept the same. I definitely will make it again.

This recipe was a hit. I did it on the stove very low instead of the crock pot. We found it very tasty.

My husband (who doesn't normally like my soups) ate about 4 bowls of this in one sitting. That in my book means that it's a keeper!

Like some others, I sautéed my onion with garlic before adding to the crockpot. I also left out the zucchini since I don't like it. I used more broth than the recipe calls for and added red pepper flakes for some heat. This is a very hearty soup that fills you up and is great for gloomy days. It keeps well in the refrigerator so I can eat off of it all week for work lunches. Fantastic recipe!

This is a great soup - even better on the second day!

I also am not a vegetarian, But this was great for a cold day warm up. I haven't tried yet but my wife suggested cooking it with the rind of the Parmesan. I will try some of the suggestions to add a little kick to it.

Very good. We cut up the veggies larger then requested and have it with out the macaroni.

Everyone loved this soup. I couldn't fit the last step into the crockpot, so I switched to a bigger pot on the stove for the final step. Served with a rustic, hearty bread, it is perfect for winter weather.

Good! Requires the large crockpot. Could use some red pepper flakes for a bit more pizzaz. Would also be good with spicy Italian sausage (prob. wouldn't add pepper flakes in this case).

Delicious. Great for vegetarians and carnivores alike! Great flavor. The only thing I do differently is cook it in the pressure cooker and it's done in 15 minutes. Then I add the spinach, which wilts instantly and then I add the noodles that I cooked separately. (I've never put noodles in the pressure cooker, so to be safe, I cook them separately.) I've made this twice now for my family, parents and neighbors. Served with some crusty bread. It's just sooooo easy! Everyone loves it!!

followed recipe exactly very good soup

Absolutely delicious soup with things I always have on hand! I doubled the spices, sautéed veggies in olive oil/butter before adding to cooker and added a can of diced tomatoes. This is a keeper, thank you!

Very good minestrone! Even my husband, who isn't a big fan of veggies, loved it. My kids couldn't get past the fact there was spinach in it and wouldn't even try it, but we adults loved it.

Great soup with great flexibility to tweak it and experiment with. I did change the recipe a bit because of what I had on hand. Used lentils instead of beans, added double the garlic, used real tomatoes instead of canned but only because I had some I needed to use up. I will use the can next time even though the fresh ones worked just as great. I did need to add tomato paste because of using the fresh tomato. I also omitted green beans and added an extra zucchini. Perhaps I shouldn't be rating this because I changed it so much but I truly believe with or without my changes, this is a great recipe. I'm not vegetarian and I still enjoyed it.

I needed a vegetarian soup to take to work for a soup lunch and I made the slow cooker vegetarian minestrone. It was wonderful!!! Everyone wanted the recipe. I made a few changes. I don't like kidney beans, so I used cannelloni beans and I added a can of black beans. I also added 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary. I used small shell pasta and a lot more of it; I cooked 1 1/2 cups for 6 minutes. I added the zucchini 30 minutes before serving; it was perfectly cooked. I will definitely make this again even though I'm not vegetarian. Diane R.

I doubled the beans & tripled the pasta to make it heartier. Absolutely delicious! Definitely adding this to my 'regular' recipe list

This has become the go to soup for our family meals. Great by itself for a dinner or as a soup dish for larger occasions. We find it very hearty. Added 1 can of garbanzo beans and it adds to the dish protein content. On occasion I add small meatballs if we want a meat dish. love this recipe it is simple to make and is not finicky about close measurement.

Best soup I have ever made! I didn't have time to slow cook so I made it on the stovetop and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing!

This was good, I added Ro-tel tomatoes which made it a little spicy for my audience so I added extra macaroni. It seemed thin in taste a little, but I guess that just needs some tweaking. I also might add extra beans next time.

Made exactly as described. Very bland.

This is the minestrone recipe I've been looking for! So yummy! I made it unvegetiarian because I have meat eaters. I just added sweet Italian sausage and it was perfect!

This recipe is easy and delicious! I'm a huge fan of minestrone soup and I do agree with some reviewers that it was missing a small 'something'. I added two tbsp of chili powder and a little Tabasco sauce...I don't know how much impact the Tabasco sauce really had, but the chili powder gave it the fuller flavour that it needed. It definitely tastes better if you slow cook it the full 6 hours and it's even better the next day!

I have made this many times and love it. I cook it slowly in large pot on top of stove for 2 1/2 hours. I also add 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. (I freeze as much as I can as it allows me to always have it on hand.) Tom

Took suggestion to saute the onions and garlic before putting in the slow cooker. Also added 1/4 cup white wine when adding the spinach. Got the highest compliments from my daughter!

I made this as written. It was very good and made a lot of soup. I didn't think it was life-altering, as some of the reviews seemed to imply, but it's a good, simple soup with plenty to put in the freezer for another day.

Maybe I chopped my veggies too big, but at 6 hours on low my veggies were no where near ready, so I had to do it another 2 hours on high. Also, I put about a tablespoon and a half of salt. Besides that, I followed the recipe exactly. It's not bad, but it's pretty bland. I won't make this one again.

Perfect for a winter night. My slow cooker only had room for 1 can of crushed tomatoes and it was fantastic.

This was super easy and very yummy. It's certainly better tasting and healthier than any canned soup you could buy. I subbed some of the veggies because I didn't have all of them, but that's the beauty of this recipe - you can put almost any vegetables in and it works. The whole family liked it and that's not an easy task.

This was an amazing vegetarian minestrone! I made a few substitutions (added a can of garbanzo beans, omitted the green beans, zucchini and spinach, added asparagus). The seasonings were just right, the flavor was amazing and my husband requested his serving without pasta and he ate two bowls! I think I will hang onto this recipe as a great base for making soups in the future.

Very easy lo-cal recipe that can even be used for a detox cleanse. I used all low or no salt products, making it in need of way more flavor! It's better to season with parmesan, hot sauce, spaghetti sauce, etc in each serving bowl than in the crock pot. Pasta is not necessary in that it adds a lot of calories and carbs and sucks up all the broth.

I made this recipe basically as is, except I prolonged the cooking time. I cooked it on low for 6 hours in a slow cooker, refrigerated it, then cooked for a second day for 4-5 hours on low and added a smoked ham shank. I could have eaten it without meat, but my husband was grumbling a bit. The soup really condensed the next day and was thick and delicious. I also added smoked Tabasco chipotle seasoning as was recommended. With the meat addition and the garlic bread I was serving, I omitted the elbow pasta. Very happy with this recipe!!

I sautéed onion, carrots, celery and garlic before putting in slow cooker. Added more garlic too. It's was good. Will make again

Made almost exactly as stated. I did sauté the onions and garlic first and added the noodles to each bowl (more than 1/2 cup for the whole batch though) and it was wonderful.

Delicious and so healthy. This is the first veg soup I have ever made. Really enjoyed making it and it was a big hit with family.

Pretty good recipe. We used some leftover frozen "stew veggies" instead of the green beans, and like the other reviewer, couldn't really taste the onion or garlic. Will try sauteeing them first when I make this again, or just using onion and garlic powder might add some flavor. I used low sodium broth (one quart) and water for the rest of the liquid, so we had to salt it a little too.

We did it in the crock pot and it was delicious! I kept the pasta separate so it didn't soak up the broth, used chopped kale instead of spinach and left out the thyme and celery only because we didn't have any. I probably added a little more kosher salt than the recipe called for too.

Made this today and really liked it! Only thing I added was some crushed red pepper for a kick, otherwise I made it exactly like the receipe called for. Will absolutely make this again..

Update: I made this again but this time I used 4 cups of broth, 1 tsp each of dried parsley, thyme, and black pepper, 2 tsp of oregano and a bay leaf. I also used a can of crushed tomatoes and a can of stewed tomatoes and 1 cup quinoa instead of noodles. And pretty much an entire bunch of spinach because it cooks down so much. So kept to the basic recipe but added more seasoning. Loved it this way! Original review from 3/24/14: This isn't bad, it just lacks a lot of flavor. There was too much liquid. I'd cut it down to 4 cups and then add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of pasta also. The spinach is a really nice touch, but it needs a lot more seasoning.

Loved it- I added a yellow squash to the vegetable list and a small can of tomato paste when I added the macaroni and spinach - Wow it was awesome and low calorie !

Excellent dish

I made it this morning and just finished enjoying it! I didn’t add pasta but used 2 kinds of beans: red kidney & garbanzos. I’m doing WW Freestyle program so it was a 0 point soup. I added 1 T Parmesan cheese which is 1 point. I’m going to freeze some and eat it during the week.

I added kielbasa and it was absolutely delicious!!!

Very easy to make and very tasty. Had enough for 3 nights. Will definitely make again!

Fantastic recipe! I would defeintely make this again, only cut back on the Oregeno, down to 1 tsp and add more carrots & celery.

Used my dutch oven for this and included everything except celery, and parsley. I substituted the macaroni for potatoes. The smell is great, as well as, the taste.

Thought it came out perfectly delicious. Would have used another can of Kidney beans (personal preference), but everyone enjoyed it. Kept the noodle separate and combined them i each bowl, which I think helped keep the consistency on point. Also, directions weren't as clear as they could be but nothing too difficult to figure out.

Loved it and will make it again.

So good!!!!!

I made it as written but if I make again I will saute the vegetables first and double the spice.

I made this to take to a work night social gathering and it was a big hit. I added two cans of beans, one kidney and one cannelloni and used two cans of diced tomatoes rather than crushed. It was delicious and the leftovers were great for lunch.

The recipe is AWESOME! I have a three-4 quart slow cooker setup so I had to down size on the portions ingredients and directions however are EXCELLENT! I am a single man so I food preservation and storage while maintain quality are huge. I would recommend to anyone planning on not eating this immediately to cook the macaroni and spinach right before you intend to eat, this will give you that first day feeling. I didn't do this the first time and my soup had turned into excellent baby food by the next day! I HATE WASTING FOOD! So i processed the soup and it is excellent nourishment for an infant.

I've had much better. the recipe yields a lot but the flavors are pretty mellow. I've definitely had better minestrone.

I made it on the stovetop in less than an hour with chopping time. Delicious! One note, I only had chopped tomatoes instead of crushed and I do think it would’ve been better with crushed.

That was the absolute worst soup that I have ever made!! Tasted like yard grass!

Really enjoyed it. Will make it again, again and again.

I added another small can of stewed tomatoes and probably a little more veggies from each portion. For the macaroni I added three cups instead of 1 because I wanted some more substance. It is a great simple recipe.

Great basic recipe for crockpot! I followed suggestions here to saute the onion and garlic to start, subbing with chicken broth ( sorry, it was all I had on hand), and adding pasta to each serving ...is my go to crockpot recipe....until I got an Instappt, that is. :)

Good throw together soup. Tastes great!

Family loved it! Wonderful fresh taste to the vegetables. I would not change a thing. No leftovers to speak of!

I didn’t have green beans so I added both red and white kidney beans. Thought the broth was bland, needed to add additional chicken bullion (6) to the soup.

I loved this minestrone soup. My husband requested me to save this recipe and make it again. My kids were also in happy land eating this for dinner one night that we all had colds. I kept tasting it throughout the cooking process to see if I needed to add more salt and herbs. I did add more salt and oregano. Definitely a keeper. Thank you!

I made this recipe as stated (with the exception of sautee of the garlic and onion before adding) in my slow cooker and it turned out perfect! I had no issues with the macaroni soaking up the broth. Thought it was good, and then after a couple of bites remembered to sprinkle on grated parmesan..mmm that made it even better!!

Always loved Minestrone soup. Followed the recipe, but added extra veg that were hanging out in the frig and a bit of sriracha for some tang. My mom used to call it “clean refrigerator soup”.

I did make a few changes. I substituted a couple of things with what I had in hand. I did not have kidney beans so I ommited them. I used canned zucchini because I did not have fresh. Instead of elbow macaroni I used rotini. I know these are a lot of changes but I don't think it affected the flavor. I loved the balance of flavors. I would like to make this again.

full of flavor

I made this recipe for a potluck at work, and got many compliments. Only change I made was to double the pasta.

This is one of the favorites at the firehouse. Although I usualy add Kale instead of spinach and double the beans. ( I'll use a mix of kidney and navy ) I have also added tiny turkey sausage meatballs. ( made small teaspoon size meatballs and lightly browned and added in for the last hour or so. ) Because of the additions ill a little extra broth for soup consistency.

I have been making a variation of this for years. For my version I use chicken broth instead of veggie broth, Rotel instead of plain tomatoes for some kick, I also use white kidney beans as well as the dark red and chick peas. otherwise its the same deliciousness.

Loved it! Great flavor and healthy! I added 1/2 t cayenne pepper and an additional t of black pepper.

Just made this. I loved it but for me, personally, I would have not added spinach. Love my greens just not in this. The recipe says crushed or diced tomatoes in a can but if you add all ingredients to your shopping list, your list has a can of whole plum tomatoes. I should have paid more attention I guess. All in all, very tasty.

Absolutely delicious!!!! A great fresh food delicious nutritional soup. I omitted the garlic because it disagrees with me. I also omitted the thyme because I didn’t have any. All else was made exactly as written. It was without a doubt the best vegetable and nutritional soup I have ever had. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

I love it! Really good..I made this for my lunches for the week.

Will definitely make this again. I swapped the celery for two sliced rashers of bacon and a leek, used 200g of pasta which was slightly over cooked and did not soak up the broth contrary to other comments I read. I added a jar of the cheapest tomato pasta sauce I could buy and will make with only 1 L of water next time for a slightly thicker soup.

It was the best chicken noodle soup. On one occasion I used some fresh spinach. It made it seem more like spinach soup. From now one kind, only frozen and drained. It adds just a little flavor to this fantastic soup.this has memorial my potluck contribution for a long time, everyone loves it

It was easy and delicious!

Delicious! Did not change anything except the timing as everyone's crockpot cooks at a different temperature. Thawed and drained frozen spinach as suggested. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

I’ll definitely make this again, but may add a couple tablespoons of tomato past to increase the tomato taste and thicken the broth a bit.

I did use more onion and garlic than called for in the original. I felt it needed more flavor. Also, I used chard rather than spinach. It should have been cooked before adding to the soup. Next time I would use spinach which would work better. All around a good, hearty meal served with salad and crusty bread.

Took forever to get all the food prepped. I did not like it after. Disappointed cuz there are a lot of left overs!

I will definitely make this again .... smells so good and is delicious. I like my soups with lots of veggies, so I added a carrot and another small zucchini plus I added another half cup of the elbow macaroni at the end. I might make half a recipe next time because it makes so much .... does anyone know if you can freeze it successfully?

Delicious and freezes well.

I don't like kidney beans so I used a white bean. Also used orzo instead of elbows. Delish!

Delicious just as written!