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Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup is an easy way to make a hearty vegetable soup without spending much time at the stove. It’s filled with carrots, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, cannellini beans, pasta, and plenty of spinach or kale.
Most of the cooking happens right in the slow cooker, with the pasta and greens added near the end so they don’t overcook. Serve it with some crusty bread or warm dinner rolls for a simple lunch or dinner.
If you’re looking for more easy slow cooker recipes, try my slow cooker chicken stew, slow cooker chicken stroganoff, and slow cooker ham and beans.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Loaded with vegetables: Carrots, celery, zucchini, tomatoes, and leafy greens make this a hearty vegetable-packed soup.
- Easy slow cooker meal: After a little prep, the crock pot does most of the work.
- Easy to customize: You can swap in different vegetables, beans, greens, or pasta depending on what you have on hand.
Equipment
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Vegetables – Onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, and spinach or kale give the soup plenty of flavor, color, and texture.
- Cannellini beans – Two cans of cannellini beans make the soup more filling and add a creamy texture.
- Diced tomatoes – A can of diced tomatoes adds tomato flavor without making this a heavily tomato-based soup.
- Vegetable broth – Vegetable broth and water provide the base for the soup. You can add a little more broth later if the pasta absorbs too much liquid.
- Pasta – Small pasta such as ditalini works best and is added near the end of cooking so it doesn’t become too soft.
How to Make Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making this Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Recipe:
Step 1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5–7 minutes until slightly softened.
Step 2. Stir in garlic cloves, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 3. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
Step 4. Add diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed cannellini beans, diced zucchini, vegetable broth, and water. Stir well.
Step 5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.
Step 6. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in pasta and cook until tender.
Step 7. Stir in chopped fresh spinach or kale and cook until wilted.
Step 8. Add lemon juice, if using. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini into fairly even pieces so they cook evenly.
- Ditalini is a classic choice for minestrone, but another small pasta shape will work just as well.
- If you prefer firmer pasta or expect to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls when serving. This prevents the pasta from continuing to absorb the soup broth as it sits.
- The tablespoon of lemon juice is optional, but adding it just before serving gives the finished soup a little brightness.
- If the soup becomes thicker than you like after adding the pasta, simply add a little more vegetable broth.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Serve minestrone soup hot with crusty sourdough bread, garlic bread, or warm dinner rolls on the side.
You can also top each bowl with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese and herbs like fresh rosemary. A simple green salad makes an easy addition if you want a larger meal. Serve with roasted chicken or other meat for a complete meal.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Pasta will continue absorbing liquid — add extra stock when reheating.
- Freezes well (best frozen without pasta) for up to 2 months.
FAQs
Yes. Green beans, potatoes, or bell peppers work well.
Yes. This prevents it from becoming too soft.
Yes. Use gluten-free pasta or omit pasta entirely.
Great Northern beans and kidney beans work well.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
If you make this slow cooker minestrone soup recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you!
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced (about 1½ cups)
- 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (about ¾ cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1½ cups)
- 4 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup pasta, small, like ditalini (baby penne) or similar
- 3 1/2 cups fresh spinach or kale, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5–7 minutes until slightly softened.
- Stir in garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add chopped tomatoes, cannellini beans, zucchini, vegetable stock, and water. Stir well.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.
- About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta and cook until tender.
- Stir in chopped spinach or kale and cook until wilted.
- Add lemon juice if using. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Notes
- Cut the carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini into fairly even pieces so they cook evenly.
- Ditalini is a classic choice for minestrone, but another small pasta shape will work just as well.
- If you prefer firmer pasta or expect to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls when serving. This prevents the pasta from continuing to absorb the soup broth as it sits.
- The tablespoon of lemon juice is optional, but adding it just before serving gives the finished soup a little brightness.
- If the soup becomes thicker than you like after adding the pasta, simply add a little more vegetable broth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
