Crockpot Minestrone Soup is an easy Olive Garden copycat made with zucchini, carrots, celery, green beans, spinach, tomatoes, two kinds of beans, and pasta in a flavorful broth. Everything slow cooks together until the vegetables are tender, then the pasta and spinach are added near the end for a hearty meatless soup.
Soup is something I make constantly once the weather starts cooling down, and minestrone is one of those bowls I can make a meal out of. I’ve always loved the Olive Garden version, so I wanted a Crockpot version I could make at home and let simmer while I went about my day.
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Vegetable Broth: I use 4 cups of vegetable broth for the soup base. Chicken broth also works if you don’t need the soup to be meatless.
- Zucchini: Chop one zucchini into bite-sized pieces so it cooks evenly with the other vegetables.
- Celery: Two chopped celery stalks add flavor and texture to the soup.
- Carrots: You’ll need about 1 cup of chopped carrots, or roughly two carrots.
- Cannellini Beans: Use one 15-ounce can, drained. These creamy white beans help make the soup hearty and filling.
- Diced Tomatoes: One 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes adds tomatoes and their juices to the broth.
- Green Beans: I use 1 cup of frozen green beans, which makes this part of the prep really easy.
- Dark Kidney Beans: One 15-ounce can adds another hearty bean to the minestrone. I would drain these as well.
- Spinach: One cup of spinach goes in near the end so it wilts into the hot soup without overcooking.
- Onion: Half of an onion, about ½ cup chopped, adds savory flavor to the broth.
- Garlic: Three cloves of fresh garlic add plenty of flavor as the soup slow cooks.
- Italian Seasoning: One tablespoon gives the broth its Italian herb flavor without needing several separate seasonings.
- Shell Pasta: I use 1 cup of shell pasta and add it near the end of cooking so it doesn’t become too soft.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How To Make Crockpot Minestrone Soup
- Add the zucchini, celery, carrots, green beans, onion, garlic, cannellini beans, kidney beans, and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker.
- Do not add the spinach or pasta yet.
- Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth.
- Add the Italian seasoning and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the uncooked shell pasta. Cover and continue cooking for 20–30 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the fresh spinach and allow it to wilt into the hot soup.
- Serve hot.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
Tips I Found Helpful
- Cut the vegetables about the same size. This helps the carrots, celery, and zucchini cook evenly so everything is tender at the same time.
- There’s no need to thaw the green beans. I add them straight from the freezer, which saves a little prep time.
- Drain the beans before adding them. This keeps the extra liquid from changing the flavor and consistency of the broth.
- Save the pasta for the end. Adding the shells during the last 20–30 minutes keeps them from getting too soft while the soup slow cooks.
- Check the pasta as it cooks. Slow cookers can vary, and I take the soup off once the shells are tender rather than letting them continue cooking.
- Add the spinach last. Fresh spinach only needs a few minutes in the hot soup to wilt, so there’s no reason to cook it for hours.
- The pasta will continue soaking up broth as the soup sits. When I have leftovers, I sometimes add a little extra broth when reheating to bring the soup back to the consistency I like.
- I like this soup even better the next day. The flavors have more time to come together overnight, making the leftovers great for lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
More Soup Recipes I Love
Crockpot Minestrone Soup
Crockpot Minestrone Soup is an easy Olive Garden copycat loaded with zucchini, carrots, celery, green beans, spinach, tomatoes, cannellini beans, kidney beans, and pasta.
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth ( or chicken)
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 carrots chopped (1cup)
- 15 Oz cannellini beans drained
- 15 Oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 15 oz can dark kidney beans
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 Onion chopped about 1/2 cup
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp. Italian Seasonings
- 1 Cup shells pasta
Instructions
- Add the zucchini, celery, carrots, green beans, onion, garlic, cannellini beans, kidney beans, and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker. Do not add the spinach or pasta yet.
Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth.
Add the Italian seasoning and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the uncooked shell pasta. Cover and continue cooking for 20–30 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
Stir in the fresh spinach and allow it to wilt into the hot soup.
Serve hot.
Notes
Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
Frozen green beans can go straight into the slow cooker without thawing.
Drain the cannellini and kidney beans before adding them to the soup.
Add the uncooked pasta during the last 20–30 minutes of cooking. Adding it at the beginning can make the pasta too soft.
Fresh spinach goes in at the very end and only needs enough time to wilt into the hot soup.
Slow cookers vary, so check the pasta for tenderness rather than relying only on the cooking time.
The pasta will continue to absorb broth as the soup sits. I sometimes add a little extra broth when reheating leftovers.
If you're making the soup ahead or planning to freeze it, I prefer to cook the pasta separately and add it when serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 388mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 9gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g
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