MINESTRONE. It’s such a pleasant little soup. Lots of vegetables which always make a dish pretty. It’s not an expensive meal to make, and yet it doesn’t feel cheap. This is what I want in a weeknight dinner, friends. And it’s in the slow cooker, so it’s easy. Slow cookers aren’t good for everything; we all know this. BUT soups are one of my top picks for the trusty slow cooker. You can put your sliced sausage right in at the beginning, or I sometimes brown them in a little olive oil for some crispness and add at the end!
I used sausage from Kiolbassa, a family owned smoked meats company in San Antonio.
Sausage Minestrone
Serves eight
13 ounces sausage (I use Kiolbassa’s Roasted Garlic)
4 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, minced
24 ounces canned diced tomatoes (with juice!)
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 parmesan rind
15 ounces white beans
15 ounces kidney beans
6 cups broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon pepper
A dash of red pepper flake
1/2 pound small pasta (I use orecchiette)
2 zucchini, diced
2 cups spinach
Fresh basil
Grated parmesan
Place sausage, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, garlic, parmesan rind, white beans, kidney beans, broth, oregano, parsley, pepper, and red pepper flake into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
When 30 minutes of cook time remains, add pasta and zucchini.
Stir in spinach. Serve topped with basil and grated parmesan.
- 13 ounces sausage (I use Kiolbassa's Roasted Garlic)
- 4 carrots, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 onion, minced
- 24 ounces canned diced tomatoes (with juice!)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 parmesan rind
- 15 ounces white beans
- 15 ounces kidney beans
- 6 cups broth
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- A dash of red pepper flake
- ½ pound small pasta (I use orecchiette)
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 2 cups spinach
- Fresh basil
- Grated parmesan
- Place sausage, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, garlic, parmesan rind, white beans, kidney beans, broth, oregano, parsley, pepper, and red pepper flake into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- When 30 minutes of cook time remains, add pasta and zucchini.
- Stir in spinach. Serve topped with basil and grated parmesan.
