Slow-Cooked Italian Minestrone with Cannellini Beans

This hearty and flavorful Slow-Cooked Italian Minestrone with Cannellini Beans is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day. It's packed with vegetables, beans, and Parmesan cheese, and it's slowly cooked to perfection in your slow cooker. The result is a rich and savory soup that's sure to warm you up from the inside out.

Minestrone is a classic Italian soup that dates back to the Middle Ages. It's traditionally made with a variety of vegetables, beans, and pasta, and it's often thickened with rice or barley. This recipe for Slow-Cooked Italian Minestrone with Cannellini Beans is a modern take on the classic, and it's made with a few shortcuts to make it easier to prepare. But don't let the shortcuts fool you—this soup is still packed with flavor and it's sure to become a family favorite.

Prep time: 15 | Cook time: 240 | Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup chopped kale or spinach
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Transfer the vegetables to a slow cooker.
5. Add the vegetable broth, cannellini beans, kale or spinach, and Parmesan cheese to the slow cooker.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
8. Serve hot.

Why It Works

• The slow cooker does all the work for you, so you can set it and forget it.
• The combination of vegetables, beans, and Parmesan cheese creates a rich and flavorful broth.
• The soup is thick and hearty, thanks to the addition of cannellini beans.