Slow Cooker Vegan Minestrone Soup
Servings: 4
For this vegan minestrone soup, I toss cannellini beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, butternut squash, carrots and celery into the slow cooker and let them simmer for hours. Kale and a spoonful of vegan pesto go in at the end for a bright, hearty bowl.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 cloves garlic clove minced
- 1 carrot peeled and sliced
- 1 stalk celery sliced
- 1 cup cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz fire-roasted tomatoes do not drain, 1 can
- 1 cup butternut squash diced
- 2.5 cup vegetable stock plus more if needed
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cup kale chopped
- 1 tbsp vegan basil pesto optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Transfer to a slow cooker and add the carrot, celery, beans, tomatoes with their juices, butternut squash, vegetable stock and Italian seasoning. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
- Stir in the kale and pesto, if using; the residual heat will wilt the kale without making it mushy. Taste and add more pesto if you like, and thin with more stock if the soup is too thick.
Notes
- Stovetop Method: After the garlic, add the remaining ingredients except the kale and pesto to the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the squash, carrot and celery are fork-tender, then stir in the kale.
- Pasta Tip: Stir in cooked pasta just before serving. Uncooked pasta added to the slow cooker can turn mushy over the long cooking time.
- Vegan Tip: Check the label on your pesto, since many contain Parmesan.
- Storing: Leftovers keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Add a splash of vegetable stock when reheating, since the beans soak up liquid.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 116kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 886mg, Potassium: 344mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 10407IU, Vitamin C: 43mg, Calcium: 182mg, Iron: 3mg
