Heads up: some links are affiliate, so I may earn a tiny commission (at no extra cost to you!) on stuff I genuinely adore. Please read my Disclosure Policy for additional information.
A big, hearty pot of minestrone that practically makes itself. Vegetables, cannellini beans, tomatoes, and pasta in a rich, herby broth — the kind of soup that warms you up from the inside and gets better the longer it sits.
Fifteen minutes of prep, the slow cooker handles the rest, and you’ve got enough soup to feed the whole week.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Completely hands-off after the sauté — A quick five minutes on the hob, then everything goes into the slow cooker and you walk away.
- Hearty and genuinely filling — Cannellini beans and pasta make this a proper meal, not just a light soup.
- Packed with vegetables — Carrots, celery, courgette, tomatoes, spinach — everything in one bowl.
- Naturally vegan — No dairy, no meat, nothing that needs substituting. This is the original.
- Feeds a crowd — Serves 6 to 8 generously, and the leftovers are even better the next day.
- Freezer-friendly — Make a double batch and freeze half for the easiest weeknight dinner in your future.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30ml)
- 1 large onion, diced (200g)
- 2 carrots, diced (150g)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (100g)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (15g)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium courgette (zucchini), diced (200g)
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 500ml water
- 100g small pasta (ditalini or similar)
- 100g fresh spinach or kale, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the Aromatics
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5–7 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in the garlic, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. This brief sauté step builds the flavor base of the soup — it’s worth the extra pan.
Step 2: Transfer to the Slow Cooker
Transfer the sautéed vegetable mixture to the slow cooker. Add the chopped tomatoes, drained cannellini beans, diced courgette, vegetable stock, and water. Stir everything together to combine.
Step 3: Cook
Cover and cook on Low for 6–7 hours or High for 3–4 hours. The soup develops a deeper, richer flavor on Low — use High if you’re short on time.
Step 4: Add the Pasta
About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the dry pasta. Cover and cook for the remaining 30 minutes until the pasta is just tender. Don’t add it earlier — pasta in a slow cooker turns to mush if it cooks for hours.
Step 5: Add the Greens
Stir in the chopped spinach or kale and replace the lid for 5–10 minutes until wilted. Spinach wilts almost immediately; kale takes a little longer. Both should be stirred in right at the end so they stay bright and fresh rather than turning grey and overcooked.
Step 6: Finish and Serve
Add the lemon juice if using — it brightens the whole bowl and lifts the flavor beautifully. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with crusty bread.
Pro Tips
Don’t skip the sauté. It only takes 7 minutes and it makes a significant difference. Sautéed onions, carrots, and celery have a sweeter, more developed flavor than raw vegetables dumped directly into the slow cooker. The toasted garlic and herbs add another layer that you can’t replicate any other way.
Add pasta only in the last 30 minutes. Pasta in a slow cooker turns soft and bloated within an hour. If you want to make this well ahead and reheat, cook the pasta separately and stir it in per bowl when serving — this keeps the texture perfect every time.
Freeze without the pasta. The soup base — without the pasta — freezes beautifully for up to 2 months. Cook and add fresh pasta when you reheat from frozen. This is the better approach for meal prep.
Add extra stock when reheating leftovers. The pasta absorbs liquid overnight in the fridge and the soup thickens significantly. Always add a good splash of extra stock or water when reheating to bring it back to the right consistency.
The lemon juice at the end is worth adding. A tablespoon of fresh lemon juice stirred in before serving brightens the whole pot and makes the vegetable flavors taste more vivid. It doesn’t make the soup taste of lemon — it just makes everything taste more like itself.
Slow Cooker Minestrone
A hearty, herb-scented vegetable minestrone loaded with cannellini beans, tender pasta, and fresh greens — the kind of deeply satisfying soup that gets better every time you reheat it.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained
- 1 medium courgette, diced
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 500ml water
- 100g small pasta (ditalini or similar)
- 100g fresh spinach or kale, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil for 5–7 minutes. Add garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper and cook 30 seconds.
- Transfer to slow cooker. Add tomatoes, beans, courgette, stock, and water. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low 6–7 hours or High 3–4 hours.
- Stir in pasta 30 minutes before serving. Cover and cook until just tender.
- Stir in spinach or kale until wilted. Add lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasoning.
- Serve hot with crusty bread.
Notes
Variations & Customizations
- Add green beans or peas — Stir in a handful of green beans or frozen peas alongside the courgette for extra color and vegetable variety.
- Add diced potato — Cut one medium potato into small cubes and add it with the other vegetables at the start. It breaks down slightly over the long cook and thickens the soup naturally.
- Add red bell pepper — A diced red pepper adds sweetness and a pop of color. Add it with the courgette at the start.
- Use borlotti beans instead — Borlotti beans have an earthier, more robust flavor than cannellini and hold their shape beautifully over a long cook.
- Add a Parmesan rind — Drop a piece of Parmesan rind into the slow cooker with the other ingredients and remove before serving. It adds an incredible umami depth that makes the broth taste like it’s been cooking all week.
- Make it gluten-free — Swap the regular pasta for a gluten-free pasta variety, or skip pasta entirely and add an extra tin of beans or diced potato for bulk.
- Stir in pesto before serving — A tablespoon of basil pesto stirred into each bowl just before serving adds an intensely aromatic, herby finish that turns a good minestrone into a great one.
Storage & Reheating
| Method | Details |
|---|---|
| Fridge | Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid — add extra stock or water when reheating. |
| Reheating | Warm gently on the stovetop over medium heat or microwave in short bursts. Add a generous splash of stock or water to loosen. |
| Freezer | Freeze the soup without pasta for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop. Cook fresh pasta and add it when serving. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add other vegetables?
Yes — minestrone is the most flexible soup there is. Green beans, diced potato, bell pepper, butternut squash, and leeks all work beautifully. Add harder vegetables like potato and squash at the start with the other vegetables. Add more delicate ones like peas or green beans in the last hour.
Can I cook the pasta separately?
Yes, and for meal prep it’s actually the better option. Cook the pasta separately until al dente, then stir it into individual bowls when serving. This prevents the pasta from absorbing all the broth and becoming bloated — especially useful if you’re making this ahead.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes. Use a gluten-free small pasta (rice-based or chickpea pasta both work well) or leave the pasta out entirely and add an extra tin of beans or some diced potato for substance. Everything else in the recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Why is my soup too thick?
The pasta has absorbed most of the liquid. Add extra vegetable stock or water — start with 200ml, stir, and add more until you reach the right consistency. This is completely normal with leftover minestrone.
Can I use dried beans instead of tinned?
Yes, but they need to be cooked separately first — dried beans don’t cook through properly in a slow cooker even over 8 hours. Cook them in boiling water until tender, then drain and add to the slow cooker in place of the tinned beans.
related articles to slow cooker minestrone
- The Slow Cooker Mississippi Pork Roast You Make on Busy Days (and Still Win Dinner)
- Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli That Makes Takeout Feel a Little Overrated
- 27 Summer Dinner Ideas You Make When It’s Too Hot to Cook Anything Heavy
- 19 30-Minute Dinner Ideas for Nights When You Want Good Food Fast (and No Stress)
- One Bite of This Creamy Chicken Pot Pie and You’ll See Why Everyone Loves It
