Very good flavor! However, a whole onion was WAY too much for my liking. Next time I will only do a 1/2 of one. I also used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth since I’m not vegetarian and wanted more flavor. Overall, an easy recipe I will make again!
This was very good. I took other reviewers suggestions and sautéed the onion and garlic first. I also added extra elbow pasta to make it more hearty. I would also recommend chopping the spinach before adding it.
Loved the simplicity of this recipe in using the slow cooker and felt it was very good! If using homemade vegetable broth/stock as I did, you may need to add more salt, but it can be added to taste in individual servings anyway. I had to omit garlic and onion due to a dietary restriction and instead added an extra celery rib and carrot.
I left kidney beans out of the slow cooker, but before serving I did make them in a separate pot with some of the soup for my husband. So, he at least had the soup with the majority of the ingredients (again…no garlic or onion for me) and enjoyed the soup! Too bad I just thought of this now, but tomorrow I’ll sauté some garlic and onion and add the soup and kidney beans to a pot.
I have no doubt he’ll love this minestrone even more with the garlic and onion! Lastly, I’ve never had luck with cooking noodles in a soup because they tend to absorb too much liquid and become soggy if you consume leftovers the next day. So, I made the noodles separate for serving in individual bowls. That doesn’t break this recipe though as it’s definitely going into our rotation for a nice fall/winter soup we can both enjoy!
I did use more onion and garlic than called for in the original. I felt it needed more flavor. Also, I used chard rather than spinach. It should have been cooked before adding to the soup. Next time I would use spinach which would work better. All around a good, hearty meal served with salad and crusty bread.
Scrumptious! Definitely sauté the garlic, celery, carrots & onion. The only variance for me was adding a can of black beans & dishing it over spiral noodles instead of putting the noodles in the soup mixture. So good!
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
½ medium onion, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen Lima beans or 1 (15-ounce) can Lima beans, drained
2 cups fresh or frozen mixed vegetables or 2 (15-ounce) cans mixed vegetables, drained
2 cups fresh or frozen corn off the cob or 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained
2 cups carrots, sliced or 1 (15-ounce) can carrots, drained
4 pounds of peeled and diced whole tomatoes or 4 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes and okra (optional)
2 cups water
Instructions:
If using ground beef or turkey, cook meat and onions until golden brown.
Add to slow cooker along with all other ingredients.
Cook on low for 4 hours.
Serve hot and enjoy!
You could also cook this on the stovetop; just simmer for about 45 minutes.
source:cookheavenlyrecipes.com
