This Slow Cooker Hamburger Minestrone is loaded with fresh vegetables, ground beef, and pasta. A hearty soup that is a meal in itself. Slice up a loaf of crusty bread, pour a glass of wine, and dinner is served!
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We are in the midst of what feels like a very long winter, but hang on friends, spring is coming! In the meantime, I thought a hearty, soul-satisfying soup was in order and this one definitely fits the bill. It’s based on my sweet stepmom Bonnie’s legendary minestrone recipe which I’ve adapted for the slow cooker. To up the comfort factor, I decided to add some ground beef, two kinds of beans, and little ditalini pasta. The result is a wholesome meal that will satisfy the entire family.
This is my second in a series of three great slow cooker recipes to get you through to the spring months. Be sure to check out the Slow Cooker Drip Beef if you missed it last month. It’s a good one!
We start with a pound of cooked, crumbled, and drained ground beef and some chopped veggies including, zucchini, onion, celery, carrot, and some minced garlic.
Add 4 cups of low-sodium beef broth. Always go with the low-sodium variety. You can always add additional salt if you feel it’s necessary but I’m betting you won’t.
In goes a big can of Italian style crushed tomatoes.
The seasonings consist of basil, oregano, thyme, and a bay leaf. Cover the slow cooker and cook the soup on LOW for 5 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
Are you feeling how easy this is?
After the initial cooking time, add a can of rinsed and drained kidney beans and cannellini beans and 1 cup of dry, uncooked ditalini pasta. You could go with any small dry pasta you happen to have on hand but I love ditalini in soup.
When adding beans and pasta to slow cooker recipes, you always want to do it towards the end of the cooking time. You don’t want to know what happens to beans and pasta if they spend too much time in the slow cooker, trust me on this one.
And, last, about 1/2 cup of Parmesan. A little Parmesan makes everything better! Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked al-dente.
This soup was consumed with gusto in our house and it is long gone. It will be on the menu again very soon.
Soups that contain pasta tend to thicken quite a bit when refrigerated so if you’ve got leftovers, just add a little water or additional beef broth to thin it a bit and it will reheat beautifully.
Slow Cooker Hamburger Minestrone
This Slow Cooker Hamburger Minestrone is loaded with fresh vegetables, ground beef, and pasta. A hearty soup that is a meal in itself. Slice up a loaf of crusty bread, pour a glass of wine, and dinner is served!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup peeled and chopped carrot
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 28-ounce can crushed Italian style tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup ditalini pasta uncooked
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring to break up. Season with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink. Drain off as much of the grease as possible and transfer the cooked beef to the slow cooker. Add the onion, carrot, zucchini, celery, garlic, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf to the slow cooker with the beef. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW 5 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
- After initial cooking time, add beans, ditalini pasta (uncooked), and Parmesan. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until pasta is al-dente.
Recipe Notes
This soup freezes very well. Place leftovers in freezer safe containers for a great make-ahead meal.
Nutrition
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Sue Breidenstine says
This recipe is SO good. I made a couple of modifications based on what I had on hand. Instead of browned beef I used half of a leftover meatloaf, crumbled up. (I found this recipe after seeing minestrone soup as a suggested use for meatloaf.) Then I switched in Great Northern beans since my family prefers them. And, since I had it, I threw in a small parmesan rind and a splash of red wine for flavor. The ditalini needed a little extra time so it took 4 hours on high. All four of us loved it and this is going into the recipe folder. Thank you!
Phyllis says
Any reason I cannot make pasta separately and add at serving time? I am making this soup to be part of a meal train for someone going through cancer treatment. Thinking since pasta sucks up liquid, maybe sending the pasta alongside may be better?
Valerie says
Hi Phyllis. You could absolutely cook the pasta separately and add it later. You are right in assuming the pasta does absorb some of the liquid when the soup is refrigerated although adding a little extra water or broth when reheating will solve that problem. Best wishes to your friend.
Sally says
How about using an instant pot?
Valerie says
Hi Sally. Pressure cooking is a completely different method with very specific requirements so I never suggest trying to use a pressure cooker for a recipe written for a slow cooker. Instead, it’s best to look for a recipe specifically written for the method of cooking you’d like to use.
Ruth Grove says
This looks appetizing to me. I’ve had bariatric surgery and can only eat about 6 oz of soup, so I would have to freeze small containers of it. Do you have any advice? I’m having trouble getting protein down because meat seems distasteful to me, but this soup has a pretty good protein hit between the ground beef and beans.
Valerie says
Hi Ruth. I think this soup would freeze very well. If you can only eat a small amount at a time, I’d recommend dividing into portions before freezing. I really hope you love the soup and you are feeling better soon. 🙂
Melissa says
this is a go to favorite for our family 🙂 I omit the zucchini and add in potatoes instead 🙂 for a husband who is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, this is right up his alley 🙂 all the kids even the ones who are picky eaters always ask for seconds 🙂
Ann says
Can I use the regular can of tomatoes cause I don’t any of can Italian tomatoes?
Cath says
Who makes these neat crock pot liners?
Haven’t seen them where I live 🇨🇦
Valerie says
They are Reynold’s Slow Cooker Liners and they are available in most grocery stores but you can also order them on Amazon. (affiliate link)
Linda says
Found this while looking for a recipe for soup to take to a neighbor who just lost her husband. This looks wonderful! In the past, I’ve made Pasta E Fagioli and froze it pasta & all. While it was ok, the ditalini ended up being little bits of pasta when thawed. It didn’t affect the flavor, but presentation was not so great. I think I will make this and leave out the pasta for any that is to be frozen. Then when I thaw it, I will add pasta as needed. Here in Ohio, we are expecting a “respectable” amount of snow this weekend and I know of no better way than to celebrate with hot soup and good bread! Thanks for the posting. I also want to look up the other soups you mentioned. I am loving making all kinds of soups this year.
Kay says
I live in a fairly small town and was only able to find Colavita Ditali. The recipe calls for Ditalini. I figured that was close!! Would it need a longer cooking time since I assume it might be larger than the Ditalini. I’m making this tomorrow for guests and it sounds very delicious!!! I’m looking forward to tasting it!!
Valerie says
Hi Kay. Yes, if the pasta is larger it will take a bit longer to cook. I would recommend adding the pasta 45 minutes to an hour before you plan to serve. You’re find to add the beans at that time too.
Judy says
Going to try this recipe. I’d like to try vegetable broth. Do you think it would work?
Mindy says
Tried this recipe today, and we all loved it. I did use chicken broth, as that is what I had on hand. I didn’t use zucchini, as I didn’t. I added another 3 cups of broth after adding the beans and macaroni, and salt and pepper to taste at that point.
As an environmentalist? I hate those danged liners. More plastic trash when my old stone crock cleans beautifully with very little effort.
Melanie Cox says
I accidentally added the beans at the beginning of the cooking time. Do you think the soup will still turn out okay? Or do I need to scratch this dinner plan?
Valerie says
Hi Melanie. I think it will be fine. Try to reduce the overall cooking time as much as possible. As soon as those veggies are tender enough you’ll be good to go. It’s preferable to add the beans toward the end of the cooking time but I think you’ll still have a delicious meal.
Dottie says
Soup was excellent had no.problem with prep time.
Barbara says
Could you please tell me what the serving size is for this recipe.
Terri says
Personally, I think I would hold back on the zucchini until I add the beans and pasta. I can’t stand mushy zucchini. Otherwise, it looks like a really good recipe.
Valerie says
Hi Terri. Mushy zucchini is not a good thing in my book either but I’ve never found it to be overcooked. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to try it!
Lori says
I have a Type 1 diabetic daughter. We carb count. Would you know the nutritional value of this recipe?
Valerie says
I currently don’t include a nutritional breakdown on my recipes so I recommend running it through one of the many free nutritional calculators available online.
Betty says
Prep Time is way off. It takes me 10 minutes to assemble the ingredients, then the prepping which can go up to 45 minutes.
Valerie says
Hi Betty. The prep time includes the amount of time it took me to chop the veggies which is pretty much the only prep needed for this recipe. I included everything else, from cooking the beef through the rest of the recipe, in the cooking time.
Carmen says
agree with Betty! no way 10 minutes to line the crockpot, open cans, rinse beans, peel onion, garlic, wash peel and chop rest of vegetables, measure spices, heat oil,cook and drain ground beef. will take 10 minutes just to gather the ingredients from pantry spice cabinet and fridge even though all next to each other. Guessing you have a prep person has it all lined up on your counter washed ready to chop, crockpot pre-lined etc.
Valerie says
Hi Carmen. I chop my veggies while the beef is cooking, stopping to stir it occasionally. You can also prep the veggies the day before if you’re looking to save time. The time calculated for prep assumes you have all of your ingredients ready to go and doesn’t include the time gathering them from the pantry.
Liz says
Love this soup. Thank you.
Michelle says
Made this last week… Big hit with the whole family. Not a fan of chunky vegetables so I shredded them… It was awesome!!! I have been using the crockpot liners for years. LOVE them!
Valerie says
That’s awesome, Michelle. Good tip on the veggies for those with little ones who might be wary of them. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Heather | Heather Likes Food says
This looks so good! I want it now! I’m hungry!
Jill Grzywinski says
I’ve been using the Reyonds Crockpot Wrap for a while now. They are very useful in quick clean up.
This recipe is delicious!!! Serve it with a salad and a loaf of Italian Bream……perfect for cold winter evenings!!!!!
Katerina @ Diethood says
I love finding new recipes for my slow cooker. This sounds really delicious!
Meg @ With Salt and Wit says
Soups like this just warm me up and with all this chilly weather this is needed! Plus slow cooker dinners are a no brainer 😉
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
First of al,l I love all the ingredients in this soup, such great flavor. Second of all, I never use the crock pot without one of those liners. They are totally worth it.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Those liners save the day! I am always up for trying ANY recipe with the word “legendary” in the title. 🙂
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
This looks so hearty and delicious! I am always looking for new slow cooker soup recipes, thank you!
Nutmeg Nanny says
This soup look delicious and super easy. Love that it’s made in the slow cooker.
Lauren @ Hall Nesting says
I recently started using these liners and I’m obsessed! This soup is just what I need with this weather
Valerie says
They are pretty awesome, aren’t they? The soup definitely hit the spot for us. Thanks, Lauren 🙂
Kim says
This recipe looks fantastic!! I am going to make this recipe using lean ground chicken or turkey and I will try some organic vegetables. My hubby and I love using our crockpot for delicious and healthy recipes!!
Valerie says
It will be fabulous with either, Kim! Enjoy 🙂
Laura says
This looks SO good, and I want to make it for my family this week.
I’m just questioning cooking already-cooked hamburger, for 7+ more hours in the slow cooker. What is the reason for that? Doesn’t the burger get overcooked, or tough, or something?
Valerie says
You definitely want to cook the beef and drain off the grease before adding it to the slow cooker. All slow cookers vary but the cooking range is 3 to 4 hours on HIGH or 5 to 7 hours on LOW – it will need that much time to cook and soften the veggies and the beef will be just fine. I had a fabulous result at this cooking time but I always suggest that you make adjustments to the power level and cooking time based on your experience with your own appliance.
RoadLord says
Whoooooaaaaa, yeah! Not working nights anymore, definitely gonna ask wifelet to whip this up for me, slow cooker meals like this are right up her alley.
Thank ya, ma’am. Thank ya verry much!
Valerie says
He’s back! You should definitely have her give this one a try RL, it’s a good one. It’s good to hear from you 🙂
RoadLord says
Finally got to try this, was SO GOOD, perfect meal for a fall day!
Thanks, Valerie!
Valerie says
It’s one of my favorites, RoadLord. So glad you enjoyed it!
Danae @ Recipe Runner says
This minestrone soup looks fantastic! I haven’t tried those Reynolds slow cooker liners yet, but will definitely have to give them a try since I hate cleaning my slow cooker! 🙂
Valerie says
You definitely should, Danae! Thanks so much 🙂