The secret to this Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup, is to pull out the crock pot in the morning, and get these delicious, warm, comforting ingredients simmering for dinner.

Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup | ReluctantEntertainer.com

When I think of how much we’ve all been given–opportunities, relationships, energy, resources—it’s mind-blowing how blessed we are to live in this country, with so many gifts at our fingertips. I know for me personally, I am to use these gifts wisely and take care of them, guard them, use them, share them, because they are gifts for today, with no promise of tomorrow. Sobering, I know, but sooo true.

Mix it up.

For me, practicing hospitality is one way that I can use the resources that I’ve been given. Since we’ve worked hard to have and keep up a home, I love that we can use our home to bless others. And because I love to cook, this means that we feed a lot of people in our home!

Part of feeding people means mixing it up, changing up our routine and dinner invite list, and keeping things fresh. I really hate it when we fall back into the mundane (either doing nothing, or the same thing over and over again). Mixing it up with new recipes, people, plans, ideas–keeps things fresh.

Keep pantry stocked.

I also try to keep our pantry stocked with a variety of foods. My daughter recently surprised me and reorganized our pantry while we were away on a trip. What a nice gift to come home to a clean pantry. We have so much activity in our home, I can’t even tell you what a mess it was before we left (sigh).

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And we came back to it being all organized and pretty. Since then, I’ve been motivated to put things away where they belong!

We have a section for baking, pasta, the canned food on the right. Big trays up on top. Snacks in a basket.

Bush's Beans

Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup.

Today I’m sharing a recipe that is easy to make when you’re not sure what to make for dinner! Usually no plan is not good, so the sooner in the day (if you haven’t planned a weekly menu), the better, to get dinner planned. The slow cooker is a great way to get the food prepared, and then not worry about it the rest of the day. By the way, when I don’t have a dinner plan, we often end up eating out, or I run to the store, and we spend money I could have saved!

Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup | ReluctantEntertainer.com

I had so many flavors of beans and pasta, canned tomatoes and pesto in the pantry, and fresh tomatoes and zucchini in the garden. Did you know you can freeze Parmesan cheese?

Start cooking in the morning.

The only secret to this recipe is to know in the morning what you’ll be making, so you can can pull out the slow cooker and get all these delicious, warm, comforting ingredients simmering for dinner!

Cook the sausage and veggies.

Add the tomatoes and stock.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours, then add the beans, zucchini, spinach and cooked pasta.

What is the first section of your pantry that gets “out of control” in your kitchen?

Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup | ReluctantEntertainer.com

Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup | ReluctantEntertainer.com
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Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup

The secret to this Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup, is to pull out the crock pot in the morning, and get these delicious, warm, comforting ingredients simmering for dinner.
Recipe from Bush’s Beans blog.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
Yield: 8
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Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 can, 16 oz BUSH’S® Red Kidney Beans, drained
  • 1 can, 15.5 oz BUSH’S® Cannellini Beans, with liquid
  • 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Italian turkey sausage, in small pieces
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 can, 16 oz chopped canned tomatoes (do not drain
  • 5 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups zucchini cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked bowtie pasta
  • 2 Tbsp pre-packaged pesto
  • 2 Tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Add sausage; brown well.
  • Add tomato paste; cook 5 minutes until brown.
  • Add onions, celery, garlic, carrots and oregano. Cook until garlic is aromatic, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Pour into a 4-quart slow cooker. Add tomatoes and chicken stock.
  • Cook on low setting for 6 to 7 hours or until the vegetables are tender.
  • Stir in beans, zucchini, spinach and cooked pasta. Cook on high setting for 8 minutes or until beans and pasta are warmed through and spinach has wilted.
  • To Serve: Pour the soup into a bowl. Top with a little pesto and fresh grated parmesan cheese.
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More pantry meals:

Tuna Casserole

Swiss Chard and White Bean Soup

Chicken Butternut Spinach Soup

Cherry Pineapple Brownie Dessert with Walnuts

4-ingredient Chocolate Cherry Cake

Slow Cooker Red, White, and Bean Minestrone Soup