Minestrone is such a hearty and flavorful soup that’s honestly perfect any time of year. What I love about minestrone soup is that you really don’t even need to follow a recipe; as long as you have some sort of tomato-y broth and Italian herbs, you can basically throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand. Beans are one of my all-time favorite foods, so that’s another reason I love minestrone—it essentially always contains beans!

Two things make this soup super unique: the addition of a Parmesan rind and two tablespoons of Julienne Sliced Sun Dried Tomatoes from Trader Joe’s. The rind infuses that rich, buttery, slightly lemony flavor that’s found in Parmesan, and the sun dried tomatoes pack a concentrated punch of flavor. We used carrots, celery, onion, garlic and green peas for our veggies, but feel free to sub/add items like zucchini, squash, green beans or corn. Using brown rice pasta rather than enriched flour pasta makes this a gluten free dish, too. And the best part? It’s a slow cooker recipe, so you know it will be hella easy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 - 14.5 oz. cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

• 3 T. tomato paste

• 1/4 c. julienne sliced sun dried tomatoes

• 1 Parmesan rind

• 7 c. vegetable broth (make sure it’s gluten free)

• 1 c. carrots, diced

• 1 c. celery, diced

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 7 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 t. Italian seasoning

• 1 t. dried rosemary

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 - 15 oz. can dark red kidney beans, drained

• 1 - 15 oz. can Great Northern beans, drained

• 1 - 12 oz. bag frozen peas

• 1 - 12 oz. bag pasta (we used Tinkyada Brown Rice Fusilli)

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• Shredded Parmesan, for serving

STEPS

1) Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan rind, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, rosemary bay leaves and 6 cups vegetable stock to a slow cooker. Be sure to use a liner for easy clean-up! Season generously with pepper, add a bit of salt and turn on high for 3.5 hours (or on low for 7 hours).

2) After the soup has cooked for 3.5 hours, add the kidney beans, Great Northern beans, peas, pasta and the 7th cup of vegetable stock. Set to high and allow to cook until the pasta is tender. Remove and serve, topping with grated Parmesan cheese.