Zesty Minestrone

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photo by:kraft

This slow-cooking, vegetarian version of an Italian classic is a smart one-pot way to enjoy veggies and warm pasta.

time

prep:

15 min

total:

6 hr 30 min

servings

total:

8 servings, about 1 cup each

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What You Need

1/4

cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing

onion, chopped

stalk celery, chopped

carrot, peeled, chopped

can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

can (19 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed

cans (14 oz. each) vegetable broth

cups water

tsp. Italian seasoning

1-1/2

cups small pasta shells, uncooked

1/2

cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It

HEAT dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots; cook 2 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Pour into slow cooker. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water and seasoning; stir. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 6 hours (or on HIGH 3 hours).

STIR in macaroni; cook 10 to 15 min. or until macaroni is tender. Top with cheese just before serving.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion

Serve with crusty bread and a mixed green salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Dressing.

Substitute

Prepare using canned white beans or chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

Special Extra

Cook 8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon; drain, then coarsely crumble. Add to soup just before serving.

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dogsmama6

posted:3/29/2009

this tastes so authentic, my family loved it! and it is very easy to make.

MaryGrace20

posted:3/20/2009

Made this soup yesterday and loved it. Did not use shells, but used Acini Di Pepe, a very small pasta. Will not put it in pot while cooking soup next time. Will cook separately and add in bowl.

amandaruthbayley

posted:3/5/2009

I doubled the tomatoes and left out the beans (just not a bean fan) and it was so good! I love that I can toss it in the crock pot and just forget about it.

moonlagoon

posted:1/20/2009

very good! I used barley instead of macaroni.. used an organic tuscan italian dressing, added yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, cayenne pepper, sea salt, & garlic powder. Cooked on low for 4 hours then added barley and turned up to high for an hour before seasoning and devouring :)

Jeanine1648

posted:1/18/2009

Great recipe it was wondeful. The taste was great and I added chicken broth since I only had one can of vegetable broth, also added whole wheat pasta. Very good, will make this again. Love the soup.

krista082980

posted:1/14/2009

EXCELLENT!! made for dinner last night, but with some changes: made "Low Carb" so I didn't add the macaroni or 2 cups of water, and added a little bit of cooked ground beef...I think all that water would dilute the flavor. Mine was great!! My new favorite soup!!

laurenh410

posted:1/11/2009

Excellent! I add a can of garbanzo beans as well and I cook the shells separately. This keeps them from getting too mushy.

sarajwright01

posted:1/7/2009

This was a very easy receipe. I wil surely make it again!! It was so easy, and a time saver to boot!!!

a cook

posted:1/7/2009

I made this today for dinner tonight. Have not yet served it, but have sampled it. It seems to be lacking in some flavor, and I would definitely not cook the shells in the soup the next time as they have all turned to mush. I am not sure what it is lacking, but it just needs something more for flavor. Maybe a can of tomato paste or something, to flavor the broth a bit more???? I would make it again, but definitely with some tweaking since the recipe as written isn't doing much for me.

sissypwr