Beef minestrone soup is a big pot of vegetable soup with browned ground beef, carrots, potatoes, celery and tomatoes simmered in beef stock and tomato juice, then finished with two kinds of beans, zucchini, green beans and little ditalini pasta. This one cooks in the slow cooker, and the pasta goes in only for the last 15 minutes.
How to make beef minestrone soup: brown 1 pound of ground beef, put it in the slow cooker with the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic and seasoning, pour in beef stock, water and tomato juice, cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours, then add the beans, zucchini, ditalini and green beans and cook on high 15 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- About 10 minutes of prep, then the slow cooker takes over.
- Feeds 8 from one pot.
- Pantry cans: tomatoes, kidney beans, cannellini beans and green beans.
- Freezer-friendly when you freeze it before the pasta goes in.
When to Add What
Everything goes into the slow cooker in two stages:
- Start: browned beef, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, beef stock, water and tomato juice. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Last 15 minutes: kidney beans, cannellini beans, zucchini, ditalini and green beans. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook until the pasta is tender.
On the stove, the same soup simmers for 1 hour after the beef is browned. Bring it back to a boil, add the pasta, and simmer about 10 minutes, until tender.
Ingredient Notes
Ground beef. One pound, browned in a skillet until it’s cooked through and no longer pink (160°F). One pound is spread over 8 bowls of a mostly vegetable soup.
The broth. Four cups of beef stock, 2 cups of water and 3 cups of tomato juice, plus a can of diced tomatoes with their juice.
Vegetables. Two cups each of chopped carrots and potatoes, 1 1/2 cups of celery, an onion and 3 teaspoons of minced garlic go in at the start. Diced zucchini and a can of green beans go in at the end.
Beans. A 15-ounce can each of red kidney beans and cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
Pasta. One cup of uncooked ditalini.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, not drained
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
- 1 cup uncooked ditalini pasta
- 1 can (15 ounces) green beans, drained
How to Make Beef Minestrone Soup
1. Brown the beef. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef until completely cooked and no longer pink; ground beef is safe at 160°F.
2. Fill the slow cooker. Put the browned beef, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper into the slow cooker.
3. Add the liquid. Pour in the beef stock, water and tomato juice.
4. Cook. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
5. Add the beans, zucchini and pasta. When the time is up, add the kidney beans, cannellini beans, zucchini, ditalini and green beans.
6. Finish. Cook on high for 15 more minutes, or until the pasta is tender, then serve.
Variations
- Pasta: spiral pasta or another small pasta in place of ditalini, or long grain rice instead of pasta.
- Beans: white beans, garbanzo beans or romano beans.
- Stew meat: use beef stew meat cut into 3/4-inch cubes and cook it 8 hours on low.
- More vegetables: shredded cabbage or sliced mushrooms.
- Heat: 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne.
Storage & Freezing
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. The soup freezes well if you make it without the pasta, so freeze it before the ditalini goes in, or keep the pasta out of the portions you freeze; it keeps 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until it comes to a rolling boil (165°F). Don’t reheat it in the slow cooker, but once it’s hot you can keep it there at 140°F or above for serving.
What to Serve With It
Top each bowl with grated Parmesan and serve crusty bread on the side. For more beefy soups, try hamburger macaroni soup, ground beef soup, beef and barley soup or Instant Pot beef stew. For another big slow cooker pot, there’s slow cooker 15 bean soup and million dollar soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put beef in minestrone soup?
Yes. Brown a pound of ground beef first and add it with the vegetables, or use 3/4-inch cubes of beef stew meat cooked 8 hours on low.
When does the pasta go in?
At the end. In the slow cooker, add it with the beans and zucchini for the last 15 minutes on high. On the stove, add it once the soup is back at a boil and simmer about 10 minutes.
What are common mistakes when making beef minestrone soup?
Adding the pasta at the start instead of the end, putting the beef in raw instead of browning it first, and freezing the soup with the pasta in it.
Can I make it on the stove?
Yes. Brown the beef in the pot, add everything except the beans, zucchini, green beans and pasta, and simmer 1 hour. Add the rest and simmer about 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Can I use rice instead of pasta?
Yes, long grain rice can replace the pasta.
What should I put on top?
Freshly grated Parmesan, about 1/2 teaspoon on each bowl, or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. A few red pepper flakes add heat, and crusty bread on the side is all it needs.
Final Notes
Brown the beef, let the slow cooker do the long part, and save the beans and pasta for the last 15 minutes. Tell me in the comments what you added to yours.
Beef Minestrone Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef browned until completely cooked
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can, do not drain
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 2 cups potatoes chopped
- 1 1/2 cups celery chopped
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 15 ounces red kidney beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounces cannellini beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini diced
- 1 cup ditalini pasta uncooked
- 15 ounces green beans 1 can, drained
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef until completely cooked and no longer pink; ground beef is safe at 160F.
- Put the browned beef, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper into the slow cooker.
- Pour in the beef stock, water and tomato juice.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- When the time is up, add the kidney beans, cannellini beans, zucchini, ditalini and green beans.
- Cook on high for 15 more minutes, or until the pasta is tender, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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