Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup

I never put my slow cooker away and have used it throughout the summer. However, now that it's fall it's time to ramp up the slow cooker recipes. This soup was incredibly easy to make and requires just a little cooking outside of the slow cooker.

Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen.

Ingredients:
-2 tablespoon olive oil
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 cup sliced celery
-1/2 cup chopped carrots
-1 tablespoon minced garlic
-Pinch of oregano
-Pinch of basil
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
-2 cans (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
-2 cans (14 oz.) vegetable broth
-8 oz. can tomato sauce
-salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
-1 cup orzo pasta
-2 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
-shaved parmentino cheese
-chopped fresh parsley for serving


Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute the onion, carrots and celery until softened about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute briefly. Add the seasoning.
Pour everything in the skillet into the slow cooker along with the cannellini beans, vegetable broth and tomato sauce. Add one bay leaf. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. In the last 40 minutes of cooking add the orzo pasta and the balsamic vinegar.

Serve topped with cheese.

Dave and I both really enjoyed this soup. The original recipe said that it could be frozen, so I portioned out half for lunches and froze the other half. The leftovers were just as flavorful as the dinner had been the night before. I was very happy with how this turned out.