Crock Pot Chicken Minestrone Soup with Spaghetti Sauce
Crock Pot Chicken Minestrone soup is made simple with a jar of spaghetti sauce that does the seasoning work, so you don’t have to measure out six different things. Open it, pour it in, and the oregano, basil, and garlic are already handled.
The vegetables come out of two freezer bags. No chopping, no peeling, no cutting board to wash. And the ditalini cooks right in the pot at the end, so there’s no second pan of pasta water going on the stove.
This 7-ingredient soup cooks up loaded with chicken, beans, and little noodles, and it feeds six to eight with the whole thing costing about what one restaurant bowl would.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Servings | Prep Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 8 to 8.5 hours | 6-8 | Beginner + |
Why I Use Spaghetti Sauce Instead of Canned Tomatoes
Every other minestrone recipe I’ve come across starts with a can of crushed tomatoes and then hands you a list: oregano, basil, thyme, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper. A jar of spaghetti sauce already has all of that in it. Somebody measured it out and stirred it in before it ever hit the shelf, which makes life a whole lot easier.
I use Ragu, but that’s only because it’s my favorite. Any jar will work. If you’ve already got a brand you buy for pasta night, use that one.
How To Make Crock Pot Chicken Minestrone Soup
Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of the slow cooker, the frozen California veggie mix, and the frozen pepper and onion blend.
Next, pour the jar of spaghetti sauce and the chicken broth over the veggies, then stir well. Cover and cook on low for 7.5 hours.
Shred the chicken right in the slow cooker with two forks.
Stir in the ditalini and the drained cannellini beans, making sure the pasta is down under the liquid, or it won’t cook. Cover and cook on low for another 30 to 60 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Julie’s Recipe Note
If it gets too thick or the pasta soaks up more liquid than you’d like, stir in a little water at the end to loosen it back up. Don’t be tempted to add more than 8 ounces of pasta, as it will soak up every bit of the liquid. Eight ounces of pasta goes a long way with this recipe.
Why I Use Frozen Vegetables Instead of Fresh
Every other minestrone recipe I’ve looked at wants you to dice an onion, then carrots, then celery, then a zucchini, and one of them has you peeling a potato on top of that. That’s a cutting board and a good chunk of your morning before you’ve turned anything on.
Mine comes out of two bags in the freezer. The California blend brings the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and the pepper-and-onion blend handles the rest. Somebody already did the chopping. If you’d rather use fresh, you can go that route; just cut everything about the same size so it cooks evenly.
Storage And Reheating
If you have some leftovers, let them cool, and then store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three or four days.
Fair warning: the ditalini keeps soaking up the liquid overnight, so what was soup at supper will be closer to a casserole by morning. Just add a splash of water or broth when you reheat and stir it as it warms.
To reheat on the stovetop, put it in a pot over medium-low heat and stir every few minutes. In the microwave, cover the bowl and heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between.
Freezing
This one freezes, but the pasta is the catch. Ditalini holds up better than most shapes, and it’ll still soften some in the freezer.
If you know going in that you’re freezing a batch, skip the pasta and beans at the end. Freeze the soup as is, up to about three months, then cook the ditalini fresh and stir it in when you reheat. You can add the beans at the same time. Takes ten minutes, and it’s the difference between soup and mush.
Reheat from frozen in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring now and then, or thaw it in the refrigerator overnight first.
Crock Pot Chicken Minestrone Soup with Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 12 ounce bag frozen California-style veggie mix broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
- 8 ounce bag frozen pepper and onion blend
- 24 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
- 32 ounce carton chicken broth
- 15.5 ounce can cannellini beans drained
- 8 ounces ditalini pasta
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts, frozen California veggie mix, frozen pepper and onion blend, spaghetti sauce, and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 7.5 hours.
- Shred the chicken right in the slow cooker, then stir in the ditalini pasta and drained cannellini beans. Make sure the pasta is covered with liquid.
- Cover and cook for 30-60 more minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Video
Nutrition
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