SLOW COOKER VEGETARIAN PASTA E FAGIOLI SOUP (WITH OPTIONAL GROUND BEEF)

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli Soup (with Optional Ground Beef) image

Provided by Kare for Kitchen Treaty

Time 8h15m

Number Of Ingredients 18

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
2 medium cloves garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black poepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 small green cabbage (finely chopped (4 cups))
3 medium carrots (peeled and diced (1 cup))
1 medium zucchini (diced (optional))
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup small pasta of your choice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings: Fresh basil and/or parsley (drizzle of olive oil, shredded Parmesan cheese)
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground beef

Steps:

Drizzle the olive oil into a large saute pan set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring once or twice, for 1 minute. Splash in about 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour into slow cooker.
To the slow cooker, add remaining vegetable broth, cabbage, carrots, zucchini if using, beans, and tomatoes. (If you're adding 1 pound ground beef to the entire batch, you can cook and drain ground beef well and add it now.) Cook for 8 hours on low (5-6 hours on high should also do the trick).
30 minutes before the cooking process ends, add pasta and put lid back on the Crock Pot.* Continue cooking on low until tender.
*At this point, if you're adding ground beef to half, set a large saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/2 pound ground beef, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Transfer a little less than half the soup to the pan with the ground beef and let simmer, covered, until pasta is completely tender and soup is heated through.
Stir in red wine vinegar (divide between separate pots if doing the half-meaty version) and taste. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.
Serve topped with chopped parsley and/or basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and pass with Parmesan cheese if desired.