Crockpot Hearty Minestrone Soup Inspired by Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli

Childhood memories are stirred up whenever I cook up a batch of soup.  Nothing was better than the smell of a big pot of simmering soup and homemade bread.

Enjoy this soup, and I hope it provides your family with many happy memories.  

Crockpot Hearty Minestrone Soup 

 

In a crockpot add the following, cook on high one hour and switch to low for at least 5 more hours:

half pound precooked ground beef and one small diced onion cooked (I cook up a large batch of ground beef and freeze it in portions, then defrost as needed)
1 can of 15 ounce tomato sauce
1 can of 14.5 ounce reduced sodium beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 small diced tomatoes
1 can of 15.5 ounce cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of 15.5 ounce navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of 15.5 ounce red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 celery stalks chopped
10 small baby carrots or 1 large diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon of white cooking wine
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
optional salt to taste

When you are ready to serve your soup, cook separately:
1/3 box Ditalini pasta

For pasta, cook it separately following package directions then add it to your bowl as you serve your soup.

Optional, garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. 

Notes:  If you under cook your pasta then add it to your soup, it will soak up all of your broth, and will no longer be soup.  For this reason, I like to keep my noodles separate.  Also, the can sizes given are what I found at my local store, and vary by manufacturer, so select a size that is close.