- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups dried cannellini beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 pound ditalini pasta
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Basil sprigs, garnish, optional
If using dried beans, soak cannellini beans overnight in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches for 6 hours or overnight. Drain when ready to use.
In the slow cooker , combine the olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, cannellini beans, zucchini, vegetable or chicken stock, herbs, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours until beans are tender.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain with cold water. Place in container with a little olive oil or nonfat cooking spray and refrigerate until ready to serve soup.
Stir pasta into the soup, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil sprigs, if desired.
Optional Add in: Crumbled Italian Sausage
Note: If soup will be served immediately, pasta can be added to the slow cooker in the last half hour of slow cooking and cooked, covered for 30 minutes, until al dente.
Serves 6.
You can get more slow cooker recipes at http://crockpot.cdkitchen.com/.
