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Hi There Friendly Friends! I’m Christine from Cook the Story here to tell you about my easy and tasty Slow Cooker Italian Vegetarian Bean Soup. This soup has the flavors of Italian sausage but without the sausage, making it a healthy but oh so satisfying weeknight meal.
I’ve never been much of a slow cooker kind of gal. When I first tried some slow cooker recipes years ago, they weren’t as good as what I made on my stovetop so I didn’t bother.
That was in my pre-kid days when cooking was my favorite spare-time hobby. I’d fill the stove and oven with pots and pans and whirl around to dance tunes while my stomach grumbled along.
I still love cooking just as much. And I still love to cook in my spare time. If ever I have any spare time, that is. Like most moms these days, I’m jogging, jousting and jumping through hoops from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed (or at least until when I plonk onto the couch for a pre-bedtime snuggle with The Hubs).
So these days I’m becoming more and more of a slow cooker kind of gal.
I make a slow cooker meal at least once a week. It’s usually a soup or stew, because that’s what I find works best.
I use my 3 quart slow cooker for these soups because it holds the right amount for my family: Enough for 2 adult dinners, 2 kid-sized dinners and 2 adult leftover lunches.
For this soup, you cook dry Great Northern Beans with the flavors found in Italian sausages, but without the sausage. This makes it a very hearty yet healthy bean soup.
Once the beans are cooked, you add more liquid, let it warm back up and eat the bean soup with a big piece of whole wheat bread.
(Note that you can actually do all kinds of things with the cooked beans. Don’t add the liquid at the end and instead toss the beans with cooked pasta and mozzarella cheese. Bake until hot and gooey. Or fold them into cooked rice and top with a fried egg. The possibilities for these slow cooker beans are endless).
Slow Cooker Italian Vegetarian Bean Soup
This vegetarian bean soup has all the flavors usually found in Italian sausage but without the actual sausage. It's a slow cooker soup for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dry Great Northern Beans
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
- 2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese (opt)
Instructions
- Combine the beans, celery, onion, carrots, fennel seeds, oregano, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and 5 cups of cold water in a 3 quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours, until beans are tender.
- If desired, drain to remove the bean cooking liquid which sometimes causes gas. Whether you drain the beans or not you’ll need to add more liquid. Add enough water to achieve desired soup thickness (it will be between 2-4 cups). Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of the parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 17gSugar: 3gProtein: 19g
Thanks for sharing the great recipe
very easy and nice recipe
Easy recipe. Loved it. I hate fennel so I put in bacon bits instead. I also mashed it. It was such a filling soup that it made a complete meal. Thanks for the recipe
Do the cooking instructions change much if you use canned beans? Would you just add the beans later in the cooking process? Thanks!
I would add then in the last half of the cooking time, otherwise the beans would become really mushy. 🙂 `~w
Fed it to my family today, and they ALL ate it! I’m adding it to our rotation. My vegan husband and carnivore son both went back for seconds!
This looks super yummy! I pinned it for later, thanks for sharing it.
This looks delicious! I love soups in the crock pot, as it’s so nice to have a hearty, warm soup on a cold day with minimal work.
This soup looks AMAZING!!