Crock-Pot Zesty Italian Soup
Crock-Pot Zesty Italian Soup
Serves: 6 – 8 | Crock-Pot Size: 6 Quart
This was a recipe I threw together while cleaning out the fridge and freezer the other day. I discovered a package of stew meat and some veggies decided to throw together a quick soup for dinner. And then I spotted half a bottle of Italian salad dressing and thought “well that might be interesting….”
And so it was born. A recipe for Crock-Pot Zesty Italian Soup!
And it was good.
Very good!
The Italian salad dressing added just the right amount of zip and zing to an otherwise ordinary soup. And to “beef” things up I cooked up some curly rotini pasta and tossed those bad boys in before serving.
I know we end up getting a lot of comments about having cook pasta separately. I know, it adds an extra step. You could PROBABLY cook the pasta in the Crock-Pot but as a personal preference thing, I don’t. I find the pasta comes out mushy and changes the texture of the soup dish I am cooking. When you cook pasta the noodle release starch into the cooking liquid. And that starch thickens up the dish. That might be what you are looking for in some dishes. But I decided not this one.
No mushy noodles. Just a really great soup!
Serve this with a nice tossed salad and maybe some crusty Italian bread for a light dinner.
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Rating: 51
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours, 15 minutes
Yield: 6 – 8 servings
The secret ingredient is bottled Italian salad dressing!
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into small pieces 2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, with the juice 2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, with liquid 1 cup bottled Italian salad dressing* 1 small onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 3 large carrots, diced 2 medium zucchini, diced 2 cups beef broth 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (16 oz.) box rotini pastaInstructions
- Add all ingredients except the pasta to a 6 quart crock-pot.
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on high.
- Cook pasta according to directions on package on the stove-top and drain.
- Add cooked pasta to soup and serve and enjoy!
Notes
*You can use any type of bottled Italian salad dressing. Fat free, low fat, organic, or whatever you have on hand!
2.5
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