Slow Cooker Quinoa Minestrone
Servings
6
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
270 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 large onion (diced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1 celery stalk (cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 4-inch piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
-
1 14-oz jar or can cherry tomatoes, crushed lightly by hand
- 1 15-oz can small white beans, such as cannellini, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained well)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
-
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for finishing)
Instructions
- To the ceramic bowl of a 4-quart slow cooker, add onion, carrots, celery, salt, broth, bayleaf, Parmigiano rind, tomatoes, beans, and 2 cups of water. Stir to combine.
- Set the slow cooker to the high setting, and cook for 4 hours. Add the quinoa to the slow cooker, and reset the slow cooker on high for an additional 30 minutes.
- Turn the heat off. Discard the bay leaf and Parmigiano rind, and mix in basil and lemon juice. Ladle into bowls, and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of olive oil.
4 comments
Ciao cara, Now to English. I have prepared this recipe several times. It as an easy, healthy and tasty option. The beauty of this recipe is that one have the freedom to change the ingredients very easily and create a different taste. For instance, using peppers (any color), garbanzo, instead of cannellini, vegetable broth instead of chicken, etc. I love your cooking, you remind me my mother from Bolzano and I always use your page as a reference before any other chef. Stami bene e saluti. Guillermo
This is a fabulously tasty, easy and healthy recipe! I have made it in the slow-cooker and on the cooktop with much success. I prefer to quick sauté my onion, carrots and celery before mixing in the other ingredients to remove the 'hardness' in the finished soup. So so good!
I make this at least once a week to keep in the fridge for lunches. SOOOOO good. If I don't have quinoa, I'll sub in brown rice, white rice or even pasta sometimes. You dont need to use the slow cooker either if you are in a hurry, I just sautee all the veggies, then add the liquid, toss int he uncooked quinoa to cook with the juices and cover. The lemon is the secret ingred so dont skip it.
My Giadzy site is acting strange. It is not looking as it did. It is in a strange linear fashion with the recipes lining up down the left side of the screen. Do you have any advice about how to fix this? My password and log in info does not appear. Have I done something wrong? Thank you so much! I love Giadzy!