Vegetable Beef Minestrone (no pasta or potatoes)

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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 349.9
  • Total Fat: 16.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 56.7 mg
  • Sodium: 854.0 mg
  • Total Carbs: 29.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 9.5 g
  • Protein: 21.2 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Vegetable Beef Minestrone (no pasta or potatoes) calories by ingredient


Introduction

Lots and LOTS of veggies, ground beef and more veggies. I love this soup, it's incredibly hearty and healthy and a little spicy. The only precooked thing in this soup is the vegetable juice which i'm sure you could make ahead. No canned anything! Lots and LOTS of veggies, ground beef and more veggies. I love this soup, it's incredibly hearty and healthy and a little spicy. The only precooked thing in this soup is the vegetable juice which i'm sure you could make ahead. No canned anything!
Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

    1lb Ground beef (cooked and drained of fat)
    1 zucchini (sliced)
    1 yellow squash (sliced)
    8oz mushrooms (thick sliced)
    4 med tomatoes (sliced, roasted in the oven)
    2 cups dark red kidney beans, dry not canned (rinsed)
    2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
    1/2 med yellow onion (chopped)
    3 cloves garlic (smashed)
    32 oz vegetable juice (spicy brand if available)
    1 large carrot (peeled & sliced)
    1/2 green bell pepper (chopped)
    1tsp ea salt & pepper
    1tsp Italian seasonings (or fresh herbs if you have them on hand)

Tips

I often use this as a meal, but 1 1/2 cups is a LOT of soup. Obviously you can use it as a starter or side and cut the cal considerably.
- You may need to add a bit more salt, depending on your taste.
- No need to soak the beans, 8 hours on low and they're nice and tender, and full of flavor since they've been soaking up the flavors from all the veggies all day.
- i like to prep this the night before and throw it in the crock pot in the AM. when i get home from work dinner is served. Alternately you could let it cook over night and pack it up the next morning for lunch.


Directions

Cook ground beef, season with salt/pepper and italian seasonings. Drain any excess fat.
In LARGE crockpot combine cooked ground beef, all veggies (sliced/chopped/cleaned etc) and your beans in the crockpot. Add your vegetable juice, season with cayenne if you prefer extra spicy, and top off the rest with water.
Stir it up. Let it sit for the next 8 hours on low. Then enjoy!

Serving Size: Makes about 6 - 1 1/2 cup servings