Slow Cooked Beef Minestrone Soup- My Favorite!!

Since it has been getting colder and colder outside I decided that its time to post the recipe for my favorite Crock-Pot meal ever: Slow-Cooked Beef Minestrone Soup. I stumbled across this in a Wegmans magazine last fall ( I know, you're shocked I didn't find it on Pinterest!) and I've been in love with it ever since. It's so easy and tastes amazing. I've even been able to convince my mom to make it a couple of times and she enjoyed it as well (for those of you who know her, you know that she's not one to change her dinner routine/menu that quickly...so since she's added this to the rotation you know it's good!).

Crock-Pot meals are my favorite. I'm pretty sure that next to sliced bread, the Crock-Pot was one of the greatest inventions of all time. It's the perfect kitchen gadget! No other kitchen gadget allows you to put everything in one pot and forget about it for 6 hours. Seriously, genius.

Now, keep in mind this is a Wegmans recipe, so everything on their ingredients list is a Wegmans brand. There isn't a law out there that says you have to buy the Wegman's Italian Classics or their prepackaged vegetables...there are other easy and delicious substitutes out there. The only reason I buy this brand is for convenience; when I prep a Crock-Pot meal its usually on a day that neither my husband nor I are going to be home and I have little to no time in the morning to dice and chop vegetables, let alone pan sear the meat (maybe if I got my butt out of bed earlier before work this wouldn't be an issue..but oh well!). It's a personal preference and you can't mess this recipe up- use what you want!

So here you go, here's the list of ingredients and the directions:

Slow Cooked Beef Minestrone Soup:

Ingredients:

1 pkg (about 1.6 lbs) Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
Wegmans Pan Searing Flour
2 Tbsp Wegmans Pure Olive Oil
1 pkg(16 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Minestrone Soup Vegetables*
Salt and pepper
1 carton (32 oz) Food You Feel Good About Beef Culinary Stock
1 can (14.5 oz) Wegmans Italian-Style Diced Tomatoes
1 pkg (24 oz)Italian Classics Seasoned Tomato Sauce (Prepared Foods)
1/2 cup dry Italian Classics Ditalini Soup Pasta
1 can (15.5 oz) Italian Classics Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed**
1 pkg (5 oz) Food You Feel Good About Baby Spinach 

*Minestrone Vegetables include: Potatoes, zucchini, leeks, carrots, celery, onions & cabbage- if you choose to chop your own fresh vegetables.
** I omit the beans- just not my thing.

Directions: (seriously, just 6 easy steps!)

1. Coat beef with pan-searing flour; pat off excess.
    
2. Heat oil in large braising pan on MEDIUM-HIGH until oil faintly smokes. Add beef; sear 10 min until all sides are brown.
   
3. Place beef in slow cooker; don't discard pan drippings. Add vegetables to pan with beef drippings; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, 3 min; add to slow cooker.
   
4. Add stock, tomatoes, and sauce to slow cooker. Cover, cook 4 1/2-6 hours on HIGH or 8-10 hours on LOW.
     
5. Add dry pasta and beans 30 minutes before end of cooking on HIGH (45 minutes before end of cooking on LOW).
   
6. Add spinach to slow cooker; stir to blend well. Allow spinach to lightly wilt, about 2 min. 

That's it! This meal will make your house smell amazing and your mouth will be watering all afternoon while you anxiously await dinner! Don't forget to add some Italian Bread on the side to dip- you can't have soup without bread!