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This easy, healthy and delicious summer vegetable soup proves that minestrone is not just for cold weather. The key is to serve it like the Italians do, at room temperature, with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
Which is what I did for dinner last night.
We enjoyed it with crusty Italian bread and a bit of Spanish chorizo and Manchego cheese on the side. YUM!
And I plan on having it several more times this week to compensate for all the extra indulgences I ate and drank (rocky road ice cream, french fries, margaritas, ribs, sangria, berry cobbler…) during the long holiday weekend.
If you prefer, it is delicious served hot too. But with our triple digit temperatures hot soup is the last thing I want right now.
This slow cooker summer vegetable soup requires a fair bit of chopping, an activity I find almost as soothing and meditative as yoga. As I focus on the task at hand, I can feel my body and mind relax. And once I am finished, and everything is in the pot, all of the hard work is behind me. Eight or so hours later and I’m rewarded with a pot of deliciousness!
Of course if chopping is not your thing, feel free to substitute your favorite combination of frozen vegetables. I’ll never tell 🙂
How Many Calories and WW Points in Slow Cooker Summer Vegetable Soup?
According to my calculations each serving has 191 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
3 SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
0 SmartPoints (Purple plan) (with brown rice)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
How Can I Make This Soup Work with WW Simply Filling Technique?
Use brown rice instead of white to make this work with Weight Watchers Simply Filling.
Additions, Substitutions and Variations
Simply Filling?
Use brown rice.
No garbanzo beans?
Substitute whatever beans you like best—white beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc.
No fresh vegetables?
Substitute your favorite combination of frozen veggies if you don’t have fresh on hand or are not in the mood for chopping.
Spicier?
Add crushed red pepper flakes to taste when serving.
Brighter?
A splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar should work.
I can’t wait to make this soup in my beautiful new Pioneer Woman Slow Cooker I picked up at Walmart yesterday…
If you like this recipe for summer slow cooker vegetable soup, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers friendly soup recipes including: Slow Cooker Tuscan Vegetable Soup, Stove Top Summer Vegetable Soup, Slow Cooker Vegetarian Minestrone, Weight Watchers Simple Garden Vegetable Soup and Easy 4-Ingredient Black Bean and Corn Soup
If you’ve made this Summer Minestrone, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Slow Cooker Summer Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
- 14 ounces canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 2 medium onions chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 large celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth (affiliate link)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving, if desired
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 5- to 6-Quart.
- Combine the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, garlic, bell pepper, zucchini, water, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste, stirring well.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 – 9 hours or on HIGH for 4 – 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the rice. Cover and cook on HIGH, 30 minutes longer, or until the rice is tender and the soup is thick.
- Stir in the basil and let the soup cool to room temperature.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper to suit your tastes. Spoon into bowls. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of Parmesan if desired.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 SmartPoints (Green plan) 2 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 0 SmartPoints (Purple plan) (with brown rice) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) Additions, Substitutions and Variations:
Simply Filling?
Use brown rice. No garbanzo beans?
Substitute whatever beans you like best—white beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc. No fresh vegetables?
Substitute your favorite combination of frozen veggies if you don’t have fresh on hand or are not in the mood for chopping. Spicier?
Add crushed red pepper flakes to taste when serving. Brighter?
A splash of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar should work.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Check out this entertaining food tube video with Gennaro Contaldo as he shows how to make traditional Italian vegetable soup with 12 vegetables from his garden…
More Easy Slow Cooker Soup Recipes for Weight Watchers
- Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Quinoa & Sweet Potatoes (Cookin’Canuck)
- Crock Pot Minestrone (SkinnyTaste)
- Slow Cooker Veggie Soup – 0 SmartPoints (HungryGirl)
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup (Cookin’Canuck)
- The Easiest Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup (DashingDish)
Had lots of fresh vegetables from garden so I doubled the recipe except for adding a cup of rice instead of 1/2 a cup and turned it into stewuop (stew/soup). Added chicken broth to thin it out. It was sooo good after adding the olive oil & parm cheese. Thought I was back in Italy.
I wasn’t too sure about room temperature soup, but this one’s a keeper, especially on warm summer evenings! My kids actually liked it too, which is always a plus. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe It’s so easy and delicious
Can I freeze this? Thanks!
Hi Olivia, I’ve never frozen this but believe it will be fine. ~Martha
This is so yummy, and a hit with my husband. The fresh basil is rocks it. It is on the “make again” list.
Thanks for letting me know Charlene! It’s on my list to make this week too 🙂 ~Martha