Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
Contributed by: News Canada
Try Slow Cooker Soups This Winter
(NC) - There is nothing better than walking into your home after a long, wintry day, and being greeted by the tantalizing aromas of a slow cooker meal.
Slow cooking has made a comeback in Canada in recent years, with about 10 per cent growth per year, especially since a variety of new slow cooker seasoning mixes have come to market. With a list of ingredients and instructions printed on the pouches, they make preparation of wholesome slow cooker meals as easy as possible. McCormick Canada has recently introduced a new line of slow cooker soup starters, making it even easier to prepare your favourite soups.
"Slow Cooker soups are so easy," says Jennifer Dionne, group marketing manager for McCormick Canada. "You simply add the desired fresh ingredients and seasoning mix to the slow cooker appliance, set it on low for eight hours or high for four hours, and come home to delicious, homemade soup."
She adds that the minestrone, chicken noodle and beef vegetable club house slow cooker soup seasoning mixes "contain no artificial flavours, colours or trans fat," as does the company's six other Club House slow cooker seasoning mixes that include pot roast, beef stew, BBQ pork, chili, Italian chicken, and BBQ ribs.
One tip Dionne recommends for busy families is to prepare the ingredients the night before, after dinner clean-up and during lunch bag preparation, so the meal components can be taken from the refrigerator, added to the seasoning mix and put into the slow cooker quickly in the morning before the family rushes off to work and school.
"And experiment with other ingredients once you are comfortable with a recipe to add variety to your slow cooked meal," she notes.
More information is available online at www.clubhouse.ca or toll-free at 1-800-265-2600.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (250 mL) each chopped onion, celery and carrots
- 1 can (14 fl oz/398 mL) diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 can (19 fl oz/540 mL) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 cups (1.25 L) water
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) uncooked baby shell pasta
- 1 packet Club House Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup Seasoning
Directions:
Place vegetables, tomatoes and kidney beans in slow cooker.
Combine Club House Slow Cooker Soup seasoning mix and water. Pour over vegetables and beans. Stir together.
Cover. Cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.
Stir in noodles. Cover. Cook 10 minutes longer on High or until noodles are tender.
TIP:
- Replace celery and carrots with 2 cups (500 mL) frozen mixed vegetables.
- When adding the pasta, add 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas or 3 cups (750 mL) fresh spinach, Swiss chard or kale.
- Brown 1/2 lb (250 g) ground chicken or pork and add with first 3 items. Continue as above.
More information is available online at www.clubhouse.ca or toll-free at 1-800-265-2600.
Serving Size: Makes 8 Servings
