Slow Cooker Italian Harvest Soup

This Slow Cooker Italian Harvest Soup is easy to make and SO flavorful! It serves 8 people and costs just $6.86 to make and 86¢ a serving! 

Soup season is almost here. Well, technically, it is a couple of months away for us in Arizona as we are still hitting 110 degrees! Once September rolls around I start dreaming of fall because it’s one of the best seasons of the year. Soups are one of my favorite meals to make during the fall because they are filling, easy to make, feeds a crowd, and are budget-friendly. 

This Italian Harvest Soup is no exception to that. It is definitely one of my favorite soups of all time. I love all the fresh zucchini and squash mixed in with the pasta and other veggies. The best part is for under $7 I can feed my whole family and usually have leftovers for lunch the next day! 

SLOW COOKER ITALIAN HARVEST SOUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED:

Do you cook pasta before putting it in soup?

You can actually cook the pasta before putting it in the soup or you can cook the pasta while letting the soup simmer. Either way, you will want to serve the soup immediately after it has cooked to avoid the pasta soaking up all of the liquid. Our preferred method is adding the pasta to the slow cooker 30 minutes before dinner time. 

How do you make a good soup? 

Obviously, following our recipe will help you create a good soup! LOL But there are a few other things you can do to help with any soup recipe such as sweating the vegetables or cutting the veggies into spoon-sized pieces. One other tip is to let the soup simmer. This is what is so great about cooking it in a slow cooker, you avoid accidentally over boiling it which creates mushy vegetables and nobody likes that! 

How to Make Italian Harvest Soup Recipe:

1. First, chop the veggies. 
2. Second, combine all of the ingredients into the crockpot except for the pasta. 
3. Next, let it cook all day. 
4. Lastly, add the pasta 30 minutes before dinner time. Serve immediately. 

How to get the kids involved with this recipe:

• Ages 2-3: Let them help you put the veggies in the crockpot and unwrap the bullion cubes. 
• Ages 4-5: Let them measure the and count the cups of water as you dump them into the slow cooker. Also, have them pour in the pasta sauce and all of the other ingredients into the crockpot. They can pour in the pasta towards the end of cooking as well. 
• Ages 6-8: Guide their hands on the knife as you chop the vegetables together. This is a great time to teach them knife safety. 
• Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe. Depending upon their knife skills, they may need some help and guidance. 
• Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!

Discover why we love getting the kids involved in the kitchen and more tips in our How to Get Kids Involved In Cooking article.

Flavor and Recipe Variations:

• Sometimes I add in some browned Italian sausage during step 1. 
• If you are in a pinch and don’t have fresh veggies feel free to use frozen veggies as a substitute. Just keep in mind this will change the cost calculations slightly from what we have calculated. 

What to Serve with Italian Harvest Soup:

• Serve our 1-Hour French Bread with this soup, it’s perfect for sopping up the broth. Dipping fresh bread into soup is seriously delicious!
• 1-Hour Dinner Rolls
• Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

More Easy Main Dish Ideas:

• 15-Minute Skillet Tilapia with Artichokes and Tomatoes
• American Goulash
• Easy Beef Chili
• Ground Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki
• Homemade Sloppy Joes
• Inside Out Chicken Pot Pie
• Italian Zucchini Boats
• Machaca Burritos
• Meatball Subs
• Mexican Chicken Rice Bowls
• One Pan Cheesy Broccoli Chicken

How long is this good for:

• Serve: You can keep the soup out at room temperature for about 90 minutes. 
• Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. After 3 days the veggies start to get too soggy. 
• Freeze: If you want to freeze this recipe, then I suggest placing all of the ingredients (except for the pasta) in a large freezer Ziploc bag. It will be good for about 3 months frozen this way. 
  • TO COOK FROM THE FROZEN STATE: Place the frozen block of ingredients into the slow cooker. Add 1 hour to the cooking times below. 

How much will this Italian Harvest Soup Recipe cost?

RECIPE COST: $6.86

COST PER SERVING: $0.86

To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.

• 5 cups water – $0
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes – $0.32
• 1 cup pasta sauce – $0.56
• 1 medium yellow onion – $0.62
• 3 medium zucchinis – $1.95
• 1 yellow squash – $0.71
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes – $0.98
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning – $0.38
• 15 oz can cannellini beans  – $1.00
• ½ cup dried orzo pasta – $0.32
• Salt and pepper to taste – $0.02

Cook’s Tools:

• slow cooker
• cutting board
• chef’s knife

Slow Cooker Italian Harvest Soup

Recipe Cost 6.86

Serving Cost 0.86

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

This Slow Cooker Italian Harvest Soup is easy to make and SO flavorful! It serves 8 people and costs just $6.86 to make and 86¢ a serving! 

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 15 mins

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Equipment

• slow cooker
• cutting board
• chef's knife

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 cup pasta sauce
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3 medium zucchinis chopped small
• 1 medium yellow squash chopped small
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 15 oz can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
• ½ cup dried orzo pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

FOR SERVING:

• Shredded Parmesan cheese optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker except for the pasta.
• Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
• 30 minutes before dinner time, add the pasta. Serve immediately with shredded Parmesan cheese (optional).

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 839mg | Potassium: 506mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 397IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 3mg

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