So it’s that time of year where we really have to accept that winter is upon us and we won’t see sun for quite some time. And how do we cope with this? We eat warm, hearty foods sitting in front of the fire. This is a really easy crock pot dish that is perfect to come home to after a long day at work or school and then a commute back home in the rain. I actually doubled the recipe and have an additional 4 servings sitting in the freezer to get me through finals in the coming weeks.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients (serves 4)
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can white beans, drained
2-4 carrots, pealed and chopped
2-4 celery stocks, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
2 cups cooked pasta (could do GF)
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
4 tablespoons parmesan, for serving

1. Mix broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and salt and pepper in your crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

2. Thirty minutes before the soup is done, add the pasta, zucchini, and spinach to the crock pot. You can also add 1-2 cups of water if you feel like the soup could use more liquid. Re-cover and cook for the remaining thirty minutes.

3. When done, remove the bay leaves and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with parmesan cheese. This is a great dish to freeze and use later as well.