So last week I told you about my favorite go-to products to use when I’m swamped with work (aka – trader joe’s is a grad student’s best friend) and this week the story is all about how the crock pot is a grad student’s other best friend.
There’s seriously nothing better than just being able to throw a bunch of ingredients in a big pot and literally let the pot do the cooking for you. While I was at the store this weekend, I picked up a bunch of veggies, two cans of low-sodium beans, a carton of low-sodium vegetable broth and some whole wheat pasta, threw it all into the crock pot overnight and woke up with fully prepared meals for the rest of the week.
There’s truly nothing better than that. The crock pot is especially perfect for when the weather starts to get cold because it means comforting, warm dishes can be on the table with minimal effort on your end!
And you know me and my love for one-pot dishes. This provides tons of veggies, carbohydrates AND protein. All I need to do is sprinkle it with a little cheese, add a piece of fruit on the side and I’m good to go!
That’s something that I will ALWAYS be on board with!
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini, washed and chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2 red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 2 large handfuls of kale, stems removed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 15 oz can low-sodium cannellini beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can low-sodium dark red kidney beans, drained (any beans of your choosing would work!)
- 1-2 cups whole wheat pasta, cooked (penne or elbows both work well!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients (except the pasta) into a crock pot for 8-10 hours (or until vegetables are to the tenderness you prefer).
- Cook and added the pasta separately to avoid it getting mushy*
- *Note, I chose to cook the pasta separate to avoid it getting overly mushy because I was cooking it overnight, but have read if you add it into the crock pot for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking this prevents it from getting mushy and avoids having to cook it separately
This soup looks really good! And healthy too! 🙂
http://www.thesparklingdarling.com
Definitely! That’s the best part about it – easy, healthy and delicious! 🙂