Slow-Cooked Beef Minestrone

by Wegmans Fall 2009 Menu magazine

1 1½ lbs. Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

Pan Searing Flour

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 16oz Minestrone Soup Vegetables (or any other soup vegetable in the frozen section) (if frozen thaw completely)

Salt and Pepper

1 12oz carton Beef Stock

1 14.5oz can Italian-Style Diced Tomatoes

1 24oz Italian Seasoned Tomato Sauce

½ cup dry Ditalini Soup Pasta

1 15.5oz can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed

1 6oz pkg Baby Spinach

You’ll need:  Slow cooker, large braising pan

Dust beef with pan searing flour; pat off excess.

Heat oil in large braising pan on medium-high until oil faintly smokes.  Add beef; sear 10 minutes until all sides are paper-bag brown.  Transfer beef to slow cooker; don’t discard pan drippings.  Add vegetable to skillet with beef drippings; season with salt and pepper.  Cook stirring 3 min; add to slow cooker.  Add stock, tomatoes and sauce to slow cooker.  Cover cook 4½ - 6 hours on HIGH or 8 - 10 hours on LOW.  Add dry pasta and beans 30 mins before end of cooking on HIGH (45  min before end of cooking on LOW).  Add spinach to slow cooker.  Stir to blend well.  Allow spinach to lightly wilt, about 2 min.

I would like to take credit for this but Elise cooked this one.  All I did was make sure we had all the ingredients, I handed her the recipe and she did the rest.


This recipe I found in the Wegmans Menu magazine from Fall 2009.   As some of you may know, my family and I make a trip out to a Wegmans store at least once every season.  If you've never been to a Wegmans, well I really don't know how to describe it other than it's....it's, an experience.  Anyway, I've made this minestrone several times since last Fall but just before I started my blog last January.  It's a great winter meal but I just got in the mood for it.  I love the savory, tomatoee juices blended in with the beef and broth and vegies.  This meal is also healthy because it has fresh spinach in it :) and it's really, really good.  Hubby loved it although it would've been better had it been 40 degrees outside instead of 85 degrees.  Summer just won't let go, today is Autumn Eve.  It's the talk around town, even in the news, everyone wants it to be Autumn, and Autumn weather, 50's-60 degrees, cold and rainy. *whimper* ~isavortheweekend