This meaty, hearty soup is loaded with vegetables, protein, and Italian spices. The seasons are changing, so it’s time for the recipes to follow suit.  For me personally, fall is just an excuse to make soups all day every day, even though our Houston “fall” is 91 degrees fahrenheit and 98% humidity..

The skeleton of this recipe was taken from The Recipe Critic, but I tailored it to be gluten free and more flavorful with extra spices. The soup takes just a bit of prep time and is super easy to throw everything together. I cannot stress how amazing it is to have a slow cooker (crockpot). It saves me so much time during the week because of the  shear capacity of food it makes. Essentially, whatever you throw in a crockpot is guaranteed to turn out spectacular. Just saying.

Serve the soup with chips (if you love the crunch) and lactose free parmesan, and dig in!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef, lean
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Bay leaves, whole
• 1 tsp basil, dried
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 can kidney beans, red, rinsed and drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, large and chopped
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes with basil
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) of beef broth
• 1 cup gluten free pasta, uncooked (I used Ancient Harvest Shell Pasta)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. In a stovetop skillet, add the olive oil and beef. Cook until browned and no longer pink.
2. Place the meat in the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except for the beans and pasta.
3. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in beans and pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaves before serving.
4. Serve immediately while hot.

If you make this, let me know how it turns out! As always, thank you for reading.