Cooking 4 You: Wegmans' Slow-Cooked Beef Minestrone Soup

NBC4's Health and Fitness Expo is coming to the Washington Convention Center on March 10 and 11.

You can watch cooking demonstrations at the Expo's Cooking 4 You stage.

Here's a recipe for slow-cooked beef minestrone soup that Wegmans will showcase at the Expo:

Slow-Cooked Beef Minestrone Soup - Low Sodium, Low-Calorie, Lean 

Serves: 8 

Active Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes to 9 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Wegmans Boneless Beef Chuck Roast, cut in 1-inch cubes

1 pkg (16 oz) Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Minestrone Soup Vegetables

Salt and pepper to taste

1 container (32 oz) Food You Feel Good About Beef Culinary Stock

1 can (14.5 oz) Wegmans Italian Style Diced Tomatoes

1 container (24 oz) Italian Classics Seasoned Tomato Sauce (Dairy Dept)

1/2 cup Italian Classics Ditalini Rigati Pasta, uncooked

1 can (15.5 oz) Food You Feel Good About Garbanzo Beans, rinsed, drained

1 pkg (6 oz) Food You Feel Good About Fresh Baby Spinach

You'll need: 6-8-quart slow cooker 

1. Add beef, veggies, salt, pepper, stock, tomatoes, and sauce to 6-8 qt slow cooker.

2. Cover; cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 8 hours. Add dry pasta and beans; cook another 30 min on HIGH or 45 min on LOW.

3. Add spinach to slow cooker; stir about 2 min until wilted.

Chef Tips:

• Pasta can be cooked per pkg directions and added along with spinach.

• For deeper flavor, try searing beef before adding to slow cooker.

• Try using stew beef in place of chuck roast.

Nutrition Info: 

Each serving (1 1/2 cups; about 13 oz) contains 300 Calories, 24 g Carbohydrate (5 g Fiber, 0 g Estimated Added Sugar), 19 g Protein, 14 g Fat (6 g Saturated Fat), 50 mg Cholesterol, 430 mg Sodium