Crock Pot Ground Beef Minestrone Soup

My husband and I were lifting the lid about every 15 minutes to taste the broth because it tasted so delicious to us. I slapped this recipe together yesterday for the first time and we will definitely be making this again and again. This experiment came out way better than expected. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. I love soup loaded with vegetables in a flavorful tomato based broth. I was looking to use up two thawed uncooked hamburger patties along with a bunch of fresh veggies I had in my fridge.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1⁄3 lb ground beef
• 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup celery, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, pressed
• 2  carrots, sliced
• 2  medium potatoes, cubed
• 1  zucchini, sliced & quartered
• 1  cup green beans, pieces
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2  bay leaves
• 1  teaspoon basil
• 1  teaspoon oregano
• 1  teaspoon thyme
• 2  teaspoons parsley
• 1⁄2 tablespoon sugar
• 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 4  beef bouillon cubes
• 2  chicken bouillon cubes
• 3  cups water

Directions

1. Brown ground beef along with onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic.
2. Boil 3 C of water and mix in beef & chicken bouillon.
3. Put all ingredients into crock pot and stir.
4. Cook on high 2 hours, low for 3 - 5 hours or if you want to extend the cooking time all on low for 8 - 10 hours or to your desired doneness of the veggies.