Minestrone

I really like Olive Garden's minestrone so I searched for their recipe online. I didn't have many of the ingredients in my pantry and I didn't feel like going shopping so I just used what I had on hand. It's not really like their soup at all, but I still think it's one of the best I've made. (10 servings is a guess; I froze half and didn't pay attention to how much I ate.)

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can DelMonte stewed tomatoes, undrained, chopped (Original Recipe ( with onions, celery and green pepper)
• 1 (11 1/2ounce) can  V8 vegetable juice
• 1  cup water
• 2  teaspoons soy sauce
• 1  cup frozen green beans
• 1⁄2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 carrot, minced
• 4  slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1  tablespoon parsley
• 1⁄2 teaspoon basil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper
• 15  ounces cannellini beans, drained but not rinsed
• 2  cups macaroni noodles, prepared
• 2  medium potatoes, peeled, chopped and boiled
•  parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Add all ingredients except last four to crockpot; cover.
2. Cook on high for about an hour (or more if necessary; I cooked mine for almost 3 hours just to make sure the dried herbs softened up enough).
3. Add beans, noodles and potatoes and cook for 15-30 minutes (just enough to heat through).
4. Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.