With the Italian Meat Mix Module in the freezer, this hearty Italian Meat, Vegetable, Pasta, & Bean Soup can be on the table and ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. Alternately, it can be assembled in a slow cooker in the morning and left to cook all day; dinner will be ready after work with no supervision. It’s a good soup to make when the zucchini crop begins to overtake the garden, since the zucchini adds both color and flavor.

If you’re not familiar with modules, they are defined as components (or main ingredients) that are interchangeable in many different dishes. Modules are real time savers, since most of the cooking has already been done and a variety of dishes can be assembled quickly by adding a minimum number of ingredients, including convenience products that are on the pantry shelves. This soup is no exception.

Italian Vegetable, Pasta, & Bean Soup is versatile; the beef broth can be either canned or made with bouillon. The carrots and onions can be fresh if there’s time to chop them, or it’s easy to grab some frozen ones from the freezer; if there are dehydrated vegetables in storage, they may also be used. The type of pasta can also be changed – use whatever shape is on the pantry shelves, although angel hair seems to cook fastest. Any spaghetti sauce may be used – canned, frozen, or leftover homemade. Another timesaver is purchasing the mushrooms already sliced from the produce department.

Accompaniments to this soup for a complete meal are a tossed salad of some kind and of course, crusty bread from the bakery served with real butter.

Italian Meat, Vegetable, Pasta, & Bean Soup Recipe

15 Servings

10 cups beef broth
1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups Italian Meat Mix from the Italian Meat Mix Module
2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
2 cups onions, coarsely chopped

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2' chunks
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, (white kidney beans) rinsed and drained, or substitute any white bean such as Great Northern
6 ounces angel hair pasta, broken into 1" lengths

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup garlic and herb croutons

1. Stovetop:Mix the beef broth, spaghetti sauce, Italian Meat Mix, carrots, and onions in a large soup pot.


2. Cover and bring to a boil; turn down to a simmer and cook until the carrots are almost tender.


3. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, beans, and pasta.


4. Cook until the pasta is tender.

1. Slow Cooker: Place all ingredients except pasta in a large (4-6 quart) slow cooker.


2. Cover, set the slow cooker to low, and cook 5-7 hours


3. Add the pasta the last 30 minutes of cooking

Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 295 Calories from Fat 74
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 25% Protein 24% Carb. 51%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 8 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 23 mg
Sodium 1123 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 18 g

Vitamin A 95% Vitamin C 23% Calcium 0% Iron 21%