Prep:
10 minutes
Cook:
3 - 4 hours or 7 - 8 hours, plus 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. each salt and black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
14 oz. (about 2 medium) zucchini
4 cups roughly chopped spinach leaves
Optional seasonings: additional salt and black pepper
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a slow cooker except zucchini and spinach. Mix well.
Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours, until veggies have softened.
Once soup is almost done cooking, use a spiral vegetable slicer to cut
zucchini into spaghetti-like noodles. (If you don't have a spiral veggie
slicer, peel zucchini into super-thin strips, rotating the zucchini
after each strip.) Roughly chop for shorter noodles.
If cooking at high heat, decrease heat to low. Remove and discard bay
leaves. Stir in zucchini noodles and spinach. Re-cover, and cook for 10
minutes, or until zucchini noodles have slightly softened and spinach
has wilted.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Note: We use chicken broth for flavor, but feel free to use vegetable broth for a vegetarian-friendly spin!
1/6th of recipe (about 1 1/3 cups): 56 calories, 0.5g total fat (0g sat fat), 701mg sodium, 10g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 4.5g sugars, 3g protein -- SmartPoints 0