Italian Vegetable-and-Pasta Stew

By dashy_65

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups quartered small red potatoes
• 1 cup dried Great Northern or navy beans
• 1/2 cup sliced carrot
• 1/2 cup quartered mushrooms
• 1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
• 1/2 pound lean, boneless round steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can pasta-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (14 1/4-ounce) can fat-free beef broth
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1 cup torn spinach
• 1/2 cup uncooked alphabet or other small pasta
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on high-heat setting for 6 hours. Add zucchini and next 7 ingredients (zucchini through nutmeg); cover and cook on high-heat setting an additional 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Ladle into individual soup bowls, and sprinkle with cheese.

287 cal, 3.6g fat, 45.6g carb, 7.3g fiber, 503mg sodium