Minestrone Soup

This is one of those recipes made for a slow cooker and one that will also fill your house with a mouthwatering savory scent. The best time to make this soup is on a rainy day and when you know you'll be busy in the evening and don't want to fuss with cooking and loads of dishes to clean.

Minestrone Soup
1 pre-cut package of stew meat
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 to 3 cups water
2 cans diced tomatoes (low sodium)
5 cubes beef bouillon
1 can of kidney beans drained and rinsed (or garbanzo beans or both)
Carrots (how ever many you desire)
1 onion diced
2 to 3 tsp diced garlic
A half a head of cabbage chopped
1 zucchini chopped to bite size pieces
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
Pasta shells

Brown all sides of meat in hot pan over medium high heat. Don't cook all the way through, just lightly brown. Put meat in slow cooker along with everything else, excluding pasta shells. Slow cook all day on low. Once you're ready to eat, cook pasta shells and add to individual bowls. I wouldn't add pasta to entire thing, pasta can get a bit soggy if added to soup and left in the fridge. I like to top soup with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.