Zesty Minestrone Soup- frugal recipe

Zesty Minestrone Soup- courtesy of Kraft Food and Family (click on the aforesaid link to go directly to the recipe at Kraft. It may be more printer friendly)

1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1 cup chopped onions, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 can undrained diced tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed kidney beans
2 cans vegetable broth and 2 cups water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
optional: crisply cooked chopped bacon added to serving bowls

Heat dressing in a large nonstick skillet on medium high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots. Cook 2 minutes or until crisp tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a slow-cooker. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, water and Italian seasoning. Stir. Cover with lid. Cook on low 4 hours (my crock pot cooks pretty hot, and 4 hours worked out perfect for after church time. You could cook it differently depending on your time needs). Stir in macaroni. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and bacon before serving. Makes 8 one cup servings

To be honest, before I made this recipe, I didn't even know what minestrone soup tasted like, but this soup was a big hit with our family. It is really inexpensive to make as well, which is a huge perk. It is also a perfect meal for Sunday lunch since you make it in the crock-pot. We didn't use celery because I didn't have any in my fridge, and it turned out great. I'm sure you could adjust some of the ingredients to fit your tastes and/or pantry.