Made from canned white beans and tomatoes, plus broth and seasonings, this is an easy slow cooker soup to throw together. The orzo is added in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Finish the bowls of soup with a squeeze of lemon, grated parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs. I like serving this white bean soup with crunchy, salty crackers on the side.
*This recipe adds an extra cup of water/broth (9 cups instead of 8) because when you add orzo pasta at the end, it will absorb some of the liquid. I find that using only 8 cups of water/broth makes the soup too thick. If you prefer a thicker soup with less broth, then jut add 7 or 8 cups of liquid.
Recipe Tip: Some slow cooker recipes require sauteing the onion and garlic before adding them to the crock pot. This is because slow cookers don't always fully cook onion, and sauteing also helps boost the flavor of onion and garlic. You can do this if you like, but I find that simply microwaving the onion and garlic achieves nearly the same results and is quicker and easier.
This recipe is made in a 6-quart slow cooker.
This soup is ready to eat after 6 hours on low, but if you leave it in the slow cooker for 8 hours, the flavors get a little bit richer. Do what works best for you schedule!