Clean Out The Freezer Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup

With most of us under the weather today, I decided to throw together some soup. This will work great in the slow cooker. I have some summer vegetables from the Farmers Market that were frozen. I also have some easy items (frozen lima beans and canned tomatoes) to use. My job as chef tonight will only take a few minutes. That's great as it means more time to rest!

• 4 cups chicken broth fresh or from a carton
• 1 box of frozen lima beans
• 1 bag of frozen zucchini squash (about 1 large fresh)
• 1 small marinated pork steak
• 1 small bag of frozen chopped bell pepper (about 1 fresh pepper)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh onion
• 1 minced clove of fresh garlic
• 1 cup of fresh chopped carrots
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can of diced tomatoes undrained
• About 30 minutes before serving I will add a cup of cooked whole wheat penne pasta

Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low and cook for an additional 6 hours. Add salt and pepper as needed. Top with parmesan cheese.