Slow Cooker Zucchini Soup

Stolen from All Recipes Website

Okay, when the zucchini in the garden are going crazy, this is a great recipe to use for this prolific vegetable.

This is a recipe for zucchini soup which I found on All Recipes www.allrecipes.com.   It has many ingredients that individual family members don't like--celery, green pepper....  It got good reviews on All Recipes and we found it to be awesome.  Hint:  Use the unloved vegetables too.  This is definitely a soup that we will make many times and the beauty of it is it's done in the slow cooker.  

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage (remove casings)
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces celery
2 pounds zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.  Mix celery into cooked sausage; cook and stir until celery is softened, about 10 minutes.

Combine sausage mixture, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, salt, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and garlic powder in a slow cooker.

Cook on low for for 4-6 hours.  Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.

Serve with French bread or serve over rice or noodles.

Serves 6.