Italian Vegetable-and-Pasta Stew

Ingredients

• 14.3 ounce beef broth fat-free canned
• 14.5 ounce canned tomatoes pasta-style undrained canned
• 0.5 cup carrots sliced
• 1 cup navy beans dried
• 1 tablespoon rosemary dried crushed
• 3  garlic cloves chopped
• 0.3 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 0.5 cup mushrooms quartered
• 2 cups onion chopped
• 0.5 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 0.5 cup pearl barley uncooked
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper 
• 1.5 cups potatoes red quartered
• 0.5 pound round steak boneless lean cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup torn spinach 
• 4 cups water 
• 1 cup zucchini sliced
• 0.5 cup alphabet uncooked
• 0.5 cup alphabet uncooked

Equipment

• bowl
• ladle
• slow cooker

Directions

1. Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on high-heat setting for 6 hours.
2. Add zucchini and next 7 ingredients (zucchini through nutmeg); cover and cook on high-heat setting an additional 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Ladle into individual soup bowls, and sprinkle with cheese.