Cream of Tortellini Soup: Crockpot Recipe

This was a Pinterest find.  The original source can be found at Better Homes and Gardens.  I am a soup fanatic, but, alas, in pure tragedy style, the soup lover married the man who doesn't think soup is a meal.  In order to sway his soup disdaining heart, I added loads of Italian sausage to the recipe and made my broth extra rich and thick.  I won his heart.  Yay!

Next time I will add more chicken broth to my soup (I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth) in order to make this less rich, and I will keep the sausage.  I left off the mushrooms, which would have immediately caused a veto from hubby.  As many of the comments infer, "white sauce" wasn't found at my store, so a packet of Alfredo mix did the trick.  It was a very filling and enjoyable meal--especially on a chilly evening when even the peeps here in Southern California were wearing jackets and scarves.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

• 1
  1 1/2 - 2 ounce envelope white sauce mix (see above)
• 4
  cups water
• 1
  14 ounce can vegetable broth (see above)
• 1 1/2
  cups sliced fresh mushrooms (see above)
• 1/2
  cup chopped onion
• 3
  cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2
  teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1/4
  teaspoon salt
• 1/4
  teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/8
  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1
  7 - 8 ounce package dried cheese tortellini (about 2 cups)
• 1
  12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 6
  cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
• Ground black pepper (optional)
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Place dry white sauce mix in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting (in crock pot) for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3. Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 45 minutes more.

4. Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts (Creamy Tortellini Soup)