I usually save crockpot meals for long work days, but the recipe that follows only has to cook 5-6 hours. From when I start a crockpot in the morning to when I get home from work, it's a minimum of 9 hours. Now, many recipes can simmer longer than they call for: soups, some meats, sauces, but this recipe has tortellini and I was afraid the pasta would get too mushy if I tried it on a work day. So I made it today when I could start it around noon.
This was originally a five ingredient recipe and, like most crock pot recipes, you simply dump everything in and cook. I found this on pinterest and initially wasn't sure if it was a soup or a pasta dish. I ended up adding a little cornstarch (technically the sixth and seventh ingredients) because I wanted a thicker sauce. In the end, I decided this was to be a soup. Also, I had one lone chicken breast left from something I made a couple days ago (I can't remember what, isn't that sad?), so I chopped it into really small pieces (about the size of a dice let's say) and threw that in too. Here's my version....
Creamy Tortellini Soup
Original Inspiration
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen tortellini (I think it was a pound, I pitched the bag before I typed this!)
1 small bag of fresh spinach (My grocery sells whole leaf bundles, so I used one of these and chopped it up)
2 - 14 oz cans of Italian style diced tomatoes, juice and all (or regular diced tomates with 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning)
32 oz (4 cups) vegetable or chicken broth (I used vegetable)
1-8 oz block of cream cheese, cut into cubes
1-2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Directions - Ready for it?
1. Dump everything into your favorite crockpot.
2. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
*If you want to thicken the sauce a bit, you can stir two tablespoons into 2-3 tablespoons cool water or broth and pour that in to the last half hour or so. For corn starch to "activate" it needs to be fully dissolved in cool liquid, then heated to a gentle boil. Then its thickening powers will take over.
Not as caloric as you'd think:
Makes 8 servings / serving size = 1.5 cups
301 calories / 21 carbs / 16 fat / 20 protein
This was originally a five ingredient recipe and, like most crock pot recipes, you simply dump everything in and cook. I found this on pinterest and initially wasn't sure if it was a soup or a pasta dish. I ended up adding a little cornstarch (technically the sixth and seventh ingredients) because I wanted a thicker sauce. In the end, I decided this was to be a soup. Also, I had one lone chicken breast left from something I made a couple days ago (I can't remember what, isn't that sad?), so I chopped it into really small pieces (about the size of a dice let's say) and threw that in too. Here's my version....
Creamy Tortellini Soup
Original Inspiration
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen tortellini (I think it was a pound, I pitched the bag before I typed this!)
1 small bag of fresh spinach (My grocery sells whole leaf bundles, so I used one of these and chopped it up)
2 - 14 oz cans of Italian style diced tomatoes, juice and all (or regular diced tomates with 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning)
32 oz (4 cups) vegetable or chicken broth (I used vegetable)
1-8 oz block of cream cheese, cut into cubes
1-2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Directions - Ready for it?
1. Dump everything into your favorite crockpot.
2. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
*If you want to thicken the sauce a bit, you can stir two tablespoons into 2-3 tablespoons cool water or broth and pour that in to the last half hour or so. For corn starch to "activate" it needs to be fully dissolved in cool liquid, then heated to a gentle boil. Then its thickening powers will take over.
Not as caloric as you'd think:
Makes 8 servings / serving size = 1.5 cups
301 calories / 21 carbs / 16 fat / 20 protein
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