This delicious, decadent and easy crockpot tortellini starts on the stove then comes together in the crockpot. Becuase you can’t replace the flavor from a pan, onions, carrots and garlic get cooked down first with breakfast sausage until caramelized. You can use Italian sausage as well, but I personally think it overpowers the dish. Concentrated tomato paste and crushed tomatoes deglaze the pan and everything gets added to the crockpot set on low. Chicken stock, seasoning, sherry cooking wine and cream cheese are added and time begins. The flavor develops in as little as two hours but feel free to let it continue cooking. At this stage you can’t overcook anything.
Crockpot recipes are expected to be “set it and forget it” however, when pasta is involved, it should be cooked separately. Pasta was not made to sit in a long term bath. It continues absorbing the liquid and becomes mush. Something so satisfying with this recipe is the texture of the plump tortellini and you lose that if you add it direclty to the crockpot to cook. Luckily, if you’re using the refrigerated kind (I use the brand Rana), it cooks in boiled water in three minutes. Once the tortellini is cooked and strained you can add it along with the fresh baby spinach to the crockpot. Be sure to whisk everything together first before adding the tortellini and spinach. Stir it up and it’s ready to serve along with crusty bread.
Crockpot Tortellini
Ingredients
- 20 oz refrigerated tortellini Rana
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 large carrot peeled, diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb breakfast sausage original, Bob Evan's
- 1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste heaping
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 32 oz chicken stock (1 box) Kitchen Basics
- 1 tbsp sherry cooking wine
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 oz cream cheese (1 block) cubed
- fresh baby spinach leaves large handful
Instructions
- Add diced onion and carrot to a pot of olive oil just under medium heat. Cook for 7 minutes.
- Add the breakfast sausage and break up. Cook until the meat is caramelized, about 15 minutes. Stir often.
- Add minced garlic and cook 2 more minutes.
- Add concentrated tomato paste, stir and coat all the veggies and meat.
- Deglaze the pan with the crushed tomatoes and scrape up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add to a crockpot set on low.
- To the crockpot add chicken stock, sherry cooking wine, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, fresh thyme, cream cheese and bay leaf. Cook for at least 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, remove the bay leaf and whisk until the cream cheese is fully incorporated.
- Boil the refrigerated tortellini on the stove for 3 minutes then rinse under cold water.
- Add the fresh spinach leaves and cooked, drained tortellini to the crockpot. Stir and serve.