As I mentioned the other day, I don't think my family would survive without the crock-pot. Throwing everything in before work, and knowing my family will have a great meal while I am away is a major stress relief. I honestly cook a minimum of two meals in it every week.
One of our favorite recipes in this Crock-Pot Tortellini. With minimal prep time, I make a homemade sauce in the crock-pot before work. Then about a half hour before dinner, Rob adds the pasta. Cover it with cheese for a few minutes before serving, and you have a filling meal.
Sorry. I got a little ahead of myself. The base of any pasta dish starts with the sauce. If your sauce is junk, then your entire meal is as well. This sauce starts with browned hamburger, with chopped onions and garlic paste.
This step takes the longest, because you do it on the stove, but it's so worth it. By using the stove instead of the crock-pot to cook the beef, you are able to drain the grease from the meat. Less fat, same flavor and better for you at the end of the day.
The meat gets combined with canned tomatoes and chiles, plus seasoning and cooks for six hours on low heat. The little bit of kick from the chiles is a great balance to the cheese.
We definitely use a lot of cheese in this dish. After we add the tortellini, and let them cook for 20 to to 30 minutes, the entire top of the crock-pot gets covered with cheese. Then we let it melt into a thick layer of cheesy goodness.
Doesn't that make your mouth water? I always make a huge amount so that we have leftovers. That heat up nicely in the microwave. Aly tries to eat it for breakfast. Good thing she's now home for the summer and can enjoy it for lunch instead. Let me share the recipe so that you can enjoy it as well.
Crock-Pot Tortellini
Ingredients
2 lbs ground sirloin
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 tsp garlic paste
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
18 oz package of spinach tortellini
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
One of our favorite recipes in this Crock-Pot Tortellini. With minimal prep time, I make a homemade sauce in the crock-pot before work. Then about a half hour before dinner, Rob adds the pasta. Cover it with cheese for a few minutes before serving, and you have a filling meal.
Sorry. I got a little ahead of myself. The base of any pasta dish starts with the sauce. If your sauce is junk, then your entire meal is as well. This sauce starts with browned hamburger, with chopped onions and garlic paste.
This step takes the longest, because you do it on the stove, but it's so worth it. By using the stove instead of the crock-pot to cook the beef, you are able to drain the grease from the meat. Less fat, same flavor and better for you at the end of the day.
The meat gets combined with canned tomatoes and chiles, plus seasoning and cooks for six hours on low heat. The little bit of kick from the chiles is a great balance to the cheese.
We definitely use a lot of cheese in this dish. After we add the tortellini, and let them cook for 20 to to 30 minutes, the entire top of the crock-pot gets covered with cheese. Then we let it melt into a thick layer of cheesy goodness.
Doesn't that make your mouth water? I always make a huge amount so that we have leftovers. That heat up nicely in the microwave. Aly tries to eat it for breakfast. Good thing she's now home for the summer and can enjoy it for lunch instead. Let me share the recipe so that you can enjoy it as well.
Crock-Pot Tortellini
Ingredients
2 lbs ground sirloin
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 tsp garlic paste
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
18 oz package of spinach tortellini
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- Add the ground sirloin, onion and garlic paste to a large skillet. Stir and crumble the beef until it has browned and the onion begins to turn opaque, about 5-7 minutes. Drain the grease and then transfer the meat mixture to the crock-pot.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes and chiles over the meat mixture. Stir in the seasonings and then adjust to taste. (I use 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper.)
- Cover the crock-pot and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. You can also cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours.
- Stir in the tortellini and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Then cover with the cheeses and cook for 10 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted entirely.
- Serve with garlic bread and a fresh salad for a complete meal.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 12 | |
| Per Serving | % Daily Value* |
| Calories 273 | |
| Total Fat 9.3g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat 4.5g | 23% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 53mg | 19% |
| Sodium 651mg | 28% |
| Potassium 202mg | 4% |
| Total Carb 31.4g | 10% |
| Dietary Fiber 6.5g | 23% |
| Sugars 10.5g | |
| Protein 17.2g | |
| Vitamin A 72% · Vitamin C 23% | |
| Calcium 15% · Iron 24% | |
I hope you enjoy this recipe and that it helps you change up your week night dinners.
Thanks for stopping by,
Kristie
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