creamy tortellini soup

The Fall holidays are now steamrolling full speed ahead into Winter and schedules are picking up as we spend time with friends and family. In between the complex multi-course meals, it's always nice to take a break from the kitchen while still enjoying hearty dishes with your loved ones. This Creamy Tortellini Soup comes together in the crock pot while you're out shopping for gifts or running the never-ending holiday errands and is the perfect end to a chilly day.

Creamy Tortellini Soup 

adapted from BHG.com - makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1.6 ounce envelope of alfredo sauce mix

4 cups water

14 ounces vegetable broth

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 ounces cheese tortellini

12 ounces evaporated milk

6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Add alfredo sauce mix, water and vegetable broth to slow cooker and whisk until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. If you happen to be home, a stir mid-cook time is helpful to keep the mushrooms moist but not crucial.
3. Stir in tortellini and cook on low for an additional hour or high for an additional 30 minutes. Add about thirty minutes to both cook times if your pasta is dried as opposed to fresh. 
4. Just before serving, stir in evaporated milk and spinach leaves until well combined. 
5. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper and enjoy!

If you're a fan of soups, but looking for something different than the typical vegetable or meat based recipes than this recipe is a must. It completely blew my expectations out of the water to the point that I seriously considered making another pot immediately after this first batch ran out. Seeing as how I have to answer to another stomach in the house, I figured it would be easier to wait a few weeks to throw it back in the rotation than to try and explain why we ate the same meal every day for a week.

Bottom line: this dish will be made again and again in our kitchen and you should give it a try in yours too!