Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 8 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

16 ounces Italian sausage (see note)

1/2 medium onion (chopped)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

2 medium carrots (sliced or chopped)

2 sticks celery (chopped finely)

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juices)

4 cups chicken broth

2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini

3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream (optional)

2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions

Add the sausage meat and onions to a skillet. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes, breaking the sausage meat up with your spoon, until browned. If needed, spoon out some of the excess fat.

Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the sausage mixture to your Crockpot.

Add the carrots, celery, canned tomatoes, and chicken broth to the Crockpot. Keep in mind that if you want the soup to cook in 3-4 hours, the carrots will have to be chopped pretty finely. If you're cooking it for 7-8 on low or 4-5 hours on high, you can chop them larger.

About 30 minutes prior to serving, add in your cheese tortellini, cream, and spinach (I set the heat to "high"). Give it a stir occasionally. Season with salt & pepper as needed prior to serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 709 kcal
• Total Fat: 43 g
• Saturated Fat: 18 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
• Cholesterol: 127 mg
• Sodium: 1814 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 55 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8 g
• Total Sugars: 13 g
• Protein: 29 g