Hearty slow-cooker creamy tortellini soup

Have you ever found yourself stalking the internet? I’ll admit every now and then when I find a mere five minutes to myself I will waste those precious minutes of my life stalking through the news feeds of my Facebook, Instagram and even my Snapchat. Okay, I call it stalking, mainly because I am just looking and not posting, perhaps an occasional like but mostly just frying my eyes.

What exactly am I looking for? I’m still not sure, perhaps an epiphany or maybe something lively enough to distract me from the pile of laundry or the trail of toys strewn throughout the house. Sometimes this leads to great ideas or maybe the internet is just stalking me and somehow brainwashing me into thinking I’ve got a good idea. I’m aware of the internet’s recent tactics of spyware and how anything you search for, click on or even say out loud within good distance of your device can lead to certain posts, ads or articles to pop up in your newsfeed.  

I click, like, follow and, of course, talk about food. A lot. So I tend to see the same food trends over and over again in my never-ending newsfeed. No, this isn’t another spiralizer recipe, although I’d like to try sweet potato noodles. Sometimes the repetitiveness of something that looks so tasty leaves me dreaming of food at night.

I saw this recipe for Creamy Tortellini Soup, over and over again. There was even one of those recipe videos. It was as if it was hypnotizing me, playing in my Facebook newsfeed, appearing in my Instagram. I was literally waiting for someone to post this on their Snapchat feed just to tantalize me.

So I’ve done it again, I’ve decided to become the internet’s guinea pig and see if this recipe was really all it was cracked up to be. Okay, so I didn’t follow the recipe to the T, I decided to put my own twist on it.

All I can tell you is it didn’t matter. I can actually say my dreams have come true, only days after dreaming of this tasty creamy soup my taste buds are thanking me. Oh, did I forget to mention it’s made in the slow cooker! The perfect meal to come home to after a long cold day.

Creamy Tortellini Soup with Turkey & Spinach

1 pound ground turkey (or beef, or chicken)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced dried onion
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
32 ounces chicken stock
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
16 ounces half and half
1 12-ounce packet of dried tortellini, (I used cheese, choose any flavor you like.)
1  6-ounce bag of baby spinach

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat add the meat along with the dried spices. Cook until browned. Add to a 6-quart slow cooker.
• Add the chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic and chicken broth. Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.
• Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture with the half and half. Add the tortellini and mix well. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes, until the soup is thickened and the tortellini is cooked through.
• Add in the spinach being sure to fully submerge the leaves into the liquid.
• Cover and continue to cook until spinach is wilted, 5-10 minutes.
• If necessary add milk, a 1/4 cup at a time, to bring the soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.