Cozy Soups: Crock Pot Tortellini Soup with Cream Cheese Recipe
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If you have been around here for a minute then you know my love of the crock pot. It is especially wonderful as the weather starts to get cooler because what could be better than warm soup on a cold day? Being able to start dinner early in the day and forget about it until dinner is almost ready is so satisfying. Recipes like this cozy Crock Pot Tortellini Soup uses cream cheese and makes you a total rock star in the kitchen!
Do you love crock pot soups? Try this Crock Pot Potato Soup!
Tortellini Soup
I am a huge tortellini lover! Little pockets of pasta that are filled with cheese and other ingredients can’t be bad in my book.
Add tortellini to a soup that is flavored with onions, garlic and Italian seasoning, PLUS has other ingredients like sausage and cream cheese…well that sounds like heaven.
The best part is that this Easy Tortellini Soup is made in the crock pot. It also has fresh basil and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. There are so many things to love about this crock pot soup!
The Ingredients
- Olive Oil-used to saute the onion and garlic, it is a nice and mild oil to use for this but vegetable oil would work well too.
- Chopped Onion-flavor, flavor, flavor!
- Minced Garlic-don’t skip this ingredient. Garlic and tortellini are made to go together.
- Italian Sausage-you can choose from a mild or spicy version based on your and your families preference.
- Chicken {or vegetable} Stock-this ingredient will help thin the soup while also giving it added flavor.
- Jarred Marinara Sauce-choose a good brand and take the help.
- Diced Tomatoes-they add to the overall tomato flavor and also add a great texture to the crock pot soup.
- Italian Seasoning-with basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram inside this awesome seasoning, it is a great one to have on hand.
- Cream Cheese-will add a wonderfully creamy texture without an overpowering flavor.
- Tortellini-I prefer a cheese variety but you can purchase a tortellini that is stuffed with something else.
- Fresh Basil and Parmesan Cheese-toppings that add extra flavor.
How to make the BEST Tortellini Soup in the Crock Pot
- Warm olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent. Then add the garlic to onions and continue to cook for about 30 additional seconds or until fragrant.
- Add Italian sausage to the pan with onion and garlic and cook until no longer pink.
- Put the Italian sausage and onion mixture into a crock pot that has a crock pot liner.
- Add the chicken stock, marinara sauce, diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning to the top of the meat in the crock pot.
- Stir until everything is nicely combined. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
- In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the tortellini.
- Also add the cubed cream cheese.
- Stir until everything is nicely combined and continue to cook for about 30 minutes.
How to serve this Crock Pot Tortellini Soup with Cream Cheese
Ladle the soup into the bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
A few recipe notes:
- Don’t skip the step of sauteing the onion and garlic. It brings out the natural flavors and sweetness in both of the ingredients and doesn’t take much time to do.
- Use Italian sausage instead of hamburger. Italian sausage is packed full of seasonings that are perfect for this soup. Hamburger can be bland.
- Add the tortellini at the end of cooking and keep in mind that it will soak up the liquid as it sits. If you add too much tortellini it will not be a soup texture.
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes before adding it to the soup. This will ensure that it will melt nicely into the soup without any lumps.
Recipe Variations:
Meat-If you don’t like Italian Sausage then you can use hamburger but be sure that you season it well. You can also use cooked and cubed/shredded chicken.
Sauce-To get a creamier texture you can substitute the marinara sauce for a jar of alfredo sauce.
Pasta-There are a ton of tortellini varieties, so choose your very favorite. You could also use ravioli instead.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips:
To Make Ahead-
To get a head start on this soup you can prepare all of the ingredients individually and have it ready to go. Saute the onion, garlic and brown the Italian Sausage, that way it is really quick to put together.
To Store-
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To Reheat-
To reheat this Crockpot Tortellini Soup, add the leftovers to a pot with additional chicken {or vegetable} stock {the stock will thin the soup}.
Put over medium heat until it warms through, stirring occasionally as it warms.
To Freeze-
To freeze this crock pot soup, place it in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months and reheat as noted above.
Do you love comfort food? Try these easy recipes…
- Crock Pot Meatloaf
- Taco Soup made in the Crock Pot
- Easy Pancake Mix Chicken and Dumplings
- Meatball Sub Casserole
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Easy Lasagna Skillet
Creamy Crock Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion {finely chopped}
- 2 teaspoons garlic {minced}
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 4 cups chicken stock {or vegetable}
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 8 ounces cream cheese {cut into cubes}
- 15 ounces tortellini
Toppings
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese {grated}
- 10-12 leaves fresh basil {cut into thin strips} {cut into thin strips}
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant {about 30 seconds}. Add Italian sausage to onion and garlic, cook until the sausage is no longer pink {if there is significant grease be sure to drain}. Transfer to crock pot that is lined with a crock pot liner.
- Add chicken {or vegetable} broth, marinara, diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning to meat in crock pot. Stir, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- The last 30 minutes of cooking add cubed cream cheese and tortellini to soup. Stir well and continue to cook for the remaining 30 minutes.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Use Italian sausage instead of hamburger. Italian sausage is packed full of seasonings that are perfect for this soup. Hamburger can be bland.
- Add the tortellini at the end of cooking and keep in mind that it will soak up the liquid as it sits. If you add too much tortellini it will not be a soup texture.
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes before adding it to the soup. This will ensure that it will melt nicely into the soup without any lumps.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
