Slow Cooker Meat Sauce With Tortellini Food

SLOW-COOKER MEATBALLS AND TORTELLINI

Steps:

• In large bowl, mix Meatball ingredients. Shape mixture into 12 round meatballs.
• In 6-quart slow cooker, mix diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add meatballs to slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on High heat setting 3 hours or on Low heat setting 6 hours or until meatballs are completely cooked through.
• Add tortellini; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until soft.
• Serve meatballs and tortellini with Parmesan cheese and basil.

SLOW-COOKER CHEESY ITALIAN TORTELLINI

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain.
• Spray inside of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix beef mixture, marinara sauce, mushrooms and tomatoes in cooker.
• Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours.
• Stir in tortellini; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; cook on Low heat setting about 15 minutes longer or until tortellini are tender.

SLOW COOKER CHEESY TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. Place ground beef mixture, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and green chiles, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes into a slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until well combined. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. Uncover and stir in tortellini; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 15-30 minutes, or until tender. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

RECIPE: ONE-HOUR CHEESY SPINACH SLOW COOKER TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Coat a 5-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray. Add the tortellini, marinara, water, and spinach, and stir well to combine. Sprinkle the mozzarella in an even layer over top.
• Cover and cook until the pasta is cooked through and the cheese is melted on the HIGH setting, about 1 hour. Serve immediately.

SLOW COOKER MEAT SAUCE WITH TORTELLINI

Steps:

• If your sausage comes in links, remove it from the casings. Crumble the ground beef and Italian sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Remove meat to slow cooker, using a slotted spoon, leaving fat in skillet.
• Add onion, green pepper and garlic to skillet and sauté until soft and onion is translucent. Remove vegetables to slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Discard fat remaining in skillet.
• Add the marinara sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes, herbs, and brown sugar to the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on LOW heat for 7 to 8 hours. (It will probably be ready after 4 hours, but you can leave it to sit as long as 8 if need be.).
• Stir in the tortellini, and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes on LOW, or until the tortellini is tender. Serve with grated Parmigiano.

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE FOR THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• On a large skillet heat oil on medium high heat.
• Sauté the garlic and the onion until the garlic is golden brown and the onion is translucent.
• Add the meats to the oil mixture to brown them; drain.
• On a slow cooker, combine the meat mixture and the remaining ingredients and set in on low. Cook for 8-10 hours.
• If you're in a hurry you can follow the first 3 steps and simmer the ingredients on a sauce pan for one hour.

CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the mushrooms into thin slices. There should be about 2 cups.
• Heat the oil in a skillet and add the ground meat. Cook, chopping down with the back of a heavy metal spoon to break up any lumps in the meat. Cook until the meat has lost its raw look.
• Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano.
• Crushed tomatoes are available in cans. If whole tomatoes are used, crush them using a food processor or electric blender, if desired. Add the tomatoes to the meat and mushroom mixture. Add broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Cook the tortellini according to package directions, about 8 minutes. Drain but reserve one cup of the cooking liquid. Combine the cooked tortellini with the meat sauce, the reserved cup of cooking liquid and the butter. Toss to blend. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on the side.