Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausageor ground chicken, turkey or beef, browned
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 large carrotschopped
- 2 celery stalk schopped
- 4 clove sgarlicminced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon beef bouillon powderor chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cup sbeef brothor chicken or vegetable broth - I use low sodium
- 1/4 cup cornstarchmixed and dissolved in 1/4 cup water
- 36 ounce sevaporated milkor half and half
- 12 ounce packet three cheese tortelliniI used dried not fresh; choose any flavour you like
- 5 cup sfresh baby spinach
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Place the browned sausage, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, beef bouillon powder, salt, and broth in a 6 quart / litre slow cooker bowl. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours.
- Uncover and skim any fat that is sitting on the top of the soup with a spoon; discard. Stir in the cornstarch mixture with the evaporated milk (or half and half or cream). Add the tortellini and mix well. Cover again and cook on HIGH heat setting for a further 45 minutes until the soup has thickened, and the tortellini is soft and cooked through.
- Add in the spinach, pressing the leaves down to completely submerse into the liquid. Cover again for a further 5 10 minutes until the leaves have wilted.
- Pour in milk in 1/3 cup increments, as needed, to reach your desired thickness and consistency (I needed 1 cup); taste test and season with extra salt ONLY if needed, and pepper to suit your tastes.
- Serve with crusty warmed bread
