Crockpot Cheese Tortellini

(This recipe was originally posted in conjunction with the Meijer ad week of 3/17/13 - 3/23/13)

As our kids get older, the after-school hours get busier for them, and therefore, for me!  Homework, piano lessons, catechism, soccer practices and games, and more make those hours between school and supper fly by.  As a result, I've been relying on my crockpot more often.  This recipe was billed as "the best Pinterest recipe I've ever made!" so I figured it would be good!  My family really enjoyed it (although this one is still our favorite Pinterest recipe!), spinach and all.  It literally takes 10 minutes to throw everything together, and then it cooks in the crockpot all day!  The flavorful combination of ingredients was a hit, and the only time I put into making food near suppertime was to make Easy Garlic Bread.  Head over to the Little Fellows blog to check out this delicious recipe...and then come back here to read my tweaks, tips, and tricks!

Directions:
Head over to the Little Fellows blog to read the full ingredient list and instructions for Crockpot Cheese Tortellini.

Options and Tips:

• I used the regular roll pork (ground) sausage (I cooked it in the fry pan first), but according to Katie, you can also use chicken or turkey sausage.  
• Keep an eye on your slow cooker!  All slow cookers are not created equal, so yours might cook this mixture in less time than mine.
• Remove the lid and stir every 2 hours or so (I know that's the big no-no when it comes to crockpots, but almost all slow cookers have a "hot spot" or two along one edge...so if you don't want a burned chunk or edge, make sure to stir and scrape occasionally).
• Most fresh spinach comes in 10 oz packages, so just use a few handfuls (remember that fresh spinach cooks down quite a bit), or grab a package of frozen spinach and use about half of it (thaw and squeeze dry first).  Or, if you think your family won't eat the spinach, just leave it out and serve a different vegetable on the side.
• After 6 hours, my tortellini was cooked, but the mixture was still runny.  So I followed Katie's advice and left the lid off for the last half hour of cook time.  I also cranked it up to high for that last half hour so that it simmered, and the whole thing got quite a bit thicker.
• This recipe says that it serves 4-6, however, our family of 2 adults and 4 kids did have some leftovers (enough for 2 adult lunches).

This recipe comes from Katie over at the Little Fellows blog.