This creamy vegetarian tortellini soup is unbelievably easy to put together – the base of the soup cooks up in the slow cooker all day while you’re away, then you add spinach, tortellini, and the creamy components when you come home. Aaaand serve!

I also include in the recipe an option for adding sausage if you like – either meatless sausage or meaty sausage – for a flexible creamy tortellini soup that will make everyone happy.

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love this Recipe
• Creamy Spinach Tortellini Soup Ingredients
• How to Make It

• Jump to the full, printable recipe
• Reader reviews & comments

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

This recipe is easy, hearty, satisfying, and it tastes amazing! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner, basically.

The savory broth with the cheese from the tortellini and extra parmesan on top along with the perfect bite of freshness from the spinach makes for the perfect combination.

Creamy Spinach Tortellini Soup Ingredients

What do we have for ingredients in this tortellini-soup-in-Crock-Pot goodness?

• Onion, carrots, and garlic, first and foremost – the backbone of a delicious soup!
• Oregano, basil, and bay leaf – flavor, please!
• Crushed tomatoes – add flavor and heft to this recipe
• Veggie broth – make your own or use store-bought, either will work!
• Cheese tortellini – feel free to use dry, fresh, or frozen (but note frozen will take a bit longer to cook)
• Baby spinach – so easy!
• Half and half – I love the creaminess of half-and-half, but coconut milk would work too.
• Mozzarella & parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper
• Optional sweet Italian sausage for the meat-eaters or veggie sausage if the vegetarians would like to partake

How to Make It

First, add the veggies (except spinach), herbs, tomatoes, and broth to the Crock Pot. No need to sauté anything first! Then cook on slow for a few hours.

Come on back and add the tortellini and spinach, then stir in the half and half and cheeses. That’s it! So easy. The slow cooker does all the work in this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Tortellini Soup!

As we get into the colder weather and soups start to make more frequent appearances on the dinner table, this creamy tortellini soup with tomatoes, spinach and a meat-lovers option of sweet Italian sausage is the perfect way to easily feed the family and keep things simple, hearty and comforting.

We love this one for easy weeknight dinners. The Crock Pot makes everything better!

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Crock Pot Creamy Spinach Tortellini Soup Recipe

Thick, rich, and hearty, this vegetarian soup is the perfect comforting end to a cool day. Tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, and cheese – what could go wrong?!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 518kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium yellow onion diced; about 1 cup
• 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped; about 3/4 cup
• 2 medium cloves garlic minced; about 2 teaspoons
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano*
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil*
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper + more to taste
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes one large can
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 32 ounces
• 12 ounces cheese tortellini use dry, fresh, or frozen**
• 4 ounces baby spinach about 4 cups packed
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 2 ounces
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 ounce

Instructions

• Add the carrots, onion, garlic, spices, tomatoes and broth to the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on low until the carrots are tender, 3-6 hours (time varies depending on your slow cooker. If you cook it for longer – say, 8 hours – it won’t hurt).
• Add the tortellini to the slow cooker, stir to combine, cover, and cook on high 20 minutes.
• Add the spinach, stir until wilted, cover again, and cook another 5 minutes.
• Warm the half and half in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the cream, mozzarella, and Parmesan to the slow cooker. Stir until thoroughly combined and turn off the heat.
• Remove bay leaf. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Nutrition calculation does not include optional sausage.

* Herb note

You can substitute 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning for the oregano and basil

** Tortellini note

If using fresh or frozen tortellini, it will take less time to cook than dry tortellini. 

Meat option:

Add cooked Italian sweet sausage to individual portions. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add sausage to the pan and brown, breaking into small pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks. Add cooked sausage to individual servings. Use 3/4 pound if adding to all; use about 1/3 pound if adding to half. Can also use veggie sausage!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 518kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 1491mg | Potassium: 972mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 8547IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 427mg | Iron: 6mg

Recipe written by Gina of Running to the Kitchen as a contributor to Kitchen Treaty.

The post Slow Cooker Vegetarian Creamy Spinach Tortellini Soup Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Those boxes of vegetable broth are super handy and all, but during soup and stew season, they can really make a dent in the ol’ pocketbook.

I do like to make my own vegetable broth at home (and when I do it from veggie scraps, it’s pretty much free!) I love the method I blogged about here, but it also requires a lot of stove-top time, which means I have to make it on a day when I know I’m going to be home for awhile.

I love my homemade veggie broth and I love my slow cooker. Why couldn’t the two work together for some easy hands-off cooking time? Well, as it turns out, they can! Hallelujah.

Making slow cooker vegetable broth couldn’t be easier. No, really. Here’s how to do it!

gather your vegetables

There are two ways to go about this: keep a bag for scraps in your freezer, or buy fresh veggies.

I like to keep a gallon-size bag in my freezer, and that’s where I stash clean onion skins, carrot sticks beginning to wilt, and the ends of celery. If I end up with some leftover parsley or other herbs, I might throw them in there as well. It doesn’t take long before that bag is bursting at the seams and it’s time to make some broth.

Another option is to go out and buy some carrots, celery, and onions. I find that about 1 pound of veggies = 4 cups of broth.

My freezer bag is usually about 3 pounds worth by the time it’s stuffed to the gills. So that’s a good 12 cups of broth each time I make a batch. Gotta love it.

cook the broth

Add veggies and water to your slow cooker. Again, we’re talking 4 cups of water per 1 pound of vegetables. If you don’t have a scale, 1 pound of carrots, onion, and celery is about 5 cups. But even if neither of these measurements are exact, no worries! This is a pretty forgiving formula.

So, veggies + water. Check. Now, throw in a few peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves and put the lid on the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high 4-5 hours). And leave it alone! If you keep stirring it, the slow cooker loses its heat (and your broth might get cloudy, which doesn’t necessarily affect the taste, but it’s not as pretty).

drain and strain

Your broth is done when it’s golden and the veggies are super tender. Remove the lid from the slow cooker and let the broth cool for a bit.

Use a wooden spoon to gently press on the veggies in the Crock Pot to release a little more flavor. And then it’s time to drain! Grab a large bowl and set a colander over the top. Make sure you’re near your kitchen sink! Now carefully pour the mixture into the colander and discard the cooked veggies.

You’re getting closer!

NOW set a fine-mesh sieve over another bowl (or rinse your slow cooker out to use that). And pour the broth over the sieve to get the last bit of sediment out.

Hey look at that! That’s some beautiful broth you have there.

At this point, you can add some salt. If I’m adding salt, I go for about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per 4 cups of broth. But usually I just leave my broth unsalted, adding salt to the recipe I’m using it in instead.

store your homemade vegetable broth

And now it’s time to store your broth! I store it in either mason jars or freezer bags, usually in 2-cup increments. It keeps for about 5 days in the fridge, for several months in the freezer.

Note that if you freeze your broth in mason jars, you should only use straight-sided jars and fill only to the fill line to allow for expansion. Otherwise, you may be looking at a cracked jar. No bueno!

To use the broth, I usually pull it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw 12-24 hours ahead of time.

When I’m desperate, I have tried to thaw broth on the stovetop or I stick the freezer bag in a bowl of hot water and I tell ya, it’s a pain. So I still do keep boxes on hand for last-minute broth needs, but I use it a lot less now. That’s still a ton of money saved!

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The post How to Make Vegetable Broth in the Slow Cooker appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I didn’t come to appreciate winter squash until later in life. Not that I really remember being served it much as a kid – but if I had been, I wouldn’t have touched the stuff. The closest thing I remember regularly encountering was that marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole served at Thanksgiving, which isn’t even squash, but in my mind they were one and the same – orange, mushy, and no thank you.

In adulthood, I expanded my palate in many ways, though I was still a late squash adopter. Names like “butternut” and “spaghetti squash” drew me in, but were disappointments at first. Butternut squash tasted neither like butter or like nuts; spaghetti squash was most definitely not pasta.

Luckily, I kept at it, and now I’m a convert. Butternut squash, especially roasted or pureed into soups like it is in this Slow Cooker Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup, is one of my very favorite fall foods. And thank goodness for that, because I was missing out.

This time of year, I can’t help but pick up a squash or two every time I shop for groceries. So this beautiful butternut sat aimlessly on my kitchen counter for a bit, until one morning, I decided it needed to become soup for dinner that night. I chopped it up, added veggie broth, an onion, and some salt, and let it simmer all day in the Crock Pot. A quick puree, a generous scoop of Thai red curry paste, a can of coconut milk and dinner was on the table.

I love simple recipes like this! The butternut squash is smooth and creamy; the Thai red curry imparts a ton of flavor and a touch of heat that keep this soup nice and interesting considering how truly simple it is. No marshmallows in sight.

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Slow Cooker Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup

This smooth-as-silk fall soup is creamy, dreamy, and full of flavor despite its short list of ingredients.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 3- pound butternut squash peeled, seeded, and diced (about 8 cups diced squash) (here’s how to cut a butternut squash without losing a limb)
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
• 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste more or less to taste

Optional toppings (delicious but not necessary!)

• Additional drizzle of coconut milk
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Thinly sliced hot red pepper
• Lime wedges for squeezing over the top

Equipment:

• 4- quart or larger slow cooker

Instructions

• Place butternut squash, onion, broth, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours.
• Remove the lid and let the soup cool a bit before pureeing. When cool enough to handle, carefully puree the entire batch right in the slow cooker with an immersion blender. You can also use a blender, working in batches, then return the soup to the slow cooker.
• Stir in the coconut milk and the Thai red curry paste. Cover with the lid and cook on low for another 30 minutes or so to heat the soup back up. Taste and add additional curry paste and salt if desired.
• Serve alone or with optional toppings.

More simple vegetarian soup recipes:

• 5-Ingredient Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup – so easy and full of so much flavor.
• Simple Lentil Vegetable Soup – a seriously satisfying bowlful.
• 25-Minute Comforting Vegetable Soup – love how quickly this one comes together.
• Chickpea & Rice Soup – even chicken lovers love this one.
• Bean without Bacon Soup – reminds me of the childhood classic, but, of course, no bacon!

The post Slow Cooker Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

But pasta e fagioli – which literally translates to “pasta and beans” – is an Italian peasant dish traditionally made with inexpensive, vegetarian ingredients. So I added meat to half of it. I’m so difficult that way.

I’ve been wanting to adapt pasta e fagioli for the Crock Pot for awhile, and this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli Soup seemed like a natural variation.  Sturdy kidney beans, carrots, and cabbage mingle with tomatoes and Italian-seasoned veggie broth for a warm, comforting dinner.

If your garden’s overflowing (finally!) with zucchini like ours is, you might throw some of that in there, too.

A little pasta and, if you desire, cooked ground beef thrown in to a portion at the end for the meat-eaters, and you’re good to go.

Something for everyone.

There’s a school of thought out there that onion and garlic should be sauteed before being added to the slow cooker, because sometimes the end result can taste funny. I’ve spent a fair (possibly embarrassing) amount of time pondering and testing this. Because why add that extra work to slow cooker recipe preparation if it’s not necessary?

My conclusion is that for most super-hearty chilis and stews, a quick pre-saute isn’t necessary. But for brothy soups or recipes where very developed flavors and spices are important, it can make a difference. Although the biggest difference is the smell! When you add the onion and garlic raw, when you lift that lid toward the end of the process, your food can smell a little funky. Not bad! But you can just tell if you didn’t cook it up first. It still tastes okay, though – the flavors just aren’t quite as developed.

For this soup, I actually made two versions at the same time – one with pre-cooked onions and garlic, and one where I just dumped everything in. Then my guy and I did a little taste test. I preferred the one with sauteed onion – but I also knew which one it was, so it could have been mental. My guy went in blind – he had no idea which was which – and he slightly preferred the one that started with raw onions!

So I wrote this recipe to include the saute at the beginning of the process – but if you’d rather dump ’em in raw, it won’t make a huge difference in the end result.

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The post Slow Cooker Vegetarian Pasta e Fagioli Soup (with Optional Ground Beef) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

So I decided to make a black bean soup recipe with a little more oomph to it and a little less sludge. I pureed it like your traditional black bean soup, but then I add some whole beans and a couple of cups of brown rice at the end. Prettier! Though … okay, fine, still a little sludgy.

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The post Crock Pot Vegan Black Bean and Brown Rice Soup appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Naturally, living in pea soup made me want to make pea soup. I think out of the box like that.

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The post Crock Pot Vegetarian Split Pea & Cauliflower Soup with Optional Ham Add-In appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

But hey … better to pin Pure Deliciousness rather than eat it, right? At least, calorie-wise??

Awhile back I pinned this gorgeous image of Red Lentil Coconut Soup from a wonderful blog called Scaling Back. I love the soup pot. I love the bowls. I love the lentils scattered about. Wonderful photo, and the soup? Yum.

My photo? A little less awesome in almost every sense. But this wonderful soup, which I adapted for my beloved Crock Pot,  was making the very quick transition from Crock Pot to table to our bellies, with only a second or two in between to actually snap a picture.

This vegetarian soup is so, so good. With lentils, chickpeas, carrots, and coconut milk, it’s hearty without being heavy. My photo is a bit bland compared to my inspiration, but the soup? Oh, it is not. Warm curry spices, a pinch of cayenne for heat, a bit of cooling cilantro sprinkled on the top …

Okay, that settles it. I’m making this soup again for dinner tonight.

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Slow Cooker Red Lentil, Chickpea, & Coconut Soup

With lentils, chickpeas, carrots, and coconut milk, this amazing vegetarian soup is hearty without being heavy. Warm curry spices, a pinch of cayenne for heat, a bit of cooling cilantro sprinkled on the top ... delicious.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter can substitute olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
• 3/4 cup diced carrots
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup dried red lentils rinsed
• 2 15.5- ounce cans chickpeas drained
• 1 14- ounce can light coconut milk
• Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving

Instructions

• In a medium saute pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
• Increase heat to medium and add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, curry powder, cayenne powder, ginger and salt. Stir and cook for another minute.
• Add the tomato paste and pour in about a cup of the vegetable broth. Stir to get all of the bits of good stuff off of the pan, and pour the entire mixture into a 4.5 quart or larger Crock Pot.
• Add the remaining vegetable broth, red lentils, chickpeas, and coconut milk to the Crock Pot and stir.
• Cook on low for about 8 hours.
• Taste and add additional salt if necessary.
• Serve with fresh lime wedges for squeezing on top and sprigs of cilantro.

Notes

Vegan option:

Substitute olive oil for the butter.

The post Slow Cooker Red Lentil, Chickpea, & Coconut Soup appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

This soup is one of the reasons our slow cooker has been out on the counter more often than not this past couple of months. Even though it’s been pretty warm weather-wise, I’ve still whipped up this soup a good half a dozen times every time even a wisp of clouds swoop in and the temperature dips below 70. Why? Partially because I was trying to perfect the recipe, but also because I couldn’t resist those vibrant yellow summer squash every time I stopped by my local farmstand, and I had to do something with them other than grill them. And also, it’s really, really good.

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