Spinach & Tortellini Crock Pot Soup

I have been spending a lot of my free time on Pinterest recently. I have been getting a lot of great ideas for easy suppers, Christmas ideas and baby ideas. I definitely think I'm starting to get into the nesting phase of my pregnancy that everyone keeps talking about. The busyness that has been our lives for past several months is finally starting to cease, so I am looking forward to spending more time in my kitchen and being more creative with other crafts!

I am definitely going to be using my crock pot more often. I know the slow cooker liners have been available for awhile but I've never given them a try. This past weekend while visiting some friends we made a breakfast casserole in the crock pot and used one of these liners. They are fabulous and really make clean-up so easy! So I definitely recommend using one every time you use your crock pot.

This recipe calls for white sauce mix and I wasn't entirely sure what this meant so I picked up a packet for country gravy. I would recommend this over chicken or turkey gravy mix. It already has the pepper in it, so you don't have to add more at the end.

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 - 2 ounce envelope white sauce mix
4 cups water
1-14 ounce can vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1- 7 or 8 ounce package dried cheese tortellini (about 2 cups)
1-12 ounce can evaporated milk
6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
Ground black pepper (optional)
Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1.Place dry white sauce mix in a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper.

2.Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

3.Stir in dried tortellini. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or high-heat setting for 45 minutes more.

4.Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.