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a bowl of small cheese tortellini rings coated in smooth creamy orange-red tomato and roasted-pepper sauce with finely shredded dark-green kale, without sausage, visible goat-cheese chunks or garnish
Andre Lewis

Crockpot Creamy Tomato Tortellini

Blend the roasted pepper into the tomatoes before cooking so the sauce stays smooth around the little filled pasta rings. Kale gives the finished dish a firmer green bite than a handful of spinach, and soft goat cheese melts into the sauce at the end instead of leaving a separate browned cheese lid. Fresh tortellini only needs the final part of the cook, so check the folded seams and stop as soon as they’re tender rather than waiting for the pasta to swell and split.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 5 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can 15 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 6 oz jarred roasted red peppers drained
  • 1/2 cup unsalted vegetable broth
  • 1 small shallot peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 4 oz kale stems removed and leaves finely shredded
  • 24 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
  • 4 oz soft plain goat cheese broken into small pieces

Method
 

  1. Blend tomatoes, roasted peppers, broth, shallot, garlic, basil, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour into a 5-quart slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
  2. Turn to high and stir in shredded kale. Cover for 15 minutes until the greens begin to soften.
  3. Fold in uncooked refrigerated tortellini so each piece is coated with hot sauce. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, gently stirring after 10 minutes, until the pasta is tender at the pinched seams.
  4. Switch off and fold in goat cheese until it melts into a smooth creamy sauce. Let stand for 3 minutes so the filling and sauce settle.
  5. Divide among six bowls and serve promptly, keeping the tortellini whole rather than stirring repeatedly after it has softened.