Italian Sausage Stew

So you see, I got a brand new fancy-pants crock-pot for Christmas this year and I have been searching out a recipe to try as the inaugural recipe to make in it. I stumbled upon this recipe and after reading several people's rave reviews of it, I decided this would be the recipe. I gathered together my ingredients, pulled my crock-pot out (while singing "Aaaaahhhhaaaahhh" in a ceremonious fashion) and got right down to business!

Ingredients, ingredients...they're what make a meal!

Ingredients

- 1 package (approximately 18 ounces) of tortellini; your choice what style - I used three cheese

- 1 can Italian diced tomatoes

- approximately 2-3 ounces of Spinach, torn in pieces (a bag is usually about 5 ounces)

- 1 8 ounce brick of cream cheese, cubed into small pieces

- 4 cups chicken broth

- sausage of your choice, about 1/2 a pound

Viva Italia! 

I love all the colors in the crock-pot!

Italian Sausage Stew

- Brown sausage; set aside

- In crock-pot combine tortellini, shredded spinach leaves, 1 can of Italian tomatoes, 4 cups of chicken broth and cream cheese, stir together well...chunking up cream cheese.

- Add in sausage.

- Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

I only cooked mine about 4 hours and thirty minutes; so it's worth watching to make sure the tortellini doesn't get over-cooked. If you want it to be more soupy as opposed to having a stew consistency, I'd suggest using a bit more chicken broth. You can also substitute vegetable broth for chicken.

Loking delicious after about four and a half hours!

I garnished my bowl of stew with just a wee bit of Parmesan!

So yummy and filling - perfect for a chilly day!