Do you need to get dinner going before your day starts? This Slow Cooker Creamy …

Do you need to get dinner going before your day starts? This Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup will be ready for you when you’re ready to eat and relax. It’s pure comfort food, loaded with vegetables, italian sausage and cheese tortellini. Bonus, no flour and no heavy cream. Thank you gurugirl for bringing it to our attention. Side note: we added a can of white Great Northern beans (rinsed) to amp up the protein and fiber. 👍🏻.
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INGREDIENTS
1 pound (500 g) ground Italian sausage (or ground chicken, turkey or beef), browned*
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder (or chicken)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups beef broth
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed and dissolved in 1/4 cup water
36 ounces evaporated milk or half and half
12 ounce packet three cheese tortellini (I used dried not fresh; choose any flavour you like)
5 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the browned sausage, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, beef bouillon powder, salt, and broth in a 6-quart slow cooker bowl. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours.
Uncover and skim any fat that is sitting on the top of the soup with a spoon; discard. Stir in the cornstarch mixture with the evaporated milk (or half and half or cream). Add the tortellini and mix well. Cover again and cook on HIGH heat setting for a further 45 minutes until the soup has thickened, and the tortellini is soft and cooked through.
Add in the spinach, stirring in. Cover again for a further 5-10 minutes until the leaves have wilted.
Pour in milk in 1/3 cup increments, as needed, to reach your desired thickness and consistency (I needed 1 cup); taste test and season with extra salt and pepper to suit your tastes.
Serve with crusty warmed bread.