SLOW COOKER CHEESY TORTELLINI

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat.
  2. Place ground beef mixture, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and green chiles, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes into a slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until well combined.
  3. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
  4. Uncover and stir in tortellini; top with cheeses. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 15-30 minutes, or until tender.
  5. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.