Italian Tortellini Garden (Slow Cooker) Soup

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We absolutely loved this slow cooker soup – Dave said it was my best slow cooker soup ever!  It’s chock full of healthy veggies, like awesome zucchini, and has the creamy tortellini for a unique flavor.  Don’t skimp on the diced tomato can – make sure you get the one that has basil, garlic, and oregano in it for FULL flavor!  Instead of the onion, I added more bell pepper and celery.  I couldn’t find navy beans in a can so I subbed red kidney beans.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 T. extra-virigin olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup sliced celery
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
  • 1 can (15 oz) navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen cut green beans, thawed
  • 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 package (9 oz) refrigerated sausage or cheese tortellini pasta (I used frozen cheese tortellini and let it come to room temp).
  • 3 T. chopped fresh basil
  • Grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add bell pepper, onion, and celery.  Cook and stir 4 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Transfer to slow cooker.
  2. Add tomatoes with juice, beans, zucchini, green beans, broth, and garlic powder.
  3. Cover, cook on low 7 hours, or high 3.5 hours. (Your slow cooker will vary).
  4. Turn slow cooker to high, add tortellini and cook 20 -25 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.
  5. Stir in basil.  Garnish each serving with cheese.

Quick Taco Salad

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I had always wanted to try a taco salad and this easy recipe fit the bill.  I halved the recipe, omitted the onion, olives, and Jalapenos (all health or personal taste reasons) and it was perfect for our family.  It was simple to throw together, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 pounds ground beef chuck
  • 2 envelopes taco seasoning mix
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cups green leaf lettuce, shredded
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
  • 1/2 cup chopped black olives
  • 2 cups salsa
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (optional)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips (such as Fritos®)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes; drain excess grease.
  2. Mix in taco seasoning mix and water. Bring the beef mixture to a boil and cook until thickened, about 10 more minutes. Transfer beef to a serving bowl.
  3. Place chopped onion, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, black olives, salsa, jalapeno peppers, sour cream, and corn chips in individual serving bowls.
  4. Allow diners to assemble their own salads from the ingredients.

Couscous & Apricot Stuffed Peppers

couscous peppers

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What a unique dish!  This is definitely a recipe that you could tweak to your liking.  I like apricot flavor but we noticed we didn’t love a full 1/2 cup of them in the peppers.  We’ll add apricot in the future, just less.  Yummy recipe and it’s interesting to see a pepper recipe without a tomato-based sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 cup raw couscous
  • 4 sliced scallions (optional – I didn’t do this, just added onion powder)
  • 1 cup crumbled Feta
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
  • salt/pepper
  • 4 hollowed-out bell peppers

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Brown 1/2 lb. ground beef.
  2. Cook 1/2 cup couscous according to package directions.
  3. Mix the beef, couscous, 4 sliced scallions, 1 cup crumbled Feta, and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; season with salt and pepper.
  4. Stuff mixture into 4 hollowed-out bell peppers and bake at 400° F, covered, until tender, 45-50 minutes. 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

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This is such a simple pulled pork recipe!  It only works with regular root beer, not diet.  So it’s the only time you’ll see regular pop in my house.  It turns out beautifully!  The recipe says you can make it with a pork loin roast, but I had tried that previously and noticed the tenderloin shreds MUCH easier!  Leftovers are just as good as the main meal!  We used Sweet Baby Ray’s “Original” sauce, my favorite BBQ sauce, even though it’s not the healthiest one, it’s one sacrifice we make because we love it.  You could use any BBQ though.  ENJOY! 

INGREDIENTS:

  • One 2-lb. pork tenderloin
  • One 12 fl. oz. can or bottle root beer (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
  • One 18 oz. bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
  • 8 Hamburger buns, split (lightly toasted, optional)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker, pour the root beer over the meat. 
  2. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and shreds easily, about 6-7 hours.  (Pork should get to a minimum temperature of 160 degrees to be safe, though the USDA said it can be 145, I go with 160 minimum).  The length of slow cooker time varies by your slow cooker.
  3. Drain well.  Stir in BBQ sauce. 
  4. Serve over buns.