5 from 18 votes

Crockpot Tortellini

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An incredible viral sensation, fresh cheese tortellini in the slow cooker produces a creamy, delicious, and easy family meal. 

Pile on simple ingredients for the easiest, cheesiest tortellini you have ever had. The bonus with this trending recipe is that it’s a great base and perfect to get creative on your own. 

slow cooker tortellini recipe.

This is definitely a perfect pasta recipe that is full of flavor and worth the make.

Where did this Viral Recipe Start? 

We originally saw this recipe on our TikTok FYP by creator @chill.with.the.colemans. See the entire video version below: 

Stovetop versus crockpot

Truthfully, while this is an enjoyable dish regarding ingredients, the whole crockpot/ slow cooker is overkill.

While I do understand that slow-cooked meals are very important to families that work out of the house and do have their place, tortellini cooks fairly quickly, and you run the risk of a soggy noodle. 

You can cook the entire thing on a stovetop in under 30 minutes. 

How did the TikTok Recipe fair?

There’s a lot of talk in the comments on this one about the tortellini, that if it takes 3-5 minutes to cook, you can add it at the end. I decided to put it in as the video showed.

I agree with one commenter that you can make this on the stove in 15-20 minutes!

Mine was easily done in 2.5 hours; I didn’t need 4 hours on low. But I find each slow cooker I own heats differently. I did adjust the instructions to reflect this. 

bite of cheesy tortellini on a fork.

Tortellini Soup versus Creamy Crockpot Tortellini

I put 2 cups of broth in this. The comments said you could add more if you want it to be more like tortellini soup.

You can add as much as you want; I don’t see 4-6 cups hurting anything, just changes the recipe from a pasta dish to a soup. 

Handful of Ingredients:

  • frozen cheese tortellini 
  • Fresh baby spinach – note that fresh spinach cooks down really quickly. It will look “poofy” in the slow cooker, but that changes.
  • Italian-style petite diced tomatoes
  • chicken broth
  • cream cheese
  • shredded cheese
  • seasonings – Italian seasoning, garlic powder,  onion powder, season with salt and ground black pepper.

How to make TikTok Healthy Crockpot Tortellini

  1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
  2. Heat the dish on low for 2 1/2 hours, stirring every hour to break it apart and evenly distribute the ingredients and cream cheese.
  3. Serve immediately.
tortellini recipe

What would we change?

Add in cooked ground Italian sausage.

Important Tips

If you use fresh cheesy tortellini (the kind you find in the cooler section at the store), the tortellini will cook QUICK. We recommend the frozen version. 

Cut up cream cheese into cubes to ensure a faster melt. 

This dish is great with tender chicken, but due to the fast nature of the ingredients cooking and the nature of cooking chicken slowly, it’s best to grill chicken separately (or use this Chicken 101 recipe) and add it to the dish before serving. 

Any shredded cheese type will work – for a more authentic taste, try something robust like Asiago or an Italian blend. 

Pasta always makes a super filling dinner, so you won’t need much in terms of side dish recipes to go alongside. We recommend a green veggie like diced green beans or a side salad

Top with a little fresh shredded Parmesan cheese before serving.

Try this dish with feta cheese over cream cheese. 

cheese tortellini.

If you are looking for a super quick meal to get on the table after practice, try crispy tortilla pizza that houses the power of a simple tortilla for a crispy thin-crust pizza. 

Winter months need lots of soups – our favorites are this tiktok tomato bisque soup (a new favorite) and this tiktok broccoli cheese soup recipe. Both make great leftovers for lunch too. 

Pasta is one of the quickest and most flavorful ways to fill a hungry tummy. Our brand new recipe on baked mostaccioli is so comforting and if you have leftover tortellini, try this tiktok homemade tortellini hamburger helper recipe. WOW!

5 from 18 votes

Crockpot Tortellini (TikTok Viral)


Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Crockpot Tortellini with cream cheese, spinach, and tomatoes – easy weeknight meal that can be done in a slow cooker or on the stove.

Equipment

  • crockpot

Ingredients
 

  • 18 oz. Frozen Tortellini Pasta
  • 6 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 14 oz. Italian-style petite diced tomatoes Rotel is fine
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 8 oz. cream cheese cut block up into pieces for quicker melt
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 2 tsp.; shredded cheese
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp.  salt
  • ½ tsp. ground pepper

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
  • Heat on low for 2.5, stirring every hour to break apart and evenly distribute ingredients and cream cheese.
  • Serve Crockpot Tortellini immediately. 

Notes

Any shredded cheese type will work – for a more authentic taste, try something robust like Asiago or an Italian blend. 
Top with a little fresh shredded Parmesan cheese before serving.
See article for stovetop tips.

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 1342mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3384IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 317mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.

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5 from 18 votes
5 from 18 votes (15 ratings without comment)

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14 Comments

  1. Could I use sun dried tomatoes instead of rotel?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Rotel brings moisture as well as tomatoes to the dish – so its not just about the tomatoes. I would say that you cannot substitute one for the other but you could easily add sun dried to the recipe.

    2. Nicole Willard says:

      This was so good my husband said it was restaurant quality!

      I did make my own tweaks. I subbed arugula for spinach, cherry tomatoes for Rotel, and used chive and onion cream cheese, added sausage crumbles with bacon, and used a log of zesty mozzarella. It was an excellent base!

  2. This was really good & easy!! Took no prep time & threw together in the crockpot really quick. I ended up using frozen ravioli because that’s what I had & fresh spinach & homegrown tomatoes, with mozzarella cheese. It was really good!!

  3. Love it, so simple and full of flavor

  4. Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      I dont see why not, but I would personally let it thaw and drain excess water out. Frozen veggies tend to retain a ton of water and you dont want it too soupy.

  5. If I use fresh tortellini do I cook it for less time ?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Fresh tortellini is really really quick to cook- so I would recommend that you skip the crockpot and do it on the skillet. Just make your fresh tortellini via the instructions on the bag, then melt down your other ingredients in a saucepan and combine.

  6. The first time I made this I made it as listed and it was great. This weekend I had extra veggies chopped up from this week that we haven’t eaten yet (peppers and onions) so I tossed those in. I used a family size bag (about 48 ounces) of tortellini, a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes since hubby is picky and doesn’t like chunks, threw in some cooked hamburger I had in the freezer, used beef broth and used up some garden veggie cream cheese I had. Thank you for the great recipe to start and then the ideas of what to add.

  7. What do I need to do if I want to use uncooked tortilini instead of frozen?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      You would need to flash boil the tortellini according to the instructions and may want to watch the time bc it will need far less once already cooked.

  8. Can you make this with whipped cream cheese instead of block cream cheese?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      I dont see why not!