Crockpot Tortellini and Sausage

I found a crockpot tortellini and sausage recipe on Just a Pinch. I've made a few modifications to it in order to reduce salt and fat.

• 3 c. low sodium chicken, fat free chicken broth (I use bouillon granules)
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans of no salt added diced tomatoes
• Kielbasa
• 1 package Louisa cheese tortellini
• 1/2 package frozen spinach
• 1 (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese
• Black pepper to taste
• Oregano to taste
• Rosemary to taste
• Sage to taste
• Ground thyme to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• Onion powder to taste

If you have Italian seasoning blend in your spice rack, you can use that instead of the oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme. 

You can totally do what Just a Pinch says and dump everything into your crockpot, give it a stir, and cook it on low. I really enjoy the entire process of cooking. So, first I put in the broth and tomatoes. Next, I added the seasonings. I tasted it to make sure that I liked the amounts that I used. As you can see, I didn't add any extra salt. Kielbasa has a lot of salt in it. That, and I'm 37 and have a slight issue with high blood pressure from time to time. 

After I got it flavored the way I know that Bull and I will like it (since it's just us this week - which means I bet I have to freeze a portion), I cubed the cream cheese and added it. Then, I sliced the kielbasa. If you've never had kielbasa, look for it. You can also use Polish sausage. It's essentially the same thing. I do NOT recommend getting John Morrell. The taste isn't very good. Either purchase Farmland or Eckrich. I buy whichever is on sale. Add this to the sauce.

Next, add half of a small package of frozen spinach. You could use fresh spinach if you have it or if that's less expensive in your area. I used frozen because I never use an entire bunch of fresh spinach before it begins to turn. 

Finally, add your package of tortellini. I stirred mine to get as many of the tortellini pieces as I could in the liquid. I have mine on low. I'm a fairly experienced home cook...so I expect it to be done in about 4 hours. I do plan on stirring it from time to time. Which, if you don't know, pushes back your cooking time by 15 minutes each time you open the lid. 

You could cook this on the stove top fairly fast, too. Just boil the tortellini in water (then drain). Then, cook it with the sausage and spinach in your sauce. 

Recipe Review: Nacho Cheese Chip Casserole

You'll see the recipe floating around online as Doritos Casserole. Recently, I decided to try shopping at Aldi's. I spent $46 (Oklahoma City) and have enough groceries for roughly five meals. I did buy my hamburger elsewhere. There's simply no difference in the price of beef at my local Aldi's. However, I also bought some great fresh asparagus for $1.99 and some lovely baby spinach.

Anyway, my goal with this review isn't necessarily the recipe itself. It is more about the quality and taste of the ingredients that I purchased from Aldi's. First, let's take a look at the basic recipe.

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 lbs. hamburger
• 2 c. shredded cheddar
• Nacho Cheese flavored Doritos

Essentially, you cook and crumble your hamburger. I season mine with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Of course, drain it if you use fatty meat. 

Mix the meat with the two cans of cream soup. Place this in a casserole dish. 

Top with shredded cheese. Crush chips and place on top.

Place in oven at 350 until cheese is melted. This took maybe 10 minutes.

I already had cream of mushroom soup on hand. I bought my hamburger from Walmart. 

I bought cream of chicken soup, shredded sharp cheddar, and the nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips from Aldi's. 

We really liked the shredded cheese from Aldi's. It had a really great flavor. The only thing I didn't like was the price. It was actually cheaper to buy Kraft shredded cheddar from a local store. I didn't know that until I later went there to get my youngest son some chocolate milk. 

We really liked the cream of chicken soup from Aldi's, too. It had a really good flavor. It came out of the can easily. The top of the can is an easy open can. I was worried that it wouldn't have enough flavor or that it would be salty. I was wrong! 

We could go either way on the nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips. They were fine for the casserole. However, they are not something that we would just eat with a sandwich or for a snack. The texture is really strange (and this is coming from someone who loves the Great Value brand nacho cheese tortilla chips). They are a little salty as well. The cheese flavoring is good. 

I paid .59 cents for the soup, $2.79 for the shredded cheese, Had I known it was on sale at a local store, I could have saved almost a dollar. I paid $1.19 for the chips. The hamburger was purchased elsewhere for about $8. So, this meal cost us roughly $11. We are big eaters. Tonight there were three of us instead of five, but we ate the entire pan. Even the picky five year old liked the recipe. The hamburger was the most expensive component. You could probably save more if you used ground turkey or if you can find hamburger on sale.