This turned out to be one of the best meals I ever made. Here are my adjustments: 1 lb ground turkey browned with a clove of garlic, 1 cup chopped turkey pepperoni, 1 jar Ragu Italian Sausage flavored sauce, 1 can Italian Style stewed tomatoes (I blend smooth), 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp Ital seasoning. I cooked 2 pkgs of the frozen cheese tortellini then put into 13x9 pan. I just didn't have time for the crockpot this particular day. Added some cheese, then poured over the sauce and mixed through and topped with more cheese. Bake till cheese melts, which is only 5-10 min. Fantastic! Better than any other Italian dish I have ever made. And easy, too.
I made this last night for my husbnad's italian family everyone really enjoyed it. I did however change the recipe up like I do w/ all new recipes. First anytime I make a pasta recipe I always add onion and green pepper to the meat as I am browning it. I am not one whom like sausage so I used extra ground beef I also added a fair amount of pepperoni not too much to give it a little spicy kick. Instead of using original totellini I used garlic and herb chich I believe gave it a great taste. Also with any pasta recipe I added a little more italian spices gralic spice and some brown sugar. I don't add too much brown sugar it does give a smoother taste but the main reason for adding this to any pasta recipe it is counters the red sauce and keep the heartburn down this is always worked for me and my family since we do get heartburn easy so it's not as much for the taste. Overall I found that everyone enjoyed this recipe w/ all the changes. I served it was salad and bread.
I was very impressed with this dish and it exceeded the expectations I originally had of this recipe! I did add some onions and green bell peppers when sauting the lb of italian sausage (I didn't use any hamburger), added some extra italian seasonings, and (thanks to "Ravenmelle's" advice) added just a little brown sugar - which I can see why it would reduce heartburn!!! I didn't see the point in slow cooking this so I mixed all in a 9x13 dish, covered with foil and baked for about 1.5hrs at 325 degrees. I then removed the foil, added the cheese(s) and baked for another 15 minutes (uncovered). Sprinkled a little parmesan over each serving...Viola! Great recipe Tracy! My family gives you a standing ovation!
The only changes made were to add some italian seasoning a teaspoon of brown sugar and a small can of sliced olives. I was not impressed with this recipe and probably will not make it again. It seemed too greasy even though I used extra lean ground beef.
All you need is 1 pan plus your slow cooker! Don't drain the mushrooms and use shredded parmesan instead of cheddar.Also try it with roasted garlic & cheese tortellini!I refusd\ed to serve jarred sauce before making this recipe!
I made this recipe and it was DELICIOUS!! I used 1lb. Italian Sausage (mild) and mozzerella and parmesan (no cheddar). I made the sauce in the crock pot then added fresh 3-cheese tortellini then poured it in a casserole and topped with the parm & mozzerella covered with foil and baked at 350 for 40 min covered and 10 min uncovered. It was a big hit with my crowd and I will definately make this one again!! Thank you Tracey for posting this one.
Excellent and perfect for a "fix-it and forget it" recipe! I added a little minced garlic and chopped onion while browning the ground beef and opted for sweet Italian sausage. For the marinara sauce I used "Best Marinara Sauce Yet" from this site that I had frozen as it's one of my favorites and is perfect for just this type of recipe. I didn't use cheddar cheese as I really didn't think it paired well so instead I used shredded Parmesan. Wonderful served with a fresh garden salad and warm bread!
Wonderful dinner and my in-laws even loved it!! I changed it a little as well. I used all sausage and added onion and green pepper as well. I also added some garlic and brown sugar and just cooked it all in a casserole dish for 40 min. on 350 and then added the cheese until melted...so yummy..and I did not add mushrooms!
