Reviewed: Sep. 9, 2009

I found this recipe when looking for something to do with my extra/unused shredded mozzerella and chedder cheeses. It turned out to be a total HIT with my meat-loving husband and a great time-saving meal for me. I browned / seasoned the beef the night before and just turned the slow cooker on in the morning when I left for work. It smelled fantastic when I got home! While I agree that it's not "gourmet" or "real Italian" pasta, it very nicely satisfied our hunger on a weeknight and felt like a good, homecooked meal that didn't require a ton of work! I also agree that the tortellini are a bit "wasted" on such a thick/heavy sauce, but I wasn't going for anything fancy. Just wanted to use up the cheese!The real testimonial is that I've already made it twice and plan to make it again. I added 1 tsp brown sugar, per the other reviews, and only used italian sausage (did not have ground beef), but otherwise followed the recipe.

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CAROLYNBASS

Home Town: Palo Alto, California, USA

Living In: Dallas, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 8, 2009

This gets 3 stars because the kids liked it, even if the adult reaction would have made it a 1 or 2 star. This is the kind of recipe that appeals to the "Hamburger Helper" and "Kraft Mac & Cheese" palette and I imagine most of the high ratings have to come from such folk. That said, as an Italian food loving adult who lived in Italy for many years, this recipe struck me as a waste of good fresh tortellini. The first time I tried this I made my own marinara sauce and used fresh mushrooms, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. The result was disappointing. The second time I followed the recipe to the letter and felt like I was eating sloppy-joe-coated tortellini. This is a thumbs down for me, though I'm sure is great for people with different taste.

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Joe Pontes

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Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2009

I made this dish tonight for dinner and served it with a garden salad. I used all ground beef but will try the next time with the sausage. I added green peppers as well. Absolutely delicious and will be made again and again. No more need to go out for good italian food when it can be made like this recipe. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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Teri

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Reviewed: Aug. 25, 2009

My family loved this- Even my picky son! He calls it Italian Chili. Definitely a keeper.

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Jodilynn84

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Aug. 17, 2009

I made this for work and everyone including me really loved it. Didn't change a thing.

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SHA88

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Reviewed: Aug. 16, 2009

Very good slow cooker recipe. You always can add a little basil and maybe some grated parmessan to it when it is ready.

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atclark

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Aug. 9, 2009

I found the taste to be just average for this recipe. My family didn't care too much for the flavor. It was on the bland side.

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Julie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Living In: Fishers, Indiana, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 1, 2009

My family really liked this tortellini. I did make a few changes; I used 1 lb. of turkey Italian sausage sauteed with 1/2 of a yellow onion and 1/2 of a green pepper, homemade marinara sauce, left out the mushrooms, and subbed parmigiano-reggiano cheese for the cheddar. I used all of the homemade marinara sauce so I had enough sauce to increase the tortellini to a larger pkg. (1 lb. 9 oz. I believe). I served it with Caesar salad and homemade garlic bread. The sauce is extremely salty, not sure why. Next time I will use low-sodium tomatoes and maybe decrease the amount of sausage.

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Rose

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jul. 22, 2009

a little salty, but delicious. i'm guessing saltiness is dependant on the type of italian sausage used.

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wineandwhine

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: College Station, Texas, USA

Living In: Victoria, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 17, 2009

This recipe was wonderful. I took the time to make the marinara sauce using the "Best Marinara Sauce Yet" recipe on this site. Cutting the serving size on the marinara recipe in half created the perfect amount needed for this recipe. I used Johnsonville Italian Sausages with Sweet Basil (it takes 2 to equal 1/2 lb). I wasn't sure how I like this recipe after mixing everything up in the morning, but it turned out delicious. I don't like mushrooms but I ate them without noticing. My husband and 1 1/2 yr old daughter give it two thumbs up.

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crazycat80

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Bethany, Missouri, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 9, 2009

This is phenomenal! I made this with what I had at home, so I used all ground beef with no sausage. And we used 1lb. 90z. of cheese ravioli. It was so GREAT, my husband and two boys just could not get enough of it. And one of the easiest things I've ever made! So delicious - THANK YOU! :)

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KUU

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Reviewed: Jun. 9, 2009

This is a great family dish. I did use the crock pot because I had a busy day of errands. The only substitutions I made since I didn't have sausage or hamburger meat, I used meatballs from Costco. I also added a can of tomato paste and left out the mushrooms. (Preference only) My family loved it!

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roestkys

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Reviewed: May 27, 2009

I found this recipe to be very 'tomatoey'. It was not what I was expecting. I think a lot of the flavour is expected to come out of the Italian-style diced tomatoes, and it really isn't strong enough to give it enough flavour. The addition of the sausage was sort of awkward to us, although I'm sure it is supposed to add to the flavour as well. It was nice for something different, but I did not keep this one in my recipe book.

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DAYTEKMULTISYNC

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Stratford, Ontario, Canada

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Reviewed: May 24, 2009

I wasn't impressed by this recipe. It was good - but not great. The diced tomatoes watered down the sauce too much for me and didn't cling to the pasta like we prefer. I will probably make again - but leave out the tomatoes and just use some extra marinara. I will also just bake it in the oven next time.

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happyschmoopies

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Sidman, Pennsylvania, USA

Living In: High Point, North Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2009

Made this once without the mushrooms or tomatoes, but added green pepper. It's good, but doesn't need to spend all day in the slow-cooker. Probably will make again.

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cookiegal

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Provo, Utah, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 6, 2009

This recipe has earned 5 stars from my extremely picky 7 year old son who never seems to like anything beyond cereal. I started this in the crock pot before leaving for work. I used a full pound of italian sausage in place of the sausage/beef split. Since it was the morning and I didn't have time to make the meat in a pan, I popped the Italian sausage in a microwave safe dish and cooked on high for 6 minutes, broke it up in small pieces and put it in for another minute and a half. I didn't have mushrooms so I didn't add them. I also followed other suggestions and substituted parmesan cheese in place of cheddar. My day was longer than expected, so this was in my crock pot for 9 hours on low - it was still fabulous. My son even asked if I could use the crock pot to cook all of our meals. If you have a picky eater, this is a recipe to try to win him or her over. Thanks for sharing and for all of the helpful tips from other reviewers.

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Lori Taylor

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Reviewed: Apr. 4, 2009

This was good. I nearly ran out of room in my frying pan. I dont see the need for a slow cooker for this one.

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MNISC

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 24, 2009

I would have used a few more spices, maybe italian spices. Very easy!!. it cooks while you are working and my boyfriend can even finish the meal.

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Rooney

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Reviewed: Mar. 5, 2009

This was great! My whole family liked it. I used fresh mushrooms instead of canned and I ended up just doing it in a Dutch oven on the stove top instead of the crockpot. I let the sauce simmer about 5 hours and then added in the tortellini. I just gave a sprinkling of cheese on the top at the very end so it wasn't too cheesy. Yum!

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lauren

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Reviewed: Mar. 2, 2009

This turned out very tasty. Great sauce. I didn't use any hamburger in mine, just the pork; and my tomatoes had basil and oregano in them. Also used up my fresh mushrooms instead of opening a can. Didn't cook for the full 8 hours, but everything in it is cooked--just the longer it's in the pot, the better! I will be making this one again.

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