Do you have a hard time getting veggies into your kids’ stomachs like me? I feel like no matter how hard I try to incorporate vegetables into my recipes, the kids manage to pick them apart. But lately I’ve been feeling really convicted to not just FEED my children, but NOURISH my children. With long school days followed by busy evenings of sports, I know that their bodies need to be fueled well and not just filled up on junk. I’ve got a long way to go in building up a recipe index of good recipes my kids will eat without complaint, but this one is always gobbled up, and easy to make on a busy night since it can be cooked up in the crockpot.
For this recipe, you’ll want a food processor. Trust me. Chopping the vegetables finely enough to make them nearly invisible would not be fun, so outsource that to the machine. I have two food processors, one is a miniature size perfect for small batches of chopping that I swiped from my Grandma when she was downsizing, and the other is the large bowl cuisinart food processor. True confession: I only ever use the mini one and that big beautiful Cuisinart mostly goes untouched in my cabinet. Maybe it’s the convenient size, but I have to admit there is no small part of me that likes using the smaller one because I know it once belonged to my grandma, even though it’s not old or passed down, it was hers, and that means something to me. But maybe your chopping and dicing needs are greater than mine, in which case by all means you should splurge on the big Daddy, but in case you’re not, save yourself about $100 and get a small and inexpensive option that’s easy to clean and doesn’t take up too much space.
The other kitchen tool you’ll want is a slow cooker with a sauté feature. I upgraded my slow cooker from when we got married to this version which does have the sauté feature and I use it every single time. To not dirty an extra pan is a life saver for me when it comes time to clean up after the meal, and I’ll take all the help I can get in that department. If you’re still using your old school slow cooker, Fall is the perfect time to upgrade because of all the wonderful, hearty meals you can make with your slow cooker. I love using mine so much I even have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to Slow Cooker meals. With sports and busy schedules, sometimes it’s the only way to feed the family a nutritious home cooked meal.
Crockpot Tortellini with Hidden Veggies
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1/4 Onion
- 1 handful carrots
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 package ground beef
- 1 jar pasta sauce (I used a creamy tomato and parmesan sauce but marinara works too!)
- 1 20oz package cheese tortellini
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese (for topping)
Instructions
- Using a food processor, throw fresh vegetables into the bowl of the processor and give it a few quick pulses until veggies are finely chopped.
- In a frying pan or your slow cooker (if it has a sautee option), heat up your olive oil. Add veggies and beef and cook together. Add garlic last. Season with italian spices, salt and pepper.
- Once your beef is cooked through, add your jar of sauce and turn your slow cooker to Low. Leave on low heat setting for 4-6 hours.
- One hour before serving, add tortellini to slow cooker.
- Enjoy with extra parmesan on top.
I loved this meal, and the family gobbled it up (I don’t even think Stockton realized it had extra veggies in it!). I finished mine off with some red pepper flakes and Trader Joe’s focaccia bread. Delish. I hope you add this recipe and this veggie hack to your life, and let me know if your family enjoys it!
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