Slow Cooker Cheesy Butternut Squash and Tortellini Soup

By Katecooks

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 1 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple, finely diced
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 cups Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
• 3/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
• 1 can (12 oz) beer (I used pumpkin beer)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 10 oz cheese tortellini
• 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese (6 oz)
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
• 4 oz crumbled blue cheese, if desired

Preparation

Step 1

1. Spray or grease 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, apple, squash, carrots, chicken broth, milk, beer, crushed red pepper flakes, rosemary, salt and pepper.

2 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or High heat setting 2 to 4 hours. Squash should be tender.

3 Transfer soup to blender; puree until smooth. Return to slow cooker.

4 Add tortellini and cheeses; stir to combine. Cover; cook on High heat setting about 10 minutes or until tortellini is soft.

5 Ladle into bowls; garnish with extra cheese, if desired. Serve with crusty bread.