Tonight's Dinner Creamy broccoli and turkey tortellini recipe

Goat cheese makes a great pasta sauce

Are you used to making pasta and sauce in several different pans on the stove? This slow cooker recipe means you can throw everything in just one pot around lunch time and have a delicious meal on the table by 6 p.m.

Tortellini is one of my favorite pastas because they're little pasta pillows filled with everything from meat to cheese to vegetables. They also need barely any sauce to have a nice filling meal. But every so often, it's nice to add a vegetable or side to the pasta to make a heartier meal. Normally though, adding stuff means more pots and pans to clean when the meal is over and if you're anything like me, cleaning up is the least fun part of cooking. (That's why my husband does it.) But this delicious creamy tortellini dinner from Parents magazine gives you a hearty dinner with minimal cleanup.

Instead of having to cook the tortellini in one pot, the vegetables in another and the sauce in yet another, you just throw everything in the slow cooker, turn it on and four hours later dinner is served. The best part, not only is there just one pot to clean at the end of the night, you don't have to spend any time at the stove. This is just one more reason I love my slow cooker: I don't need to watch what I'm making. Everything goes in, I turn it on and then run whatever other errands I have. So, it's the perfect meal for those busy nights when you realize you just don't have time to cook.

Creamy broccoli and turkey tortellini

Serves 6

Ingredients:1 pound ground turkey1-1/2 cups chicken stock1 (12 ounce) package frozen broccoli florets1 (9 ounce) package cheese tortellini2 (4 ounce) packages herbed goat cheeseDirections:

Cook the turkey in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about five minutes.Transfer the cooked turkey to a four to six quart slow cooker. Stir in the chicken stock, broccoli florets, uncooked tortellini and goat cheese until well-combined. Cover and cook on low for four hours. Serve immediately.

More Tonight's Dinner recipes >>Other tortellini recipes

Sausage & kale tortellini
Tortellini casserole
Tortellini stir-fry