Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup

This is one of my family's favorite soups! It's hard to find a soup that pleases everyone, but this one does. Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound (500 g) ground Italian sausage (or ground chicken, turkey or beef), browned*
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder (or chicken)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups beef broth (or chicken or vegetable broth -- I use low sodium)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed and dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 36 ounces evaporated milk or half and half
• 12 ounce packet three cheese tortellini (I used dried not fresh; choose any flavor you like)
• 5 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place the browned sausage, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, beef bouillon powder, salt, and broth in a 6-quart / litre slow cooker bowl. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours.
• Uncover and skim any fat that is sitting on the top of the soup with a spoon; discard. Stir in the cornstarch mixture with the evaporated milk (or half and half or cream). Add the tortellini and mix well. Cover again and cook on HIGH heat setting for a further 45 minutes until the soup has thickened, and the tortellini is soft and cooked through.
• Add in the spinach, pressing the leaves down to completely submerse into the liquid. Cover again for a further 5-10 minutes until the leaves have wilted.
• Pour in milk in 1/3 cup increments, as needed, to reach your desired thickness and consistency (I needed 1 cup); taste test and season with extra salt ONLY if needed, and pepper to suit your tastes.

I leave out the celery because we're not celery fans, but I put in everything else. (I usually don't use that much milk at the end though.) We eat it all year long and I love how it's both easy and super delicious. I can't recommend it enough!