Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Tortellini
This slow cooker butternut squash tortellini is comforting, delicious, and so, so easy. The butternut squash makes the perfect creamy sauce!
Well, this was amazing.
And, quite honestly, a little unexpected.
So much so that we had already sat down to dinner and started chowing, when I abstractedly noticed the first few bites were being met with “wow” and “mmmm” and “seriously this is awesome” by my table partners. I shouted “STOP!! Stop eating!” as I realized the importance of documenting this meal for blogging posterity before it was all completely inhaled.
No one stopped, story of my life, so I quickly grabbed my plate, scraped the tortellini onto something {slightly} more presentable, scooted the oblivious eaters out of the way to get to good light, and snapped a couple pictures.
What started out as an experiment-slash-means-to-a-dinner-end proved to be a new family favorite.
It’s already been requested for birthday dinners, anniversaries (not the marriage kind, the “I haven’t hit my brother in three weeks kind”), and just becauses. All the while I’m sitting here thinking how it’s going to save my life this winter.
Comforting, delicious, and so, so easy.
If you haven’t experienced the delightfulness of butternut squash in pasta (like here, here and here), you’re missing out.
The very lightly sweet, winter squash makes the perfect creamy, cheesy, silky smooth sauce and is wonderful with the tender tortellini.
Seriously. That sauce is sooooo yummy. Plus, can we just talk about how the slow cooker wins again? I’m nominating her for best appliance in the history of ever.
What To Serve With This:
Roasted broccoli or skillet green beans
Cheesy Garlic Bread
Green salad or fresh fruit
One Year Ago: Foolproof No-Stir Homemade Caramels {With Step-by-Step Tutorial}
Two Years Ago: Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce
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Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Tortellini
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon minced dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash, about 4 cups or so
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 to 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular (depending on how creamy you want it), cubed
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving, if desired
- 1 ½ pound refrigerated tortellini (see note)
Instructions
- In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is starting to soften, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.
- Place the butternut squash in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Add the sautéed onion and garlic and then pour in the chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Add the cubes of cream cheese and the Parmesan cheese to the slow cooker. Stir until mostly melted. Using an immersion blender (or using a blender or food processor in batches), blend the mixture until smooth (and return it to the slow cooker if needed). Stir in the tortellini. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until the tortellini are tender.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (inspired by this recipe and this one, too)
167 Comments on “Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Tortellini”
I’ve made this recipe many times and the whole family loves it! I’m currently pregnant and couldn’t find any refrigerated tortellini that was pasteurized. So I tried dried tortellini and it worked great! I cooked it for a handful of minutes in boiling water, then transferred it to the crockpot for 30 minutes like the directions say. Refrigerated would still be my first pick, but this did work for those of you who can’t find pasteurized cheese tortellini.
I love this recipe, my kids love it, my husband tolerates it. I always have waaayyyy too much sauce when I make it though… is this freezer friendly?
I haven’t tried freezing, but it’s worth a try!
Very delicious! I added 1 lb of ground sausage and it was very tasty. I enjoyed eating the leftovers for lunch!
This is the best recipe! I love it so much and have made a few additions since my family thinks you must have meat in every meal.
After sauteing the onions and garlic, and adding them to the slow cooker with the squash, I use the dirty pan to saute sweet italian sausage. I set it aside until I add the tortellini at the end, but oh man does it add something special to the final dish!
I also use 2 cups of broth and add more after if it needs it, otherwise I feel the sauce is slightly runny.
Just came across Butternut Squash stuff shells .. ..cant wait to make. Im a big Bnut squash lover. Start making butternut/apple soup in the Fall. Its wonderful to use as a sauce over fresh vegetables and meat (roasted lion pork) another favorite. Thanks Mel for these delicious meals
This recipe is magic. I added about a 1/4 cup brown sugar after blending as my squash wasn’t terribly sweet. Absolutely delicious!
When placing the squash in the slow cooker do I place it face down or up to cook? Or does it not matter?
It shouldn’t matter
This is a recipe my whole family will eat- not something I can say about everything I make for dinner! Thanks for a great, easy recipe.
Delicious! I don’t usually love squash sauces or soups…but this was GOOD. I added more salt, and now I’m craving the sauce! 🙂
When I measured and weighed my squash, a generous 4 cups was only 1.7 lbs. Seems a little runny when I blended it. Next time I’m thinking go with the 2lbs instead of 4 cups. Which one do you go with usually?
I usually go with the weight measure.
I’m assuming it will turn out fine if I used cheese tortellini?
Yes, I think so. 🙂
This is a favorite of ours! However, the last 2 times I made it, the butternut squash has turned brown while cooking. It looks incredibly unappetizing, but still tastes the same. What is happening?! Any ideas? Is it over cooking?
Is it the same brand of tortellini you’ve always used? Hmmm, I’m not sure what might be happening. Are the tortellini mostly covered in the sauce while cooking?
I made this tonight with the Instant Pot and it turned out great!! In case anyone is curious what I did, here you go!
– I did step 1 in the IP with the “Saute” function.
– Then I added the butternut squash and chicken broth to the IP. I then used the “Manual” function and set the time for 4 minutes on HIGH pressure.
– When time was up, I did a quick release and then I stirred in the parm cheese and cream cheese (I used 8 oz) and used a immersion blender (worth buying if you don’t have one!) to puree everything in the IP.
– Then, I added a 20 oz package of frozen cheese tortellini and used the “Manual” function again and set the timer for 2 minutes and then used a quick release when the time was up.
– I added more salt, pepper, and parm cheese (like Mel says to do). It was quite soupy at first, but it thickened up a lot when people came back for leftovers 🙂
Thank you for another home run recipe, Mel! You’re my go-to girl!!
Nice work, Ellen!
I followed these directions, but had to put the lid back on after the final 2 minutes had left it a bit too al dente for my particular tortellini. These instructions worked perfectly! Yummy! Thanks!
Thank you for the IP directions! You are saving dinner tonight!
We eat “flexitarian” as much as we can, so I’m always on the lookout for delicious vegetarian recipes. This definitely fit the bill! It was like a delicious, grown-up mac & cheese. I used the full 8 oz of cream cheese, and it was so creamy! Thanks, Mel!
I’m going to try to modify for instapot tonight! Wish me luck!
How did it go? I want to make this in my instant pot too!
Hoping it went well in the IP! I’m going to try it in there tonight. Any tips?
Update! I made this tonight with the Instant Pot and it turned out great!! Check out my new comment if you’d like to see what I did!
This recipe made waaaay too much sauce for just 1 batch of tortellini (maybe my squash was really big??), so I froze the leftovers to use later. Unfortunately, I was the only one who really liked it. My husband and 2 boys, who aren’t usually picky, all said it was too sweet.
Has anyone made this with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth? Did it affect the flavor much?
This recipe is amazing! I have made it three times now and it always turns out so good!! It’s my new favorite recipe. It’s easy and I love how low maintenance it is. It is delicious fresh and also delicious as leftovers. The Costco tortellini makes it so very good. I highly recommend this recipe if you like butternut squash.
This was amazing. We LOVED it. The sauce is to die for (and we even used light cream cheese) and I would totally make it and serve it with steamed vegetables instead of tortellini. SO. STINKIN. GOOD. Home run, Mel!
Thanks, Annie!
Mel, I’ve recently been trying out new recipes from your website with my family and I haven’t found one yet they did not like! I just made your butternut squash tortellini for dinner last night and was so excited to hear “ooos” and “ahhhs” with “WOW Mom! This is REALLY good!!!!” As if I never serve anything yummy. 🙂 Even my picky eaters joined in on the positive review-especially the one who doesn’t care for squash or this type of sauce in general. After basking in about 3 seconds of praise, I caved and told them it was your recipe and that I’d pass the praise and thanks onto you. THANK YOU!!!! The recipe is now added to our favs file and will be used and savored. As a side note, the kids and husband all asked if there was leftovers for lunches the next day. They liked it enough to eat it the next day and cold even! I doubled the recipe and it fed our family of 8 with leftovers for 4 the next day. Thanks Mel, for helping me make my “Mommy Career” fun and exciting!!!
Thanks for such a great comment, Amanda! It made me smile AND made me happy that you are loving the recipes. 🙂
This is absolutely delicious! My twelve year old twins loved it and had it a few days in a row. We had so much sauce (kept it separate from the pasta so the kids could put on what they wanted) that I put it on our new dogs kibble and she ate it up. Ha 😉 Thx for sharing such great recipes!!
Have you done this with instapot?
Not yet – sorry!
Any thoughts on doing this in the instant pot??? I forgot to get my slow cooker going this morning but wanted to make this tonight still.
There are some people in the comment thread who have done it in the IP with success!
Thanks!!! I looked a little ways Down but I explore further. 🙂 I ended up making it tonight the regular way. Can’t wait to taste it!!!
I don’t have either type of blender. Will a hand mixer get it close enough to the consistency needed?
Hmmm, I’m not sure…the sauce may have a bit more texture to it, but it’s worth a try!
This was my first time using butternut squash and the directions and recipe were awesome! My tortellini was just 19 oz (and frozen) so I added one chicken breast (sliced into small strips & cooked about 80% in a skillet with a bit of salt, pepper & sage) at the same time and everything came out super yummy! Thanks for expanding my horizons!
I buy tortellini from Costco but I freeze it. Can I just add it frozen?
It might make the overall dish a bit runnier, but you could definitely try that.
This recipe food blog gets reccomended to me often. This recipe was the first one I made. I have 2 very picky eaters. Every let me repeat Every person in my family liked this. Thank you! I didn’t have sage on hand so I substituted it with oregano.
This looks so, so tasty. We’re remodeling our kitchen right now and the only appliance I have for cooking is my slow cooker. I’m sure it won’t be quite as amazing, but would it still work to just toss in the onions, etc. without sautéing them first do you think?
If that’s the case, I’d probably leave the onions out and use onion powder.
I didn’t sauté as I forgot to and it turned out fine!
I have tried this with tortellini and it worked incredibly. I’m pondering trying with gnocchi next week, do you think it would work?
Sounds promising! I think gnocchi might have a tendency to get overcooked and turn mushy/gluey, so I’d keep an eye on that.
I have a 1 lb bag of pre-cut butternut squash that says it contains 5 cups. Is that enough for this recipe, or should I use 2 bags or half the recipe? It looks like it would measure close to 4 cups, not quite 5 to me. Thanks!
I would use two bags or halve the recipe since the recipe calls for 2 pounds.
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Just made this today. AMAZING!! Thank you so much!
We love this recipe and I really wanted to make it tonight but decided to at 3:30pm. Obviously not enough time to do it in the slow cooker so I pulled out my amazing Instant pot and it did not disappoint. It even turned into a one pot meal with the sauté feature used for the onion and garlic. Cooked the squash for 10 minutes on High and then used quick release. Mixed in the cheese and puréed it then added the tortellini put on slow cooker High function for 30 minutes and it was done. I will probably make it this way from now on especially since it is a meal my 2 year old gobbles it up! Thank you!
Sweet! So happy to know this transitioned so well to the Instant Pot!
I just made this delicious meal in my instant pot last night and I cooked the squash for 6 minutes. It worked wonderfully well! I love this recipe!
Mel, my family loves, loves this recipe. I recently got an instant pot. Have you tried making this in the instant pot? How long would you cook the butternut squash for? Then use the saute function for cooking the tortellini?
I haven’t tried it in the IP yet, Kelley, so I’m not exactly sure, but maybe try 8-10 minutes for the squash?
Tried this with regular pasta in the instant pot. Super yummy!
We’re not really big fans of butternut squash in my house, but this was AMAZING. I didn’t have time to saute the onion and garlic, so I just threw in a teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder and it was delicious…tons of flavor. Just in case anyone else is always looking for shortcuts like me. 🙂 Thank you for this recipe! It’s a keeper.
Mel, I finally made this tonight, and we loved it! I used 3 ounces of cream cheese, chicken stock instead of broth, and lots of ravioli. The ravioli was frozen and took forever to heat through, so next time I will cook that on the stove. Thanks for a great recipe!
My daughter told me about this site a few months ago. I am so sorry I didn’t know about it earlier because everything I have tried is delicious and I can’t wait to try it all. I made this last night and it is one of the best things I have ever eaten. Thank you!
So happy you are enjoying the recipes, Linda!
New favorite. I think I’ve made it once a week for the last month. Thank you!
My family loves this, and so do the sister missionaries. I made this for them a few weeks ago and they dubbed it the “best member dinner ever.” They requested it again this week, as did my daughter for her birthday. So simple, yet so delicious. Thanks for such an awesome recipe.
So good! I’ve made it twice. It makes my heart happy. Next year, I’m growing a garden full of butternut squash!
Question: This recipe was delicious! I had a lot of the sauce leftover. Do you think it would work as the sauce for your butternut squash risotto?
I’ve never tried that Jennifer – certainly worth a try or you could probably freeze it and use later.
I made this tonight for supper. In truth, I think I burned myself out on squash this year and didn’t appreciate it as much as others might. I am just squashed-out, I guess. The sauce idea is very creative, and mine turned out very silky using my Blendtec. I love the idea of this dish, and I will put the rest in the freezer and take it out in a few months when I no longer feel overwhelmed by squash. And, consider yourself VERY fortunate if you can find cubed, frozen squash. I about threw my peeler and knife out the window after I finished prepping my squash this morning (even using the “tips” that are out there, it still is a crappy process). Now what to do with the 20 squash that are still sitting in my garage…
This was awesome! We used the 4 oz of cream cheese.
This looks fabulous. Did you use grated or shredded Parmesan? The pic looks like there’s shredded Parmesan on top but the recipe says grated. Want to make sure I get this Right!
Hi Brinley – I think it is just a matter of semantics. 🙂 I always have a big block of Parmesan cheese and I grate/shred it myself. That’s what I used here.
This was so delicious. Ours turned out a bit more soup-like than your picture, but I actually prefer a soup with extra “broth.” It was so silky and creamy. We used the full 8 oz. of cream cheese and loved it…didn’t find it one-note or overwhelmed with cream cheese flavor. It seemed absolutely perfect to us! Thanks for this one.
I made this last night. I was hoping that this would persuade my husband and kids to like ravioli or tortellini. I LOVED this, but the kids refused to eat more than a few bites. I did add a little chopped apple to add sweetness and I added a couple of tablespoons of leftover heavy cream (and a little less cream cheese) at the end. It was really delicious. I would eat the sauce as a soup without the pasta it was so good. Some day I will get my kids to like tortellini and ravioli!
Hi Mel,
I decided to try this recipe since so many others have tried it already. My family was VERY concerned when they saw the crockpot cooking with the squash. But I told them to keep an open mind. When it was ready, both my husband and daughter thought it was delicious!
I used frozen cubed squash (which I thawed out before cooking) and I used spinach and cheese ravioli since in your pictures the pasta looked more like ravioli than tortellini. I was not a fan of the spinach in the ravioli, so next time I will stick to a cheese or meaty pasta. But I will say it was so gratifying to see my 14 yr old daughter eat this dish (and eat leftovers of it) when she is NOT a veggie fan! Truly miraculous! Thank you so much for your fantastic recipes 🙂
This was amazing! My kids tolerated it but that just meant more for me! And I’m not happy about your recent Reese’s cheesecake post because now I’m going to have to try it out to see if it’s as good as you say. I will let you know! Thanks for yet another amazing recipe!
I was able to customize the sauce to my vegan life style and it was fabulous. I have put the sauce over everything possible. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I cook many of your recipes for my family and have never had a complaint only compliments.
How did you customize to be vegan?
Hi Mel, Do you think the recipe would cook well in the slow cooker if I halved the recipe?
Thanks
Yes!
I made this dish with 16 oz of cream cheese and woah . . . I agree it wasn’t my favorite. I thought it was rather one note. Texture was all the same and very thick when eaten as leftovers. I consider this my fault due to the excess about of cream cheese, I added. I remember I checked the recipe multiple times like “seriously, 4 blocks of cream cheese?”
Hi Amy, whenever I write a recipe up with multiple blocks of cream cheese I put it as 4 (8-ounces each) packages cream cheese so I’m sorry the range of 4-8 ounces confused you (and a few others it sounds like). I’ve added “to” in the ingredients list to make it more clear.
Yum!! So good! Thanks!
I made this for dinner last night, and it was SOOOO GOOOOD! So easy too! I only used half a brick of cream cheese (4oz), and that was plenty. I wonder if anyone has tried making this as soup (without the tortellini)? Maybe by subbing heavy cream or half and half for the cream cheese? What do you think? It sounds delicious to me. 😀
Hi Mel– if I use fresh herbs instead of dried (I’m an herb snob)– what quantities would you suggest? Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
When I sub in fresh herbs for dried, I usually use the rule of thumb to sub in 3X the amount of fresh for dried (so if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon dried, I’ll sub in about a tablespoon fresh).
Thanks Mel! This will be going in the crockpot momentarily! You’re recipes are fantastic– my favorite is your sheet carrot cake. People think I am la creme de la creme when I make it!
This was fantastic! I got it started in the morning and my teenager finished it up and got it on the table. Thanks for another great recipe to add to my list of slow cooker favorites!
Omgyum! I made this the day you posted it, the day after and again later that week, and today.. So so good! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
I misread the recipe and used four blocks of 8 ounce cream cheese! It was super creamy and there was way too much sauce but it tasted good. You might want to change the way you word the amount of cream cheese.
Oh my! I am soo glad I read the replies while my squash was cooking in the crockpot; I also bought 4 blocks of cream cheese (thinking, wow that’s alot of chees)
We made this to cook while we were at church. Prep time was like 5 mins. I used frozen tortellini. I used 4 oz of cream cheese and it made a wonderful almost-soupy sauce, which we loved to dip toasted french bread slices into. This with a salad and grapes made this a major hit over here…even the two big kids ate it and there were enough for leftovers for two. A great recipe! Thank you!
We loved this! Thanks for the recipe.
is it 1 package of 1/2 lbs of pasta, or do you need 1 and a 1/2 lbs of it?
It’s 1 1/2 pounds of pasta.
My husband is not a huge tortellini fan. Could i just use regular elbow noodles or something like that instead? Or do you think it wouldn’t be quite right?
I haven’t tried any other pasta besides tortellini but you could make the sauce in the slow cooker and boil whatever kind of noodles you wanted separately and serve the sauce over the top – several people have tried that already and it works great.
My husband tried hard to hide his lack of enthusiasm when I told him this was for dinner. He LOVED it and then claimed the leftovers.
MKC is my go to website for menu planning. Thank you!!
I keep reviewing this recipe to see if I left something out, but nope, I followed it exactly. I thought it was just okay and my kids (who are usually good eaters) only ate it because I forced them . I’m stumped reading all these rave reviews. Not sure how everyone thinks it was so amazing. I usually love butternut squash, but I thought this was somewhat flavorless and blah.
Sorry you didn’t love this, Bev – if it was flavorless, it might have benefitted from a pinch of salt and pepper at the end (in step #4 of the instructions). A lot of the flavor will come from the brand of chicken broth and tortellini you use, too. In the end, some recipes just aren’t for everyone; thanks for checking back in with your thoughts. 🙂
My kids LOVED this. I served it with grilled cheese, and they hardly touched their sandwiches. My 5 year old exclaimed, “this is the best night of my life! This is better then all my candy!” While one of my 3 year old boys (who was struggling to put his thoughts into words) said, “this makes my belly clap!”
Haha! That made me laugh! And yes, you can freeze the butternut squash without cooking or parcooking it first.
I made this today and like another poster reported, it was way too rich for us. I used 6 oz of cream cheese and we could each only eat a small bowl full :(. Too bad because it’s a beautiful dish! But beware that it’s very rich. I’d only add maybe 2 oz of cream cheese (if at all) if I made it again. Maybe a dash of cream or half and half would lighten it up a bit. Thanks for all your recipes, Mel. I usually love everything I try from your blog!
We had this last night for dinner. It was so good. We all loved it. I just used the whole squash I bought, most likely more than 4 cups, but just added more chicken broth. I used frozen cheese ravioli and just cooked it and then let everyone just put on how much sauce they wanted on their pasta. I didn’t add the Parmesan in the sauce, just let everyone put it on top of their own. It was yummy for a cool fall night.
We had the beef with broccoli the night before and loved it also. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing all your great recipes. I have tried several of your recipes and all of them have been awesome. My family knows if I get the recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, then it is going to be great. Your site is by far my favorite recipe blog. Thanks!
Thanks, Jillie!
Tried this a few days ago (with 4 oz cream cheese) and it was awesome! The only thing that would keep me from making it often would be the cost of the refrigerated pasta. Leftovers – the sauce had turned very thick, but I guess I could have tried thinning it a bit with some milk or water. Great flavor. Thanks, Mel!
Another great recipe. I do think I’d prefer a little less Cream Cheese so next time I’ll go with 4 oz instead of almost all of the 8 oz. block. I loved the taste but, alas, due to a real dumb error on my part, we didn’t really get to enjoy it. I love using my crock pot and the imersion blender has saved my rear end several times – that said, PLEASE don’t use a crock pot liner with this recipe. I did it and I can tell you that shredded crock pot liner does not add to the consistency of the dish. LOL – I tried to strain it out but decided it probably wasn’t very healthy because tiny bits were probably still in there. Luckily I hadn’t added the ravioli (I had some frozen ravioli I was going to use instead of tortellini) ended up with regular tomato sauce. I’ll be making this again soon. Thought you’d get a chuckle out of my mistake!
Ah, Jane! You have an awfully good attitude despite the liner fiasco. What a nightmare!
Jane – thank you for posting this! I always use liners and was debating about using it with this recipe today. Now that I have read your experience, the debate has ended and this recipe is now happily cooking in my naked crockpot! Thanks again!
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best dish I’ve made from the site, Mel. Thank goodness our guest said she enjoyed it(?)…..but, she seemed sincere, so that was positive. However, neither my hubby or myself cared for the dish. It may have had something to do with the fact that I used the whole 8 oz. of cream cheese – way too much richness for us…..however, as it was the first time making this dish, I thought I would give it a try….likely the mistake.
It was way to rich for our tastes – we eat a lot of simple stir fried veggies with very little meat…..creamy dishes are not our ‘cuppa tea’ so to speak.
However, this does not deter me from trying other recipes and I will c/t do so.
This one just isn’t going to be one of our favourites.
Slow cookers are the best appliances ever. This looks amazing – maybe just maybe it’ll convince my kiddos to eat tortellini? How they can NOT like it I’ll never understand. Can’t wait to try this one!
Wait. I’m sorry. Did you just post a recipe calling for two convenience items from Costco, utilizing the entire amounts in the package, and all the other ingredients are kitchen staples? You did? I love you. It’s in my crockpot now.
I made this using the whole 8oz of cream cheese. It was alright, but I think next time I will definitely make with the 4oz or less of the cream cheese. It was too cheesy (hard to believe that’s possible) it completely overpowered everything else.
Mel I’ve followed this recipe- using 4 cups of butternut squash. But I have half a squash left that I have peeled and cut. Can I save it somehow? Thank you for your help and recipes!!!
Hi Ashlee, yes! Just peel and cube the rest of the squash and then freeze it – you can use it in most recipes calling for cubed, butternut squash. 🙂
You can just freeze it? It doesn’t need to be blanched or anything?
Made it. Loved it. Will definitely be making it again soon. Thanks for another winning, tasty, delicious and easy meal. I talk about you and your recipes so much my fiance always asks about you, “What’s Mel cooking up today?”
Haha, loved that comment. Thank you!
Always looking for delicious vegetarian dinner ideas that I can make for when my mother-in-law makes her weekly visits. I think I’ll give this one a try as my two teen-aged sons love anything cheesy and/or pasta-y and this looks like it may just make everyone happy. I will try making it with vegetable broth. Have you tried it that way?
No I haven’t but I think it should work fine. 🙂
Completely and totally amazing! Less than 10 minutes prep and you get the most awesome flavor payoff! Love how creamy and smooth the sauce is and without using cream or butter. I crisped up some pancetta and sever it on the side for an added salty texture and it was great. Another winner Mel!
I made this and it WAS fabulous. I didn’t have chicken broth so i added a tablespoon of soysauce and water – worked great. I made half for a friend and kept half. The half I kept sat warming in the crockpot for too long and this gave it a bitter overcooked onion aftertaste. I added 5-7 drops of lemon essential oil*, and the bitter flavor was gone. The lemon turned into a nice sweet aftertaste without the sugar! *Only use essential oils that are pure enough to consume.
I am not a squash person. I eat it maybe once a year to be polite at my mother-in-law’s house. I tried this recipe tonight, and I can honestly say that this is one of the most delicious meals I have ever created. I used the Costco tortellini and it was divine. I also omitted the sage as I am not a fan of safe and it was still amazing. Wow. Thanks, Mel!!!
Tried it, LOVED it!! I added about 3 sauteed chicken breasts cut into pieces….perfect, complete meal with some crusty bread and a salad or steamed vegetable. Another winner from Mel!
Thanks so much and keep them coming!
Tricia
Hi – I was wondering if the tortellini you used was cheese or meat – my Costco carries both… ?
woops – see the answer now. Nevermind 🙂
Do you think frozen cubed squash would work?
Yes, frozen cubed butternut squash should work just fine. 🙂
Making this tonight with pumpkin puree I have in the freezer. Thanks for the very quick dinner idea.
This looks so good! I wish they made versions of pre-made tortellini thats gluten free.
There is a brand of GF tortellini’s that I purchase for my son.. Conte’s pasta, if you have a Wegman’s near you, they carry the brand. Hope this helps.
I want this right now! Next week meal plan for sure.
This looks amazing. What are your thoughts on adding a bit of maple syrup to the squash mixture? I love pumpkin ravioli with maple cream sauce but I’m not sure if maple will go well with the other flavorings in this recipe?
Hmmm, I’m not sure. I probably wouldn’t add it because I don’t like savory dishes to have too much sweetness and the butternut already adds a touch of sweet but if you like the flavor combo, I think it’s worth a try.
Wow, haven’t seen you in my newsfeed for a while…So glad..This looks amazing, I wonder if the dry would work if you cooked it according to the package and just stirred it in…
I’m so sad it’s too late in the day to start this for dinner tonight……tomorrrow it is!
Do you think it would turn out well enough if I left out the cream cheese? Or used heavy cream instead?
Leaving out the cream cheese would make it less creamy and probably a bit less thick but you could definitely try.
Report (for anyone else who might have husbands against cream cheese too!) — I used 1/2 cup cream instead of the cream cheese. It is delicious! I’m sure it’s missing the tangy element (maybe sometime I will try Fage) but it’s still definitely worth eating and so super easy. Thanks for a great recipe and for saving me at dinnertime pretty much every night for the past five years 🙂
Been making your recipes for years now and they never disappoint. Thanks Mel!
Thanks Karen!
Yum! This looks like such an easy meal to pull together! We’ll have to put this on the menu plan for next week because my husband loves all things tortellini!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Hmmmm – my husband hates squash, but I might make this when he isn’t looking & see if he’ll eat it… I’m all about the crockpot lately too. I even made my Thanksgiving ham (I’m Canadian) in it this year. It came out perfect & it was nice to not juggle oven space for all the sides.
Mel,
My husband hates cream cheese. Would this turn out okay if I left it out? Is there something I can substitute, like do you think just basic cream would work?
Thanks in advance!
PS Thanks for saving me at dinnertime daily for five years now 🙂
I haven’t made this but I’m wondering if you couldn’t try ricotta cheese in place of the cream cheese?
I haven’t tried it – the texture probably won’t be quite as creamy but it’s worth a try if you like ricotta.
Hi Mel: I have he butternut squash chopped and in the slow cooker….heading out for the tortellini soon. This sound wonderful…..will let you know how hubby and I like it. Thanks for all the time and effort you expend to ensure those of us with no imaginations, can find, such great recipes. Have a wonderful day Mel.
Thanks Gail – I hope you like it!
Looks so cozy and comfy can’t wait to enjoy this on a cold winter day.
Yummmm… I was going to cook squash tonight anyway- this sounds like a great way to try it. Any tips on peeling the squash? I’ve never peeled one before though I’ve baked it a million times. The skin seems to so hard. Thanks in advance!
Peeling and cutting up butternut squash used to be a total pain for me until I discovered this tip. Cut the squash into two parts – the long upper part, and the round part at the bottom. It makes it easier to hold this way. Peel it with a regular vegetable peeler. Chop it up into cubes (or whatever you need). There will be seeds in the round part, just scrape them out 🙂 No need to buy the pre-cubed containers of squash at the grocery store.
I’ve used both a vegetable peeler & a regular knife. Either way, the key is to cut it up into sections first. If you decide to use a regular knife, make “solid” chunks that will sit flat on your cutting board and just slice down the outside.
I saw a tip here on MKC quite a while back I’ve been using with great success. I stab the squash just a few times to keep it from exploding, then put it (whole) in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. It totally softens the skin (even though it is hot). I either let it cool first then peel, or grab a hot pad and do it if I’m in a hurry. It works great.
Thanks for reminding me of this! 🙂
Hey Dana – great question. The skin is really tough but I usually use a vegetable peeler. This method from The Kitchn is basically how I do it if I’m not buying it at Costco already peeled and cut for me (so spoiled).
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-peel-and-cut-butternut-squash-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-65196
The refrigerated tortellini I see at the store is usually filled with cheese or herbs. Is the tortellini you used filled?
Yes, the kind I use was labeled 4-cheese tortellini, I believe.
I never thought of putting tortellini in the slow cooker…I love that this is a great head start on dinner, with just that final toss of cheese and tortellini at the end. And I love butternut squash and pasta whether it’s stuffed with it or in the sauce. Yum!
Yum! This looks and sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try this. Thanks Mel!
What a great way to start the day!! Not only did I get to read an email from my boy in Armenia… who reported he made breadsticks and scones (the fryed in oil kind).. “thanks for teaching me how to cook Mommy… the recipes you sent with me are really coming in handy” .. Many of those recipes include ones from MKC. I get to read this totally fun post by you and I now know what to do with the butternut squash that has been sitting on my counter staring at me for a couple of weeks now. And the bonus is that my hubby who had to head to the city this morning for a work related meeting was already planning a stop at Costco on the way home, so I can get the good tortellini too!! Can’t wait to try this. Bring on Halloween week… hope you have a great one with your kiddo’s !!
I hope you have a great Halloween, too, Helen! Love that your son is cooking up a storm in Armenia. 🙂
This looks lovely. We gobbled down your butternut squash stuffed shells last night and cant wait to get to the leftovers for lunch. This however, looks equally as lovely and slow cooker…… yes please!
We love butternut squash and I have one sitting on the counter! We were away last week and so here it is Monday morning and I was sitting here agonizing over the age old question, “What will I fix for supper?” . Have I told you lately just how wonderful my family thinks you are — creative, giving, talented, hard working with a great sense of humor? Thanksgiving for all you do flows around here not just in November but throughout the year. 🙂
You are so sweet, Sheila – thank you! I always enjoy seeing your comments pop up.
This is now a new favorite at our home too! So good.