An easy cheesy slow cooker tortellini recipe made with just 5 simple ingredients including ready-made pasta sauce, fresh filled tortellini, and dried herbs! So easy and oh so tasty!
It's filling, hearty comfort food that the whole family will love, and best of all, perfect for busy weeknights!
This epic vegetarian-friendly pasta dish is ideal for meat-free Mondays. There's also no chopping, grating, or stirring required!
Dump the ingredients in your slow cooker (crockpot), cook on high for 2 hours (or on low for 3), and the end result is this gorgeously cheesy oozy crockpot tortellini!
👩🍳 Love tortellini? Try my creamy oven-baked tortellini next!
Jump to:
✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy slow cooker pasta recipe.
- Only 5 ingredients.
- Uses ready-made pasta sauce.
- Filling hearty comfort food.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Tortellini - 2 x 300g packets of fresh filled tortellini from the refrigerator section of your local supermarket. I've used four cheese tortellini, but feel free to use any flavour you like.
Pasta Sauce - 2 x 500g jars of ready-made tomato pasta sauce.
Cheese - For ease, I use a 240g packet of pre-grated cheddar and mozzarella. You can grate the cheese yourself if you prefer. Other cheese such as gruyere and Parmesan would also work.
Garlic Powder - to add flavour.
Dried Basil - scattered over the top for garnish.
🥄 Equipment
Which slow cooker? I use a Morphy Richards Sear and Stew 6.5 litre slow cooker, which means I can brown and slow cook in the same pot as the slow cooker pot is safe to use on the hob! The 6.5 litre capacity serves 6-8 main portions, so it’s ideal for families and those that like batch cooking. There is also a 3.5 litre version for smaller households and this recipe fits perfectly into that one!
Don't forget to check out all of the slow cooker recipes on the blog.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Pour half of the pasta sauce (1 500g jar) into the bottom of your slow cooker basin.
Two: Scatter over one of the packs (300g) of fresh tortellini.
Three: Sprinkle over half of the garlic powder and top with half (120g) of the grated cheese.
Four: Repeat the process again, using up the rest of the ingredients. Scatter over the dried basil.
Five: Slow cook on a high setting for 2 hours or on a low setting for 3-3.5 hours.
💭 Expert tips
- Spray the bottom of your slow cooker basin with a light cooking oil to prevent the tortellini from sticking.
- If you want an extra kick to the dish, add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes (at the same time as the garlic powder).
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the slow cooker tortellini with a crisp green salad and garlic bread, or vegetables such as roasted Tenderstem broccoli, air fryer green beans, or air fryer roasted butternut squash.
📖 Variations
- Use different flavours of tortellini such as spinach & ricotta, or ham & cheese.
- Dollop teaspoons of pesto into the pasta sauce for extra flavour.
- Use a creamy alfredo pasta sauce instead of a tomato-based one.
- Spoon leftover chicken bolognese or a tin of drained tuna between the layers of tortellini.
- Add vegetables such as tinned sweetcorn, tinned mushrooms, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, or roast courgettes.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
- Use frozen or dry tortellini instead of fresh. Just add 20 minutes to the cooking time.
🥡 Storage
Store: Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Microwave until piping hot or reheat in a saucepan on the hob.
Freeze: Place cooled leftovers in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Ravioli are usually square in shape, with a flat underside, rounded top and frilled edges. Tortellini, on the other hand, are ring-shaped, at times resembling a tiny croissant.
😋 More slow cooker recipes
- Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Pulled Beef
- Slow Cooker Beef Keema
- Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
- Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole
- Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pork & Apple Casserole
More easy pasta recipes
Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!
Recipe
Cheesy Slow Cooker Tortellini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 g Fresh Tortellini (4 cheese or similar) 2 x 300g packs
- 1000 g Tomato Pasta Sauce 2 x 500g jars
- 240 g Grated Cheddar & Mozzarella
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoon Dried Basil
Instructions
- Pour half of the pasta sauce (1 500g jar) into the bottom of your slow cooker basin.
- Scatter over half (1 300g pack) of the fresh tortellini.
- Sprinkle over half the garlic powder and top with half (120g) of the grated cheese.
- Repeat the process again, using up the rest of the ingredients. Scatter over the dried basil.
- Slow cook on a high setting for 2 hours or on a low setting for 3-3.5 hours.
Notes
- Spray the bottom of your slow cooker basin with a light cooking oil to prevent the tortellini from sticking.
- If you want an extra kick to the dish, add half a teaspoon of chilli flakes (at the same time as the garlic powder).
- Use different flavours of tortellini. Spinach and ricotta works well, as does ham and cheese.
- Dollop teaspoons of pesto into the pasta sauce for extra flavour.
- Use a creamy alfredo pasta sauce instead of a tomato based one.
- Spoon leftover chicken bolognese or a tin of drained tuna between the layers of tortellini.
- Add vegetables such as tinned sweetcorn, tinned mushrooms, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, or roast courgettes.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Robin G.
This tortellini was so easy and everyone loved it!
Janessa
This was amazing! So delicious and simple and perfect for a busy weeknight.
gunjan
this was our dinner yesterday and came out so perfect. the flavors were on spot and the texture was beautiful.
Savita
The recipe is so easy to follow, and turned out super amazing.
Suja md
Truly amazing in taste and flavors in this recipe. Will definitely make again, very good recipe!