Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup

The week after the anniversary is always lighter, the way the sky is lighter after a storm. The weight does not disappear but it redistributes, settling into the usual places: the back of the mind, the bottom of the heart, the corner of the kitchen where the chocolate sheet cake was and now is not. Life resumes. The road resumes. The slow cooker goes back on and the lunches get packed and the routine reasserts itself, and routine is the thing that saves you when grief would have you sit still.

Justin bounced back faster this year than last, which the therapist says is a sign of resilience building, and which I choose to believe because the alternative is too frightening. He played football Saturday and scored a touchdown and ran into the end zone like he was running into the future, and the future was bright and open and had nothing to do with November third. I screamed from the stands. Dave filmed it on his phone. Josie jumped up and down. Tyler clapped. Amber smiled. The touchdown was Justin, but the celebration was all of us.

I made a double batch of my chicken noodle soup this week because the weather turned cold and because soup is the meal that asks the least and gives the most. One batch for the family. One batch portioned into containers for the freezer. When someone in this family is sick or sad or coming off a hard week, the first thing I reach for is chicken noodle soup from the freezer. It is medicine. It is comfort. It is a bowl of I love you when the words are not enough.

Gayle came for Sunday dinner and seemed smaller than usual, which I noticed without commenting on because commenting on Gayle size is a conversation I am not ready for. She is seventy-four and she is shrinking, the way old women shrink, slowly and quietly, and the shrinking terrifies me more than I can say. She ate chicken noodle soup and bread and said it was fine, and I packed up the leftovers and put them in her car, and she drove home, and I watched her go and counted the blessings I have left, which are many, and added her to the top of the list.

This is the soup I actually made that week — a creamy tortellini version built in the slow cooker, because the slow cooker asks nothing of you and gives everything back. I doubled the batch the same way I always do when the weather turns and the family needs a little extra holding: one for Sunday dinner with Gayle, one portioned into containers and stacked in the freezer for the next hard day, whenever it comes. If chicken noodle soup is medicine, this is its warmer, more generous cousin — and it travels just as well in a bag to the car of someone you love and are not ready to lose.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 6–8 hours (low) or 3–4 hours (high) | Total Time: Up to 8 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 package (20 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Build the base. Add the chicken breasts, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt, and pepper to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
Add the cream cheese. Drop in the cubed cream cheese, replace the lid, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Whisk or stir until fully melted and smooth into the broth.
Add tortellini and cream. Stir in the tortellini and heavy cream. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15–20 minutes, until tortellini is tender and cooked through.
Finish with spinach. Stir in the baby spinach and let it wilt for 2–3 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Serve or store. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley if desired. For freezing, portion cooled soup (without tortellini if possible — add fresh when reheating) into airtight containers for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup — The Batch I Make When Love Needs to Be Ladled Out