{A Load of Crock: Kelly Ann}

 Today is our first Load of Crock guest post! Hooray! Many of you may already know Kelly Ann from her blog The Flowerchild Dwelling! If you have never visited you should swing by and check her out! You will find loads of visual inspiration, music and playlists, and lots more lovely stuff!

I love pasta. And I love soup. One day, my mom took leftovers from an amazing pasta dish, dumped it into the crockpot, and made a soup out of it! It made the already yummy pasta dish about 1000 times tastier. It's one of my favorite meals, and a crockpot makes it so easy. It's really hearty and delicious, try it! The great thing is, you can take a lot of your favorite pasta dishes, throw the leftovers in your slow cooker, add some broth, let it simmer, and voila - a rich and yummy soup!

Spinach Chicken Pasta Soup

Prepare ahead:
1 lb. uncooked rigatoni
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 10oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4-5 cooked chicken breasts/tenders
2 Italian mild sausages - chicken or turkey (I prefer any kind from Trader Joe’s, they’re the best! And organic :))
1 14oz. Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
1 8oz.  low-fat chive & onion cream cheese, room temperature
1 bag shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 cartons of organic chicken broth
Italian seasoning (to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Chicken: place in pyrex, season w/ ground ginger, salt & pepper, 1/2 cup water. Cover & bake until done all the way through (no pink) at 350 degrees. When chicken is cool, cut into cubes.
Sausage: cook without casings, crumbled into a bowl with the chicken when done.
Add a bit of olive oil to pan and cook the onion and garlic until translucent. Add to bowl w/ chicken and sausage.
Drain spinach (thawed) in a colander, pressing out excess water. Drain canned tomatoes. Add both thing to the bowl with everything else!
Mix in the cream cheese.
Prepare rigatoni as directed. Mix the cooked rigatoni in the mixing bowl with everything else. Spread 1/2 the mixture in a baking dish, sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese. Add the remaining mixture to the dish and add the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top, as well as Italian seasoning. Bake (covered w/ foil) for 30 mins. at 375 degrees.  Uncover and bake for additional 10-15 mins. longer, until bubbly.

Next Day:

Add pasta dish to crockpot, as well as 1 carton of chicken broth (or more, if needed). Stir gently. Turn crockpot on high and cover. Allow the soup to come to a boil, stirring occasionally. The mozzarella cheese will melt to create a creamier broth (so yummy, you can add extra cheese if you want ;)). Let simmer and serve! The longer you let it simmer, the heartier and more flavorful it is. Crockpot magic. ;) Enjoy!

Sounds delish Kelly Ann! Thanks for sharing! Don't forget everyone that I want you to share to! I would love to hear your tips tricks and recipes! Drop me a line and I can share it with everyone!

.::love ali::.