To me frozen cheese tortellini is a must have on hand at all times. It is a very versatile food that can be just tossed in a pot of water and ready within minutes or you can add a some on hand ingredients and make a super tasty meal. 

This one pot chili tortellini can be ready in less than 20 minutes when you use Thrive Life freeze dried foods. We're using the Thrive ground beef (hamburger) which is convenient because there is no thought process involved. You just scoop what you need out of the can, toss in your meal and let it cook with everything else. You don't have to worry about thawing it, cooking it or any clean up. What's easier than that? Plus it tastes great and there's no waste!

If you prefer ground turkey, Thrive just came out with freeze dried ground turkey too!

One product I love adding to any tortellini I make is cream cheese. It makes the tortellini meal a hearty, filling dinner that won't leave you searching for more food in an hour. I'm sure some of you can raise your hand to that statement because it has to be the worst thing. You've finished dinner and within an hour your tummy is rumbling. Well this isn't going to happen with this meal!

In the directions I have add the shredded cheddar cheese to the pot. If you are using Thrive shredded cheddar cheese, you will want to refresh your cheese prior to use. If you don't, it will take longer to refresh while cooking in the meal. I've done it when I don't think about making the cheese ahead of time and it works fine but will add approximately 10 minutes extra cooking time. Watch my quick video on how to refresh cheese here. If you don't have Thrive shredded cheddar cheese, than use whatever brand of cheese you have on hand.

When I talk about "refreshing" freeze dried foods it means to rehydrate or add moisture back into the food.

One Pot Chili Tortellini Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 c. Thrive ground beef (hamburger)
• 14 oz. diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 25-30 frozen cheese tortellini
• 1/3 c. Thrive onion slices
• 1/3 c. Thrive green peppers
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 c. Thrive shredded cheddar cheese (refreshed)
• 1 tablespoon Thrive green chili peppers
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 c. water

Directions:

Toss everything into your pot, add the water and bring to a boil. If the cream cheese isn't softened prior to adding it to the meal, I suggest cutting it up into small chunks. If it is softened already, you can add it to the pot and as you stir the food, you can break it up with a spoon.

Once boiling reduce to a simmer, cover and stir occasionally. Keep covered for 5 minutes, then uncover and continue to simmer until hamburger is refreshed. This should only take another 5-7 minutes. When you test the hamburger, you don't want a crunch. That's they way to know it's ready to eat.

Some people choose to refresh their meat prior to their meal but I add everything at the same time. It's just an extra step but if you prefer to do this, added your ground beef (hamburger) to a cup of water and let sit for 10 minutes.

To serve you can top with extra shredded cheese, sour cream, chives or any other chili fixings you like!

​Why use Thrive Life Freeze Dried Foods?

Thrive freeze dried foods are different than any other kind you’ll find on the market.

• These foods won’t spoil in a few days…or even a few weeks. They’re good.
• You won’t be thawing, degreasing, or cutting raw meat.
• You won’t be chopping veggies or washing and peeling fruit.
• There’s an extra burst of flavor you won’t find anywhere else! Just take a bite!
• Just toss in any meal or refresh (rehydrate) in warm water.
• Free of GMOs, preservatives, artificial nonsense and chemical junk
• The Nutrilock Promise! It's our little secret that makes our food higher in nutrients and freeze-dried fresh all year long. It's a rigorous 41 step process that one Thrive Life owns, and it takes that wild, naturally ripened food and gently locks in the nutrients and flavor without the use of preservatives. Can the grocery store do that?