Bertolli offers frozen alternatives
Break out a skillet.
You don’t need reservations at your favorite Italian restaurant tonight. Bertolli has a host of new skillet dinners for two that are ready in 10 minutes.
The Spokesman-Review reader food panelists said the new frozen dinners were tasty, if a bit pricey. Of the three dishes they sampled, the Italian Sausage & Rigatoni with roasted peppers in a spicy tomato sauce ranked highest with four stars for taste. The Grilled Chicken Alfredo with Portobello mushrooms and the Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli in tomato sauce lagged behind with three-and-a-half and two-and-a-half stars respectively.
Some tasters gushed about the flavor of the rigatoni.
“A nearly perfect dish. The pasta is al dente and the sausage is plentiful and thickly sliced. (It has) a nice red, spicy sauce. Bellisimo,” said Tina Johnson.
Donald Clegg added: “This actually approximates decent home cooking, with a thick flavorful sauce and well-cooked pasta. (The) sausage is a bit on the rubbery side, but not bad at all.”
Other panel members said the pasta was a bit too firm, but overall they gave the rigatoni high marks.
“Very eye-appealing with chunks of sausage, peppers. Pasta is too al dente. (There is) a hint of cayenne at first but (it’s) not overpowering. A little grated cheese on top would be great,” Nancy Robinson added.
The Grilled Chicken Alfredo ranked slightly lower, but tasters thought it might be worth a try.
“The noodles were thick and nice … there were large chunks of chicken and mushrooms and it looked good. The sauce was a bit thin and greasy, but overall it was not bad at all,” said panel member Laura Hollman.
“Tender chicken, mushrooms, peppers and herbs combine nicely with an understated sauce and pasta. All in all, pretty darn good,” said Skip Hubbard.
A few panel members thought the noodles were rubbery and the sauce oily. Some tasters were dismayed when they found out the dish has 710 calories per serving, 42 grams of fat, 22 grams saturated fat in each serving. That’s one meal with 110 percent of the recommended intake for saturated fat in one day.
Others said they would avert their eyes from the nutrition label and enjoy.
“Really very pleasant; both the mushrooms and tomatoes come through. Do not look at the calories!” said Andy Hoye.
The Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli in tomato sauce ranked lowest among the dishes the panel sampled.
Several people said the dish smelled better than it tasted.
“Smells good but the ravioli is bland… the sauce could use some pizzazz,” said Nancy Robinson.
“Wonderful aroma lures you to a disappointing flavorless taste. Very plain in spite of the strong garlic odor,” said Larry Inman.
The dish also lost favor because some tasters thought the tomatoes in the sauce were too chewy. But Marilyn Moore said the dish was almost good enough to fool guests. “I’m used to Chef Boyardee in a can. This will impress the company, especially if they think you pulled it out of your oven.”
Overall, the panel thought Bertolli did a decent job on flavor, but most would have liked to see the price tag slashed. They gave all of the dishes a poor ranking for value even though they liked some better than others. The meals are $7.69 for a bag with two servings.
The Bertolli meals can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Other flavors include: Shrimp Scampi & Linguine, Chicken Parmigiana & Penne, Chicken & Garden Vegetable Primavera, Roasted Chicken & Linguine and Shrimp, Asparagus & Penne.
Bertolli Italian Sausage & Rigatoni
Price: $7.69 for 24-ounces, about two servings
Nutrition per serving: 550 calories, 27 grams fat (8 grams saturated, 44 percent fat calories), 21 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrate, 55 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams dietary fiber, 1,740 milligrams sodium.
Taste: • • • •
Value: • •
Comments: “Great spicy sauce, very flavorful sausage and the pasta is cooked perfectly.” – Peggy Kazanis
“I wasn’t a big fan of the pasta; it was a little too chewy. I like the spiciness of the sausages, however, and the overall sauce.” – Matt Quesnell
“(It is) easy and rich, but not cheap.” – Andy Hoye
Bertolli Grilled Chicken Alfredo
Price: $7.69 for 24-ounces, about two servings
Nutrition per serving: 710 calories, 42 grams fat (22 grams saturated, 53 percent fat calories), 29 grams protein, 54 grams carbohydrate, 220 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 1,210 milligrams sodium.
Taste: • • • 1/2
Value: • •
Comments: “Tender chicken, mushrooms, peppers and herbs combine nicely with an understated sauce and pasta. All in all, pretty darn good.” – Skip Hubbard
“(I) need bread to mop up the flavorful sauces.” – Marilyn Moore
“Incredibly greasy with underdone noodles and just a hint of sun-dried tomato flavor. I’d avoid it like a bad buffet.” – Donald Clegg
Bertolli Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli
Price: $7.69 for 24-ounces, about two servings
Nutrition per serving: 500 calories, 27 grams fat (7 grams saturated, 49 percent fat calories), 16 grams protein, 48 grams carbohydrate, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 1,430 milligrams sodium.
Taste: • • 1/2
Value: • •
Comments: “I would like to write about this pasta, but the vast amount of garlic is clouding my brain. Very oily.” – Laura Hollman
“This is a color explosion. Mama Mia, it’s beautiful. The smell is garlicky, but it doesn’t transfer to taste. Where did it go?” – Tina Johnson
“I get an overly strong taste of olive oil. I think it overpowers the pasta. The filling is moist and the pasta is cooked perfectly.” – Marcia Oranen