I’m a “scratch” cook and rarely buy convenience foods. So how did I end up buying two bags of Bertolli frozen Skillet Meal for Two? Our local Albertsons was running a coupon promotion that was hard to beat. By purchasing two Bertolli dinners (on sale for $5.99 each), I would receive a free package of Fresh Express Caesar Salad (value $3.99), a package of Mann’s fresh vegetable (value $1.99) and a bag of Albertson’s chocolate chip cookies (value $3.99).
$12 for a complete restaurant style dinner for four was quite the bargain!
Bertolli Skillet dinner
Bertolli is a brand that’s been around since 1865, when the Bertolli brothers first opened up a small grocery store in their hometown of Lucca, Italy. These days, the Bertolli brand can be found on a wide range of olive oil products, pasta and pasta sauces. The Bertolli frozen skillet meals for two is one of their newer products, which advertises a “restaurant quality at home Italian dinner experience in just minutes.
Mediterranean Style Shrimp & Penne Primavera
For our meal, we choose the Mediterranean style Shrimp & Penne Primavera which was made with 2 servings of vegetables and extra virgin olive oil. The bag claimed the meal would be ready in 8 minutes.
The preparation begins by preheating a skillet, and then pouring the bag directly into the pan. The contents were a combination of frozen precooked pasta, vegetables (including zucchini, olives, red and green peppers) and frozen chunks of what looked to be marinara sauce.
As I began stirring the dish, the marinara sauce melted and coated the pasta and vegetables. The instructions called to cover the skillet with a lid, turn to medium high heat, and let cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the meal was cooking, I steamed my “free” vegetables in another saucepan, and dumped the “free” bag of Caesar salad into a bowl.
After ten minutes, the meal was completely ready and could be served.
Taste
Bertolli definitely lives up to its claim of their frozen skillet dinner being restaurant quality food. The sauce was fabulous, the vegetables were fresh, and the pasta cooked to the right consistency. The meal really did taste every bit as good as what we’ve eaten in local restaurants, almost suspiciously so. The flavor was quite familiar to me, and I couldn’t help but think that our favorite Italian restaurant may be using Bertolli products as well.
If there was one downside in the flavor, it was the shrimp which was not as fresh as it could have been. It had a bit of a fishy shrimp smell which surprised me, considering how tasty and fresh everything else was.
Price and Convenience
There’s absolutely no arguing that Bertolli’s frozen skillet dinner is totally convenient. For those days when a parent only has 10 minutes to whip up a dinner, this product can deliver a delicious meal in a short period of time.
Is it worth the price though? I was able to take advantage of a great promotion which allowed me to feed the family for $3 a person. However, the normal retail value of Bertolli frozen skillet meals are $7.99 a bag, for two servings. To duplicate this meal without the coupons, the total cost would have been closer to $25 which is an expensive dinner for a family of four on a budget.
One advantage I do see with the Bertolli frozen skillet dinners is that one serving can be prepared at a time. For a single person fixing lunch or dinner for himself, half a bag of this product would make a terrific Italian dinner for $3.50.
I appreciated the fact that the Bertolli dinner seem to be a well balanced meal. This meal did come with meat, two servings of vegetables, and one grain serving for a total calorie count of 320 calories per serving. It also contained 15 grams fat and 35 carbs.
Would I buy this again? If money wasn’t an object, Bertolli frozen skillet dinners would be standard fare at our house. The meal is delicious and easy to prepare, and certainly would impress dinner guests. I particularly enjoyed their website which listed recommended wines to accompany the meals. Talk about convenience! While Bertolli’s skillet dinners are too pricey for everyday family meals, I definitely will be using this product for those evenings when I’m eating dinner by myself.
