April 2, 2012

I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’m a pasta type of person. There is just something so comforting and satisfying about a big plate of pasta.

I’ve long had a dream of making my own ravioli, but the truth is that I’m a bit scared. I’m sure it’s not as difficult as it sounds, but I still haven’t gotten around to trying it.

I was super excited when Monterey Gourmet Foods™ asked me to review their all natural gourmet foods. I received a big box of refrigerated ravioli. There was a Creamy Ricotta Florentine, a Butternut Squash Ravioli, and a Roasted Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli.

Um, hello, big beautiful box of pasta.

Come to mama.

I planned a big dinner for my husband, my kids, and me. We had a pasta feast, which is really the best kind of feast to have.

The Butternut Squash pasta really intrigued me. It’s an orange-sage pasta filled with butternut squash, Fontina, Parmesan, and Ricotta cheeses. Certainly something different and unexpected! I topped it with a bit of brown butter and a hint of cinnamon. It was outrageously good.

The Roasted Chicken and Mozzarella ravioli was filled with, you guessed it, roasted chicken and mozzarella. Oh, and some Ricotta, Provolone, and Parmesan. Can you ever have too much cheese? Um, no. I topped the Roasted Chicken and Mozzarella with a simple, yummy tomato sauce.

I saved my favorite for last: The Creamy Ricotta Florentine ravioli.

I don’t know what it is about spinach in my pasta, but it makes me smile. I just love it.

This ravioli was a pretty green and filled with a creamy blend of spinach, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmesan. No wonder it was my favorite! It was the cheesiest! And, to make things even better, I topped it with some simple Alfredo sauce. Alfredo is my life.

The texture and flavor of all of these pastas was just perfect. I’ve bought frozen ravioli before, but these refrigerated ones from Monterey Gourmet Foods really just tasted fresher. I loved the fact that they are all natural. There are no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and the pasta is made with eggs from free range chickens.

I hope you’ll give Monterey Gourmet Foods a try the next time your family decides to have a pasta night. There is such a great variety of flavors to choose from to keep you from getting bored with the same old options. You can check out all of their products right here.

SWEEPSTAKES/GIVEAWAY RULES

One winner will receive a $100 Visa gift card and VIP coupons for free Monterey Gourmet Foods product. To be entered for a chance to win please tell me what you would make using a Monterey Gourmet Foods pasta or sauce product. If you’d also like to share a recipe, feel free to post it on your blog/website and include a link to it in your comment.

Rules

No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 4/2/2012-5/31/2012.

Be sure to visit the Monterey Gourmet Foods page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Chicken Florentine Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients

8 ounce package Creamy Ricotta Florentine ravioli from Monterey Gourmet Foods
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, as garnish

Instructions

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
In a small sauce pan, heat the cream and butter together over low heat. When the butter has melted completely, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Continue stirring until fully melted. Stir in the garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Drizzle the sauce over the pasta. Garnish with parsley.

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