Bertolli Roasted Chicken & Linguini

August 11, 2008 | Reviewer: Abi

Photo of Bertolli Roasted Chicken & Linguini Price: $9.99
Serving: 1/2 package, 12oz.
Servings per package: 2
Calories: 410 per serving
Fat: 26%, 17g
Cholesterol: 25%, 75mg
Sodium: 70%, 1680mg
Protein: 25g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 41g
Fiber: 16%, 4g
Sugar: 6g
Weight Watchers Points: 9 Points

Bertolli says: Imported linguini pasta cooks up al dente and twirls around your fork, just like it does at a table in Tuscany. Tender roasted chicken breast filets, melted mozzarella and zucchini are perfectly married in a mellow tomato basil sauce.

Suggested wine pairing: Sauvignon Blanc

Abi says: Remember that episode of Top Chef Season 3 where Rocco DiSpirito appears and the challenge is a Bertolli-product-placement infused marathon that culminates in the lesson that pasta and sauce are best reheated when frozen separately? No? Well, here’s a refresher if you missed it.

If you didn’t miss it you know that Rocco DiSpirito is no longer a chef and is now a shill for Bertolli, the winning pasta involved truffle butter and that chefs can identify bow tie pasta by sight (wow!) but sometimes confuse peanut butter and tahini.

Even though I’ve seen that episode, viewed the Bertolli pastas in my freezer aisles for years and received coupons for free pastas (which I lost when I moved to California, so if you Bertolli people could send some more that would be great), I’d never tried one of these pastas before now. I think that part of the problem is that they cost $10.00 each and require the use of a stove and a pan. And plates. $5.00 per serving is a lot to pay for pasta, even if it does come with chicken. Plus, the time/ease gain in heating up one of these vs. cooking my own pasta, sauce and meat just aren’t enough to justify the price.

Until now. After a long day at the office for me and a trans-Atlantic and trans-continental flight for my partner, dinner was of huge importance. Unfortunately, a week of living solo and surviving on popcorn, meant that our fridge was empty. Nothing in the deli section looked both edible and affordable, and pasta with chicken and zucchini and mmmmm, mozzarella sounded pretty darn good.

In reality is was pretty darn salty.

And the mozzarella separates from the sauce, leaving a coating of cheese at the bottom of the skillet and very little actually in the pasta.

And the chicken was both meager and unappetizing, a lose-lose situation.

But back to the salt. I love salt. I buy things because they have the word ‘Salt’ on the label. I have six different kinds of salt in my house. Crazily, the saltiness of this meal was so intense that my mouth waters whenever I think about it. And this isn’t anticipatory salivation. No, this is the kind of mouth-watering that occurs to clear a noxious substance out of your body. Not that Bertolli pastas are poisonous or anything (please send me coupons so I can try more of these!). They’re just incredibly salty. As in 70% of your sodium for the day salty.

Ounce for ounce, this meal contains more sodium than all but two of the Hungry-Man meals we’ve reviewed. Yikes.

On the plus side, Rocco DiSpirito is sort of cute and the excessive salt is a great excuse to drink plenty of the suggested wine pairing - Sauvignon Blanc on the bag, Pinot Noir on the website.

comments

11 Responses to “Bertolli Roasted Chicken & Linguini”

Lory on August 11th, 2008

If you ever get up the nerve to try another one… I LOVE the Chicken Farfalle alla vodka. They have a great Vodka sauce. Also, idk if you have Targets in your area that have a frozen food section, but you can usually find them cheaper there. Here in Seattle, they are $8-$10, not on sale, and at target they are sometimes $5-$6.

I also do NOT recommend the Alfredo with mushrooms that Bertolli makes. Oh, and the “Gigantoni”… both are blah.
Abi Jones on August 11th, 2008

Lory, I’ll definitely be trying some more Bertolli meals, but I’ll also be looking at the sodium counts first. It made the meal pretty unpleasant.

My nearest Target doesn’t carry frozen foods, but a more distant Target has a fantastic food section. I’ll have to get over there next month.

And thanks for the warning on the Gigantoni.
Jill on August 11th, 2008

I second the warning on the Gigantoni. Blech. I am a fan of Bertolli’s Chicken Florentine and Farfalle. Each time I tell myself that I’m only going to eat half, and then it is so good I simply can’t stop until it is gone. Chicken, spinach and creamy white wine/Parmesan-Romano goodness.
Becky on August 11th, 2008

I bought this at the 99 cents store….for 99 cents!!! hahah 10 bucks.
Lego on August 12th, 2008

These meals are $6-7 in Florida (and sometimes less than that).
Kristen on August 12th, 2008

I used to buy meals like this for those rare nights where I was unable to cook, but like you, the saltiness was a turnoff. And, I like salt! They are nice for a quick and easy substitute if you need one. Cheaper than eating out.
Adina on August 12th, 2008

this looks nasty abi.
Cate O'Malley on August 12th, 2008

Ever since I saw that episode with Rocco, I’ve been curious, but now it looks like you saved me 10 bucks.
Abi Jones on August 12th, 2008

@Jill - Cooked spinach has the propensity to make me feel ill (sad, I know) so I might have to try that one just to see if I puke.

@Becky - I don’t think I’d trust these from the 99¢ store

@Lego - Everything is cheaper in Florida, even the real estate

@Kristen - Have you found one that isn’t so salty? I’d like to try a non-heart-attack-inducing-meal

@Adina - Thanks for your stunningly insightful comment

@Cate - Rocco can make people do crazy things
Crow on August 12th, 2008

Hey, how do you get the free coupons? Or is it a food sight only thing…
Amy on August 14th, 2008

Steer clear of the chicken parm bags as well. They are like high school cafeteria lunch mixed up and thrown in a bag… ick.