At first, the pasta wasn't so easy to find. I received a coupon in the mail for a free pasta entree a month or two ago, but wasn't able to find the Riserva kind at any of the grocery stores near me. Finally, when I made the trip to Wegmans in Mt. Laurel, I was happy to find it on the shelves. Although Buitoni suggested the Quattro Formaggi Agnolotti, I went with the Chicken and Four Cheese Ravioli. If I'm going to pick up pre-made pasta instead of making my own, I want it to be something I wouldn't make myself. Quattro formaggi? I can make that at home. Add in some chicken? Sounds too hard, so I'd never do it myself. Chicken and Four Cheese it is.
(picture from Buitoni website)
On weekends, I typically make some more time-consuming dishes, so that I have leftovers for the week and can enjoy some cooking time. I spent some time this afternoon making cheesy zucchini pizza (a recipe from Eat Live Run), so I was ready for an easier dinner, and that's exactly what I got! The pasta was a breeze to make - just 5-7 minutes in boiling water and it was done.
But how did it taste? It was actually pretty good! Of course it's not the same as homemade, but it's about 90% of the way there, and for how fast and easy it was, I was very pleased. There were large pieces of chicken in the center, and the cheese was really flavorful.
I served the pasta with some homemade pasta sauce, mixed with ricotta to add even more cheese flavor.
Looks a little funny with the sauce on it, but I assure you it was very yummy! I really liked the chicken flavor - not too dry, and really rich, which is impressive for a pre-made product. The cheese added extra flavor, too. The only complaint I have is that the amount of food in each of the ravioli wasn't very even - in some pieces I had a lot of chicken, and in others there was very little. Overall, though, it was a great quick dinner - definitely recommended for people who are busy and could use a little help with dinner (which is, um, ALL of us).
Thanks to Buitoni for the opportunity to review their product - I really enjoyed it!
