Marie Callendar’s Pasta Al Dente Tortellini Romano

While browsing the frozen food aisle because I was too lazy to actually cook anything, I came across Marie Callender’s new Pasta Al Dente “steamed to perfection” pasta dishes. Who was I to turn down perfection? Especially when what is promised are cheese-stuffed pillows of heaven covered in a creamy marinara sauce topped with basil and Parmesan cheese. And on top of all that, it contains no preservatives and is “authentically Italian!”. Since apparently the frozen dinners aisle had turned into a free flight to Italy, I quickly snapped up the Tortellini Romano.

I popped it in the microwave later that night to see what perfection tasted like. The dish comes with the tortellini and tomatoes inside a colander-like basket nestled inside a plastic bowl containing the sauce at the bottom.  While it seemed a little elaborate for a frozen dinner, the system worked wonderfully.  After letting the dish set for the recommended 2 minutes, I dumped the tortellini in the sauce and mixed it all together. While it was no Hungryman mega-meal, the serving was fairly substantial and satiating. The tortellini actually steamed nicely with only one or two pieces being just a little harder than the others and the tomato pieces were decent-sized, tasty and not soggy. While I would’ve liked to see a little bit more cheese inside and the sauce was a little more watery than creamy, altogether the meal was flavorful and satisfying.  If you’re craving an easy, quick, tasty pasta dish, this is a keeper.  Definitely one of the better frozen meals I’ve ever had.  Keep in mind, though, that this is just tortellini.  If you’re looking for some sort of a meat portion to your meal, you’re better off going with something else.

Stars: 4/5

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1 meal. Calories: 460. Calories from fat: 140. Total fat: 15 g. Saturated Fat: 7 g. Total Carbohydrates: 62 g. Dietary Fiber: 7 g. Sugars: 7 g. Protein: 19 g.  10 Weight Watchers Points

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