[tightwad]

Well I overdid it on the Kroger GYR promotion and now have tons of Bertolli pasta sauces. I am looking for different ideas on how to use the sauces - I have both the red and the white sauces. Thanks for any ideas.

[Linds823]

For the red sauces you can make baked ziti or lasagna, use it as pizza sauce, and I love it on zuchinni that's cut thin and sauteed and has some parmesean on it. Yummy..

Add some canned clams (if you like). I love red clam sauce over linguine. Oh god I have my mouth watering now! I love their Vidalia onion sauce with chicken parm or romano. I use both. Very lucious. mmmmmmmm

[angelaira]

The red sauce makes a great dipping sauce for Italian bread sticks, or chicken dinosaurs (if you have kids, lol!). It is fabulous in pasta primavera (sautee whatever veggies you have on hand, then add the sauce and simmer, pour over pasta, or pasta with Italian sausage, same thing only with sausage instead of veggies). I don't use commercially prepared white sauce very often, but if I did, I would add some chopped fresh sage and put it over gnocchi (there was a new chef at a restaurant my husband managed, and to impress my husband he made fresh gnocchi from scratch with his own white sauce and tons of fresh sage, it was melt in your mouth fantastic, and we haven't been able to replicate the exact taste again, the chef had just arrived from Italy, and had a huge book of his family's recipes)! Yummy!

[avsfan]

AWESOME THREAD!!! I'm sure many of us can use these ideas! I made some spaghetti for dh with Bertolli tomato and basil, and dh said it wasn't very flavorful. Hmmm...what spices should I add?
Keep the ideas comin'!

[Susannah]

We like to cook with it in the crockpot. Just throw in the sauce, some chicken, cook on low all day. Or pork chops.

We also like it with eggplant. We steam the eggplant first (7 minutes in a Tupperware microwave steamer, love that thing!), then put it in a dish with pasta sauce (red), breadcrumbs, and cheese, put it in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted.

[angelaira]

If the red sauce isn't flavorful enough, here are some ideas to make it a little better:
add tomato paste
add fresh Basil (I grow this in my garden, and it is invaluable!)
add fresh tomatoes (I grow only small varieties like cherry, and then add them in whole, or halved)
melt cheese into the sauce, I cook the pasta and the sauce, then pour the water out of the pasta, pour the sauce over it in the same pan, and then liberally sprinkle with shredded cheese, then heat until it is melted and gooey
add granulated garlic (this stuff is far easier than dealing with fresh garlic)
or sautee fresh garlic cloves in olive oil first, then remove the garlic cloves and add in the sauce
don't forget garlic bread to add that little extra! My favorite bread is the pillsbury French bread, before I bake it we pour olive oil over it, sprinkle with granulated garlic, or push pieces of black calamata olives into the top of the loaf, or slice the top and fill slices in with shredded cheese, or whatever suits you, instant fresh baked gourmet bread! (My husband prefers plain baked bread that you dip in a dish filled with olive oil with a little Balsamic vinegar poured in, that is pretty yummy too!)

Ahhh! I can eat this for breakfast! You guys have my taste buds flowing...mmmm - Everything sounds luscious-keep them coming

[QueenAngie]

Mmmmmm! You guys are makin' me hungry!

I was wondering if the red sauce could
be used as part of the basis for Italian Vegetable Soup.
Just a thought. No recipe to share on it.

[ninasgramma]

Here's what I do using pasta sauce in soup:

Saute one or two minced cloves of garlic, and half an onion, in olive oil in a large pot (at least 6 quart). Add some of the following veggies (6-8 cups total):

sliced carrots
sliced celery
chopped cabbage (red or green) or chopped endive
green beans, fresh or canned
peas, canned or frozen
corn, canned or frozen
sliced okra
canned kidney or garbanzo beans
chopped leftover tomatoes too old for salad
just about any leftover veggies in the fridge or freezer

I put the fresh veggies in first and let them cook, then add the canned/frozen. Cover it and let it cook for 10 minutes or so on lo-med. Add about 8 cups of chicken or turkey stock. Add one jar of red pasta sauce. If you have it and the sauce needs more herbs, add chopped cilantro, parsley, or basil, and/or a couple of bay leaves. Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

If you feel like it, take 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey, some bread crumbs, maybe an egg or egg white, seasonings, and make marble-sized meatballs. Place on paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Drop them into the soup while it is simmering.