Each week Ben and I try to have a date night.  We might get a babysitter so we can go out, or we may drop Ellie off at the sitter’s and return home to cook a meal.  We normally choose to go out to eat that night if time and finances allow, but this week we just couldn’t swing that.  Ben had called to say he would be home from work late, so I knew if he wouldn’t make it home until almost 8 we wouldn’t be eating out.  Instead I decided it would be the perfect night to try one of the Bertolli Meal Soups.  Ben had been working outside in the cold and wind all day, so a soup would be a nice way to warm him up when he came home.

We love all of the Bertolli products we have tried, but we had never tried the Meal Soups.  These are new soups that can be cooked on the stove in about 5 minutes.  You put the bag of ingredients in the pan, add water, and cook!  How simple is that?

Before I discuss our meal let me give you a little info on Bertolli and the food the company produces. 

The Bertolli brand dates back 150 years to Lucca, Italy, and the company produces pasta sauces, frozen meals, and olive oils that allow you to prepare some of your favorite Italian dishes in your own home.  We’ve realized we can save a lot of money by preparing Bertolli meals at home that taste just like they came from a restaurant kitchen. 

Bertolli’s newest addition is their line of Meal Soups.  These are all Italian style frozen soups (found in the frozen foods section) for 2 that can be prepared in a matter of minutes. 

I liked the idea of these soups as soon as I saw them because they contain lots of vegetables, meats, pasta, and herbs all in one dish.  There are also 4 types of soup to choose from, and each frozen package yields 32oz of soup, plenty for two.  You can choose from Chicken Minestrone, Roasted Chicken & Rotini Pasta, Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken, or Tuscan-Style Beef with Vegetables. 

I chose to prepare the Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken which is comprised of cheese filled tortellini, white meat chicken, spinach, and tomatoes in a tomato bisque sauce.  I wanted to make our date night meal special, but I only had an hour to prepare.  I decided I would turn our meal into a 3 course bread, salad, and soup dinner.  Before I began cooking I sat down at my computer and created a quick menu.  I knew this would be the beginning of my table decor.  Because we were having Italian food I chose to create a menu with the Leaning Tower Of Pisa.  I added our courses to the menu with some clipart and printed the menu on cardstock.  This is a simple way to add a little extra something to the table, and Ben thought it was cute that I took the time to do this.

I then sliced a loaf of bread, drizzled it with olive oil and covered it with cheese.  While that baked I set to work on creating our table setting.  When I think of Italy I think of wine, grapes, and lots of great food.  I have plenty of kitchen and decor items with grapes on them, so I selected a few to use in my theme.  You don’t have to go overboard on decorations to make the night special.  Choose a few items that you already own, items that are important to you or relate to the theme of the food.

I chose to use white bowls from my china set on top of some plates with a grape print.  I wanted to add a candle, so I found a cute wine glass shaped candle holder with hand painted grapes in my china cabinet.  I decided to put our tea in my favorite glass pitcher with matching glasses, and I added some wine glasses.  I don’t think you can have Italian without wine!  I didn’t have time to run out to buy more wine, so we had to use what I had on hand.  Unfortunately all I had was a bottle of Cupcake Shiraz, but when I tasted it with the soup it paired well.  You may ask why we had both tea and wine.  We both enjoy a glass of wine now and then, but we still have to have our sweet tea!  Just adding little touches like the tea in the pretty pitcher instead of plain glasses on the table helps make our meal special.

I had planned to dim the lights and make things even more romantic with a candlelight dinner, but the only candle that fit in my wine glass candle holder wouldn’t stay lit!  Oh well.  Dinner was still special without candlelight!  I decided to add some glass grapes around the candle holder that normally decorate a shelf in my kitchen instead.

I had just enough time left to put the soup on the stove, and I threw together a salad while the soup was cooking.  Ben walked in the door as I was plating everything, and he was very surprised.  I snapped a photo before we sat down to eat, and he kept complaining I was taking too long because he was ready to dig in!

After working outside in the cold all day Ben decided to skip the bread and salad.  He went straight for the soup, and he kept commenting on how great it tasted.  That says a lot coming from my very picky husband who is always afraid to try knew things.  He was especially pleased he didn’t have to pick around onions (which he hates so much I have to sift them out of dried soup and chili mixes before I cook).  When I told him it was a Bertolli Meal Soup he said “we HAVE to get more of these!”. 

He ended up dipping his bread into his soup, finishing off the bowl, and then eating a few bites of salad.  He was so stuffed he couldn’t eat anymore, but he still kept eyeing the leftover soup on the stove. Now Ben is a big guy, so normally he eats enough for two people.  I was afraid the meal soup might not be enough because it’s a meal for two, but we had another bowl’s worth of soup leftover.  I think this would be the perfect amount for two people if you do not include anything else in the dinner, but because I added the soup and bread we had enough for one more person after we ate.

I also have to agree with Ben that the Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken was absolutely delicious, and we will definitely be buying it again.  Our week night Date Night In Italy meal was a huge success, and we both went to bed still stuffed.  I honestly can’t wait to make this meal again!  If you would like more information about Bertolli and where to find their products you can check them out on Facebook or Twitter as well as their website, villabertolli.com.

 I was compensated by Bertolli to participate in the Weeknight Meal Special Challenge. All thoughts shared on the product and meal are my own.  I promise to provide honest reviews and opinions of products I am given the opportunity to try.