Restaurant quality sauces in a pouch

Dec. 3, 2008

The Bertolli brand of Unilever USA, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., rolls out Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauce, three restaurant inspired sauces in a stand-up pouch for two that cook in only 90 seconds.

Each sauce features “hero” ingredients (like succulent olives, earthy mushrooms and plump plum tomatoes) in a thick base of crushed tomatoes. They are finished off with sautéed onions, garlic and Bertolli Olive Oil. Bertolli Premium contains flavorful crushed tomatoes rather than the tomato paste typically found in jarred sauces. These sauces use the natural sweetness of carrot juice so they contain no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. They meet the FDA requirements for being low in saturated fat, with one gram or less of saturated fat per serving. They also qualify for the Unilever Eat Smart designation.

Varieties include: Champignon and Portobello Mushroom (a combination of earthy champignons and tender portobellos), Sun Ripened Tomato and Olive and Summer Crushed Tomato and Basil.

Tomato sauce can be fantastic or flavorless, divine or dreary, and is often revered as a skill to master. Restaurant-style sauces are much more appealing to the senses, but often difficult to replicate at home for special occasions and a near impossibility for everyday dining.

“Bertolli Premium pasta sauce in a pouch is for people who have a passion for food,” says Donna Barker, marketing director. “Cooking doesn’t have to be intimidating or time consuming. We want to help the home chef build confidence by delivering foolproof methods of cooking that will ensure endless possibilities for creating meals for a date night at home.”