The tastiest pasta sauce I have tried so far! (Bertolli Pecorino Cheese and Garlic Pasta Sauce)

Member Name: hypno06

Product:	Bertolli Pecorino Cheese and Garlic Pasta Sauce
Date:	18/02/09 (159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple list of ingredients

Disadvantages: Not always available

We eat a fair amount of pasta in our house - it is fairly cheap, filling, low in fat, good for providing energy to my sports mad children, quick to cook after the end of a busy day at work, and incredibly versatile. Many is the meal made with pasta and leftovers from the fridge - half a pepper, a few mushrooms, a leftover slice of bacon.....combined with one of the tins of chopped tomatoes in my cupboard and a few herbs, we can make a meal out of almost anything!

For that reason, I tend to stay away from ready prepared pasta sauces - for me they are overpriced and generally full of additives, sweetners and other things that I just don't see are necessary for such a simple meal.

But last year, I drove down to France for a self catering holiday - to keep the cost down, I try and take as much with me as I can, and so the big bag of pasta found its way into the roof box, as did a two jars of ready made pasta sauce, simply because they were on offer at the supermarket. The pecorino sauce from Bertolli was one of them, and one I am happy to say I have bought several times since......

This jar is found in the pasta sauces section of the supermarket, along with the Ragus of this world. When not on offer, it costs about £1.55 a jar, but is frequently found on BOGOF or 2 for £2 which makes it more than reasonable.

What I liked about this jar was that it says it is made with natural ingredients, which lead me to read the list on the back. I don't normally list ingredients in a review, but will do so today simply so you can see just how simple and natural this sauce is:

- Tomato, and tomato puree
- Pecorino cheese
- Onion
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt
- Sugar
- Parsley, Oregano, Basil

OK, so maybe some will say salt and sugar are not needed, but they are small amouts, being down at the bottom of the list, so it gives me no worries.

Reassured by my non-fussy ingredients, I looked forward to using this sauce......and I was not disappointed. You simply gently heat it and serve it over pasta.....a filling and not un-healthy meal in the time it takes you to cook your pasta, so about 20 minutes. Of course, you can add the wrinkly pepper from the fridge, along with those mushrooms, an onion and a couple of leftover bits of sausage or chicken, but to be honest, this sauce doesn't need it - it is man enough for the job as it is.

The main ingredient is tomatoes (over 75%) with the cheese being just 3.6%, but because pecorino cheese has a strong taste (a bit like parmesan, it is a hard cheese), this balance is just right, the flavour of the cheese is distinguished, yet is not overpowering. The garlic and lemon juice accompany it perfectly, making quite simply one of the best pasta sauces I have ever had, and that includes the home made ones too.

I can easily make this sauce do a dish for 4 people, without anyone feeling they are being hard done by - if I want to stretch it a bit further, I just add a slosh of red wine as I heat it through!

Nutrition wise - 100g of this (there are 500g in a jar) has just 55 calories and 0.9g of saturated fat - combined with pasta and veggies (if you use them) this makes for a very healthy meal that my sports mad teenagers are more than happy with.

I don't often see this in the supermarkets, so tend to grab a jar when I do - it is well worth it.

Summary: Don't pass it by - grab a jar!