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Restaurant Quality Pasta Right In Your Own Kitchen!

Had to share this fabulous product I've been getting at Costco. I don't know if it's available elsewhere or not, but this ravioli is to die for and so easy to prepare. The name of it is Pasta Prima, Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli. It comes in a two-pack in the refrigerated section at Costco, for about $9.00. You can freeze one or both of them if you're not going to use them within a few weeks of purchase. That's what I did. Even then, you are able to drop them right into the boiling water (don't forget to salt!). You boil the pasta "gently" (see note below) for about 3 to 4 minutes if fresh, adding 1 or 2 minutes if they've been frozen. It's that simple.

Most recently, I served these this way after cooking al dente (literally, to the tooth, which basically means "don't overcook it!"):

• Toss with just a bit of olive oil and a little garlic salt
• Place ravioli on a serving platter
• Cover half with marinara or vodka sauce (available by the jar at most grocery stores in the prepared sauces section)
• Cover the other half with pesto sauce (available at Costco in the 50 gallon drum - OK, it's not really that large. It's only about the size of a spaghetti sauce jar, and it's about $6.00 to $7.00). A little pesto goes a long way, so experiment here the first time around. Just add a dollop here and there over the pasta. (see note below)
• Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese.

Ta dah! Your family and/or guests will think you slaved over this meal, and it will have taken only a very short time to prepare. Not terribly expensive either. Since the two-pack says it serves 10, I used only one package for my family of four. My girls eat pretty much like adults these days. Normally, I would have gone ahead and prepared the whole two-package amount, allowing us to overeat. This worked better, because it required us to use a little portion control. Though there wasn't a tremendously large serving (like the ridiculous sizes we've all gotten used to in a restaurant...), there was plenty with a side salad.

Buon Appetito!

_{Editor's Note: Boiling gently is important, so the individual ravioli's don't pop open and lose their filling. Also, the sauces work fine at room temperature, as long as you serve the pasta piping hot. This makes your life even easier!}