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Sauce it Up with Barilla and a ThinRecipes Giveaway!

August 25, 2011 By Fran 10 Comments
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Polenta-with-Barilla-Marinara-SauceMaking this side dish is easy, especially when you’ve got a “helper.”  And welcome help is what I received with a package that arrived recently from Barilla.

Barilla, a sponsor at the BlogHerFood conference in Atlanta in May, shipped out a box of their new sauces, bags to carry them in, a good looking Apron and a wooden spoon.

Leaving the house at 6am, returning at 5pm and putting dinner on the table sometimes calls for what I like to call “helpers” in the kitchen and Barilla was my helper of choice last night — along with a sleeve of polenta.

While I get great satisfaction in creating food from scratch, with a busy lifestyle that has me leaving the house at 6:00am and returning at 5:00pm, sometimes I need a bit of help.  I keep at least one jar of marinara sauce in the pantry and it was great to receive this Barilla package to try out a wide variety of new sauces.

Sauce-Spoon-Apron-Bag-Barilla

Before the recipe and giveaway details, a little information.  Barilla has reformulated their sauces using all natural ingredients and there are eight to choose from.  I tried the Napoletana.  It is a Roasted Garlic Sauce.  It has a rich flavor with a thick texture and chunks of tomatoes.  The garlic flavor was strong enough to let you know garlic is in there, but is not overpowering, which I appreciate.

These are the sauces I received:

  • Arrabbiata:  Spicy Marinara
  • Basilico:  Tomato and Basil
  • Calabrese:  Sweet Peppers
  • Formaggi:  Three Cheese
  • Marinara:  Traditional
  • Montanara:  Mushroom and Garlic
  • Toscana:  Tuscan Herb

The best part is that it fits well in my weight loss program.  I’ve got a number of recipes up my sleeve, but for this first outing with these sauces, I kept it simple.  The sleeves of polenta shave a lot of time off what would be a somewhat laborious and time consuming project in the kitchen after work and not having to cook down tomatoes, herbs and seasonings on the stove gave me much more time to relax after dinner.

Adding-Sauce-to-Polenta-Rounds

And now for the contest …

One winner will receive a Barilla Apron, Wooden Spoon and a Jar of Sauce — your choice of one of the sauces listed above.

I’ll choose a winner using a random number generator.   Entering is simple  All you need to do to receive this package is leave a comment below letting us know what you’d like to make with the sauce of your choice.  One comment per person.  Please include an email address so I can contact the winner.  You’ll get another chance to enter by “liking” ThinRecipes on Facebook.  The contest closes at midnight, Eastern Daylight Time, Saturday, August 27th.  Good luck!!

There will six more sauces available to giveaway in the weeks to come, so stay tuned.

Barilla Polenta Rounds
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Recipe Type: Side Dish
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 1
Putting dinner together with a delicious sauce like this and polenta discs cut from a tube makes an dinner side dish or a satisfying lunch quick and easy
Ingredients
  • Olive Oil Spray
  • 4 slices prepared Polenta
  • 1 slice Provolone Cheese, cut in quarters
  • 1/4 cup Barilla Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions
  1. Using Olive Oil spray, lightly coat a nonstick skillet.
  2. Add the polenta slices to the pan and cook over medium heat, browning evenly.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or microwave bowl, heat the sauce.
  4. Turn and brown on the other side.
  5. Add a piece of cheese to each slice just before the polenta is done.
  6. Remove the polenta slices to a serving plate and spoon sauce on top.
  7. Finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese and serve.
Serving size: 4 Rounds Calories: 160
Notes

You’ll spend 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus or 160 calories for this delicious dish. Enjoy!

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**Full Disclosure:  Barilla provided the products for me to try and to tell you all about them.  I have not received any compensation for writing this post and the opinions are my own.

Filed Under: All, From Italy Tagged With: Barilla, Calories, Diet, Dinner, Polenta, Sauce, Weight Watchers

A Surprising Polenta and Marinara Sauce Recipe

April 21, 2011 By Fran 4 Comments
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Pan Fried Polenta and Marinara Sauce

Polenta and Marinara sauce are like an Italian marriage made in the kitchen and it usually requires a lot of watching and stirring and, oh yeah, tasting!

And here’s the surprising part … in the interest of time and temptation, I veered off the totally made from scratch, no packaged or jarred food routine I usually adhere to and bought a tube of polenta and a jar of marinara sauce.  ::::::GASP:::::: !!

Ok, I’ll admit it, I always keep a small jar of Rao’s Marinara in the fridge.  It’s my emergency stash.  I often make Rao’s Marinara Sauce using this recipe, but scaling it back.  I’m not feeding the neighborhood, after all, but I am not wonder woman and sometimes need help during the week.

This meal takes no more than 10 minutes to get from package to table and while you spend those 10 minutes hovering over a hot stove, it’s easy work and the results are well worth it for your 3 points, the effort is minimal and the taste and texture are just what you desire.  Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

 

Polenta Cakes with Marinara Recipe
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Recipe Type: Side Dish
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 12 mins
Serves: 1
Crispy pan fried polenta cakes are a delicious Italian side dish with marinara sauce
Ingredients
  • 6 pumps of Olive Oil spray
  • 2 Polenta slices cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons Marinara Sauce
  • Grated fresh Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat 6 pumps of olive oil spray in a skillet over medium heat.
  2. While oil is heating, slice polenta into 1/2-inch pieces.
  3. Place the polenta slices in the pan and cook over medium high heat.
  4. In the meantime, spoon the marinara sauce into a microwave proof bowl and heat to take the chill off, about 45 seconds or heat in the other side of the skillet on top of the stove.
  5. When brown and crispy, using a flexible spatula, turn and cook on the other side until also brown and crispy.
  6. Remove to a plate and serve.
Serving size: 1 Calories: 71 Fat: 0 Saturated fat: 0 Unsaturated fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 15 Sugar: 0 Fiber: 1 Protein: 2
Notes

This is a quick and easy side dish that can be cooked and on the table in 10 minutes. I don’t make a habit of using prepared food, but there are times when products like these — Polenta Tubes and a Jar of Marinara Sauce are the perfect answer to a weeknight dinner.

I use the tube of polenta found in the vegetable aisle of my local grocery store. It’s quick and while I sometimes make it from scratch, for a last minute pan-fried polenta treat, I find the tube works well.

Remove to a plate and spoon a tablespoon of marinara sauce over each cake.

Grate cheese over and serve.

This side dish is worth 2 Weight Watchers Points Plus Values

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Filed Under: All Posts, From Italy, From the Ground, Internationally Inspired, Side Dishes Tagged With: Italian, Marinara, Polenta
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