As a single mom raised by a single mom, I never really learned how to cook from scratch. My son’s father (my ex-husband) loved to cook and was pretty good at it, so I let him do it. I tried every now and then, but my grandmother’s Italian cooking genes totally skipped me. I can bake…a little. BUT, I am pretty good at opening a jar of Bertolli® pasta sauce, boiling water and making pasta! My gran would be so proud!

Why Bertolli®? Because it tastes delicious, of course. It’s one of my favorites because it tastes like Tuscan-inspired goodness. Like I imagine dining al fresco at an Italian restaurant would taste. Makes sense, since the product was actually born in Italy. In fact, it was born 150 years ago, when  Francesco Bertolli® opened up a little shop in Lucca, Italy. When Italians immigrated to the US back in the late 1800s (my great-gran actually immigrated shortly after with her family, in the early 1900s), they missed Bertolli®’s delicious wines, cheese and olive oil. They wrote letters across the ocean, asking him to please send them crates of his olive oil, and he did. He was actually the very first person to export olive oil. That’s pretty amazing, if you consider how very much olive oil is exported to us now by how many people. I just love a brand with a good back story, don’t you?

While you can find Bertolli® in many stores, I often buy mine at BJ’s. They sell variety packs of the red sauces and three-packs of Alfredo sauce. It’s convenient for me because I always have plenty on hand. As I said, I make a lot of pasta. Our BJs is in the perfect spot, so I go there a lot for things like paper towels, the best bagels ever (my son recently discovered he loves bagels), and a few other things that I really can only get there in sizes that work for me,  so it’s just convenient to pick up other essentials while I’m there. Like Bertolli® Pasta Sauce! I picked mine up on a shopping trip with my beautiful sort-of-step-daughter, Raina.

7 Delicious Ways to Use Bertolli® Pasta Sauces

I’m pretty sure being part Italian means strands of my DNA are actually woven from spaghetti!  Of course, spaghetti isn’t the only way to enjoy pasta sauces. So here are 7 delicious ways to use those jars of Bertolli® that you pick up at BJs.   All these recipes can be found on the Bertolli® website.

1. Fettuccine Alfredo– My go-to meal for a quick pasta dinner.  Two ingredients is all it takes to turn spaghetti and marinara night into thick, delicious noodles and creamy sauce night! All you need for this is fettuccine noodles and Bertolli® Alfredo Sauce. Sometimes I add in pre-cooked chicken strips. I just re-heat them with a bit of Bertolli® Olive Oil in a skillet, then toss it in at the end.
2. Baked Penne and Cheese with Alfredo: Oh, the goodness! It’s like a grownup mac and cheese, except no mac. Since it does have to bake for 25 minutes, I suggest getting it started, then doing homework with the kids, then pulling it out for a delicious dinner. Multi-tasking!
3. Chicken Alfredo Pizza: I am definitely making this one this week! The recipe calls for a prebaked pizza crust. Another way to do it: If your grocery store makes pizza to go, ask for a bag of their dough. They usually sell it either frozen or thawed. You want it thawed. Gently stretch it out on your pizza pan. Follow the rest of the directions in the recipe. We use that pizza dough all the time and it works fantastic.
4. Shrimp Alfredo with Tomato & Basil: This recipe is for the seafood lovers out there.  It’s got a kick to it, but if you’re not a fan of spice, you can probably hold back on the hot sauce without sacrificing much flavor.
5. Bruschetta with Portobellos: This one is perfect for vegetarians or vegans, as it’s completely meat-free and cheese-free. The recipe makes 24 appetizers, but it also makes a great side to your meals.
6. Grilled Pizza Margherita– Another delicious idea for pizza night, this recipe has just 5 ingredients and a 5-minute prep time, yet it looks totally gourmet when it’s done!
7. Tomato & White Bean Soup With Garlic Bread– Now that the nights are getting colder, it’s definitely the season for soup! This recipe uses both Alfredo and Tomato & Basil Bertolli® Pasta Sauces. Despite the longer ingredient list (I get freaked out when I see more than 5 things under ingredients), the prep time is only 15 minutes and it only takes 20 minutes to cook. The recipe serves 8. Since it’s just me, Jake and my mom, we’d have enough left over for my lunch the next day. I absolutely LOVE leftover soup. It’s one of the few things that tastes just as good the next day.

These are just a few ways to use Bertolli® Pasta Sauces in recipes that go beyond spaghetti and meatballs (or in my house, turkey meatballs). Looking for more creative recipes? Check out the Bertolli® Pinterest page. It’s literally a visual feast. I also highly recommend checking out the Viva Bertolli® page on their website.  In honor of their 150th anniversary, Bertolli® is sharing 150 tips and recipes. Aside from more ways to use their products, you’ll find neat tips like how to set your table the Tuscan way, how to pick the perfect pepper and more. Plus you can grab a $1.50 off coupon. So check it out!

What are your favorite ways to use Bertolli® Pasta Sauce beyond the traditional spaghetti? Tell me in the comments!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bertolli®. The opinions and text are all mine.