Bertolli recently invited me to participate in a unique mealtime challenge. The goal? Create an elegant and memorable meal. The catch? I had just 1 hour from start to finish to do so! I was provided with Bertolli’s new frozen Meal Soups to help make this quick meal happen. So, is it really possible to create a fancy meal with only 60 minutes and one bag of frozen soup? I decided to chronicle my progress as I went, so you could see exactly what I did, how long it took me, and what the final result was:
4:18 pm: Set the table.
4:21 pm: Log onto Pinterest and look for napkin folding ideas.
4:24 pm: Can’t find anything on Pinterest, and a Google search yields some pretty tutorials that are far more complex than I want to take on right now. Then I remember that Sweet T Makes 3 has a tutorial on folding a pretty napkin in 20 seconds.
4:28 pm: Success! Thanks Jenn!
4:29 pm: Place a candle in the center of the table.
4:32 pm: Decide which soup to make.
4:36 pm: Decide on Tomato Florentine & Tortellini with Chicken, get pot out of the cupboard, add soup and water, turning stove on to high heat.
4:46 pm: Soup is chugging right along.
4:49 pm: Garnish plates with crackers while soup cooks.
4:56 pm: Soup has come to a boil. Reduced the heat and covered to simmer for another 5 minutes.
5:00 pm: Fill champagne flutes with soda water.
5:04 pm: Soup is done!
5:08 pm: Soup is finished, ladled in to bowls, and ready to eat Рwith 10 minutes and to spare! Bon App̩tit!
So there you have it: A nice meal, ready in less than one hour! Jai and I both really enjoyed the soup – it’s a hearty combination of chicken pieces and cheese-stuffed tortellini shells in a delicious tomato bisque. I love how quick and easy it was to prepare! This dinner was fun and elegant, but not a lot of work. Keep this in mind the next time you have unexpected guests! 😀
To learn more about Bertolli Meal Soups, visit their official website at VillaBertolli.com and keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter.
That is such an easy, quick and elegant dinner! It actually looks like something I could do. Thanks for sharing!
I love Bertolli meal soups, they really are a meal in themselves! I love what you did with your table, and the soda water in champagne flutes was an inspired touch!
Yummy! I’m doing this too, I can’t wait for my coupon to get here!
You made me laugh about the napkin tutorial because I saw that yesterday when I was stumbling! What a good idea to make it a fancy evening like that. 🙂
OH, and that totally makes me want to have another bowl!
That is my favorite Bertolli soup! I wanted to get that one for us but they didn’t have any when I went to the store.
What a romantic meal! Hubs and I will have to do this for V-day since it’s impossible to get out with a toddler.
I forgot to mention in my post that you can slip a flower into the napkin if you really want to go the extra mile.
I picked the same one! I didn’t decorate my table though 🙁 … nice job!
Fun blog – following now!
That is a great idea for the napkins and table decorations. Makes even the simplest meals look elegant. Thanks for sharing.
I SO cannot fold a napkin! I have napkin rings and just stick it in there and call it done! I tried that variety of Bertolli frozen soup too and it was delicious!
Yum! And I loved how you turned to Pinterest first – I do that a lot too nowadays!
I was hoping you’d pick the Tomato Florentine soup, LOL. It looks so delicious! I hate canned soups so I’m totally going to have to try these!
I’m really enjoying the Bertolli soups and how easy they are to prepare!
The soup looks and sounds delicious.
I have never tried Bertolli. The soup looks delish – and will try it out!
Wow, that soup really does look homemade! Such a quick dinner, love your pretty tablecloth 🙂
That looks so yummy! And I love how pretty everything looks. 🙂
quick and simple my kind of looks great too thanks for sharing have to look for this next time i am at the store
That’s awesome Beeb. Who would have thought you could have a romantic dinner with Bertolli? Now, I know I can!
That is so pretty for a romantic dinner.
OOh looks delicious! I love the chicken/tortellini combo! Yum, glad you had a nice night!
That is seriously awesome! You rock girl, I am so bad about making a good meal but you did this challenge perfectly!
Delicious. I need to look for these:)
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