Battle of the Sauces: A Taste Test and a Giveaway!

Not too long ago the folks at La Famiglia Delgrosso, the oldest major family owned manufacturer of pasta sauce in the United States, sent me a three pack sampler of their pasta sauces to try.

In the box?  Aunt Mary’s Sunday Marinara Sauce, Uncle Joe’s Vodka Celebration Sauce, and Uncle Fred’s Fireworks Sauce.  Isn’t it cute that each sauce is named after a family member?

All three of these sauces are all natural, gluten-free, and vegetarian.  You may remember the Uncle Fred’s Fireworks Sauce from my ground turkey and rice stuffed pepper recipe.  I loved that sauce, but still needed to make something using the other two.

I knew exactly what to do when Tim and I recently offered to host dinner for our friends Joe, Cate, Brett, and Jamie.  What better Sunday night couples activity than a pasta sauce taste-off?  And what better recipe to use for the battle of the sauces than stuffed shells?!

Turkey, Spinach, and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Recipe below makes one batch, serves six

Ingredients

• 1 package jumbo shells
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 15 oz. container ricotta or cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 jar sauce
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 medium onion
• To taste:  black pepper, parsley, oregano, and thyme

We altered the above a bit to make sure we had enough to make two batches!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook and drain pasta according to package instructions.
3. In large skillet, over medium heat, cook ground turkey and garlic, stirring frequently until lightly browned.  Remove from heat; if necessary pour off excess drippings.
4. Combine in a medium bowl:  ricotta or cottage cheese, mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, spinach, and egg.  Stir in the turkey and mix in all the spices to taste.
5. Spread 1 cup of sauce in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
6. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the turkey mixture into each shell.  Arrange shells in a single layer in the baking dish.  Sprinkle any remaining mixture over the shells.  Top with sauce, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through.

Lining the dishes with the two different sauces — one with marinara, one with vodka!

Let the taste test begin!

My opinion?  I liked the taste of the vodka sauce better, but I thought the marinara sauce was a better fit for the stuffed shell recipe itself.

Group results?  Stalemate.  We seriously were divided three and three between who preferred marinara and who preferred vodka.

I think we need someone to taste-test for the tie breaker don’t you?

La Famiglia Delgrosso Pasta Sauce Giveaway

Luckily one of you can be this person!  La Famiglia Delgrosso has kindly offered to giveaway the same three-pack sampler to one Fitness & Feta reader.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me which flavor you think you’d like best – the marinara, the vodka, or the fireworks sauce.  Each person who enters the giveaway can receive one additional entry each by either posting this giveaway on Facebook or tweeting about it on Twitter.  Just make sure to leave me a separate comment telling me you did so!

I’ll announce the winner on Friday morning.  Good luck!