Buitoni Riserva Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli w/ Garlic Butter Sauce

Made By:  Buitoni North America
Tools Required:  Large pan, Stovetop
500 calories per serving (2 servings per package)
Rating:  :D

Today I am doing something a bit more decadent--because it is my birthday!  My sweetie and I enjoy the Buitoni filled pastas and sauces from the deli section for an easy and delicious dinner, so I am hoping the frozen "dinner for 2" versions will be as good if not better.  There are flavors of both the pasta and sauce available here that aren't offered in the deli variety, such as this Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli, and this Garlic Butter Sauce.

Predictably, the box contains two packets, one with the ravioli, and the other filled with the sauce.  The preparation method actually seems sort of ingenious to me; rather than using separate pans for heating the sauce and cooking the pasta, we are supposed to just drop the packet of sauce into the pan of water while we bring it to a boil and cook the ravioli, using only one pan in the process.  How convenient!  I actually ran into an ambiguity in the prep directions, though:  We are supposed to bring the water (with sauce packet) to a rolling boil, then add the pasta and boil gently for five minutes.  It actually took a few minutes for the water to return to a boil after dropping a packet of frozen pasta in it, though, so I measured the five minute time from when the water started boiling again.  Everything seemed to turn out all right doing it that way, so I'm going to say I did it right.  There ends up being about a dozen large ravioli per serving, and around 3/4 cup of a very creamy looking butter sauce to top them with.

The pasta has a great texture; it is nicely firm and not sticky.  The filling is very flavorful, and has more texture than I expected, with fairly large chunks of shrimp and lobster.  (I even found a tiny piece of lobster shell in one of mine--that proves it is real!)  The sauce is plentiful enough to coat all the pasta, and it has a very rich garlic flavor.  I'm impressed that the flavor of the seafood is assertive enough not to be overpowered by the sauce, actually; the flavors seem to be very well balanced and go together well.  My partner and I both really enjoyed this!  And most importantly, the portion size was generous enough that with a side salad, we both felt like we had enough to eat for dinner.  My expectations have been exceeded, and I am definitely looking forward to trying the rest of these!  :D