Mia's Kitchen

So many pasta sauces, so little time. There really are a lot. So, I generally don't get excited when I see a pasta sauce booth at a natural foods trade show, but this one was really big and for some reason it intrigued me so I walked over to it. The company is Mia's Kitchen and the sauces are, as they like to say, "awesome." I agree. And, I'm a sucker for good marketing. I absolutely love that each product is "certified awesome."

So, who is Mia and how did she start such an awesome company at such an early age? I did my research and found out that she is a Sebastiani, one of Northern California's most respected and renowned families. Her father and two older brothers started a wine company called, "Don Sebastiani and Sons," for their everyday wines. They also developed a sister wine company called, "The Other Guys," for their laid-back approachable wines. Mia's Kitchen was developed by Mia and her mother, Nancy, to complement their family's wine business with fine food. They first developed olive oil and a balsamic vinegar (not vegan) in 2009. Then in 2011, they introduced three flavors of pasta sauces.  They sent me a sample of each of their products along with one of their wines to sample. I couldn't wait to try them!

I have to say that I really loved these sauces. They tasted incredibly fresh as if they had just been made in my kitchen. My favorite one was Nonni's Special, which was made with roasted red bell peppers, onions, extra virgin olive oil, and spices. Simple, yet, oh so tasty! I served this sauce over whole wheat penne noodles.

Next, I tried the tomato basil sauce over gnocchi and, again, I loved it. The ingredients are so simple, yet the sauces are so good. They are very balanced in that they have just the right amount of chunky veggies in a hearty sauce. The gnocchi I used, by the way, is a boxed Dellalo-brand gnocchi that is a great easy-to-make vegan gnocchi.

On the tomato basil pasta sauce jar, it states, "Go on. Take a deep breath and breathe in the aroma. Tomatoes, basil, garlic.  All perfectly melded together -- like a symphony for the taste buds. Really, who needs the pasta? I just need a big spoon and a packet of breath mints." Too cute.

I also tried the wine called, "Hey Mambo." Zach and I really liked it paired with the pasta. It was like a light Zinfandel, but is labeled just as a bistro style wine.

Lastly, I used the marinara sauce as a dipping sauce for calzones I cooked the other night. It was heartier than the other sauces with the same fresh tomato taste. Yum, yum, yum.

So, as you can see, I liked all of the sauces and the wine. I only hope to see her products in my Whole Foods soon. If you'd like to order your own, just click here. Highly recommended.