Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake

Price: $3.19 (or free because I had a coupon for a free meal)
Serving: 1 oz.
Calories: 260 per serving
Fat: 14%, 9g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 29%, 700mg
Protein: 7g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 42g
Fiber: 32%, 8g
Sugar: 8g
Weight Watchers Points: 5

Kashi says: All Natural Tuscan Veggie Bake. Yellow squash, roasted eggplant, red onion, and sweet potato. Zesty basil tomato sauce with sun dried tomatoes served inside Kashi seven whole grain noodles.

Samantha says: Kashi, what happened? I love your pizza, cereal, and tasty granola bars and then you come out with this?!

First, the cooking time on this meal is a little long and complicated to be taking over the office microwave-a total of 11 minutes! Bake for 5 minutes at 50% power, heat an additional 3 minutes at full power, let stand in microwave for 3 minutes. I don’t know about anyone else’s office politics, but taking over the microwave for 11 minutes leads to your name being dropped at the water cooler around here.

I took the fully cooked and rested meal back to my desk, carefully peeling back the plastic sheet. It looked like any other frozen “lasagna” based noodle frozen meal-square with sauce on top. It smelled good. The veggies had the “fire roasted” lines. The red sauce was plentiful and thick.

I have to say I was excited to try this meal. I have heard wonderful things about Kashi frozen meals “texture, flavor, nutritious!” and I love everything else they make. Oh this had texture all-right. I took my plastic fork and cut my first bite of the noodles and veggies, placed it in my mouth. The meal was pleasant and flavorful. I could taste the fire-roasted and the intense tomato sauce. Then I began to chew. All I kept thinking was “What is that hard pebble feeling in my mouth?” I turned over the box and read the label among the ingredients, all the way at the bottom, “brown lentils”. I am a big lentil fan, love to cook with them and eat them…however I prefer mine fully cooked, not in crunchy, partially cooked form.

Just seconds later there was another strange texture, chewy and yet soft. This I discover is the eggplant. I am not convinced eggplant should be anywhere near a microwave, but there it was, sandwiched between two whole grain noodles. The noodles were a bit chewy for my taste. The most surprising part of the entire meal was the mysterious white, cream sauce I found in the meal. I went back to the ingredients to investigate. I believe it was the “cannellini beans” in some form. Not too sure.

Overall, I was not impressed by the Kashi Tuscan Bake and feel let down. I gave it two stars because I am full, but will not be purchasing this one again.

Posted in healths nad youga