Barilla Microwave Meals Review!

Hello Tuesday.

Today I have a little review for you. I was invited to try Barilla microwave meals a couple of weeks ago. I was excited to try this product because of it’s ease and frankly, I’m super lazy right now regarding food. Pasta is basically something that I can always eat, so I figured why not give this one a shot. I am a huge fan of Barilla’s other products like Barilla PLUS and their whole grain pasta. Barilla is also my mom’s first choice for boxed pasta when she makes it for Sunday dinners, so I’ve been eating it for years.

I know it might seem surprising that I would make a microwave meal…because frankly, I would never typically buy one. But when you’re over 8 months pregnant and you have no desire to cook anything….microwave meals don’t seem so bad! I like that there are no funky ingredients or preservatives in this. That right away makes it a plus. I also like that they have the meals in whole grain! I was really excited about that.

sorry for scary post morning workout face

Barilla microwaveable meals come in five different varieties including two whole grain versions:

Mezze Penne with Tomato & Basil Sauce
Mezze Penne with Traditional Marinara Sauce
Mezze Penne with Spicy Marinara Sauce
Whole Grain Fusilli with Vegetable Marinara Sauce
Whole Grain Mezze Penne with Tomato & Basil Sauce

They come in a plastic carton and you microwave it for 60 seconds. After that you combine the sauce and pasta and it’s done. (I don’t love microwaving in plastic but the first time I followed the directions and left it in package. The rest of the time I put it in a bowl and it cooked basically the same, I just covered it.)

What I did like:

Each portion is 320 calories or lower and has between 9g and 11g of protein.
They aren’t pricey, retailing for about $3.29.
You can add beans, cheese and greens to it to bulk it up.
The easy factor.

What I didn’t like:

The taste of the sauce and chewiness of the pasta.
The high sodium content.

I’m always honest in my reviews and I have to say while I did love the ease/convenience factor of this and the fact there aren’t any preservatives, I didn’t love the taste. I like my pasta al dente (a slight bite to it) and I found this pasta to be chewy. I also have NEVER had jarred pasta sauce because we always make our own from canned tomatoes or actual tomatoes, so I didn’t really like the taste of the sauce either. I found the nutrition stats to be pretty good, except for the sodium, which was high.

If you want a quick and easy meal that is preservative free, then I would give this a try. If you are used to real home cooked Italian food, then this may not be for you!

What do you think? Have you tried these?

FTC Disclosure: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.