Caesar’s Pasta
Our family just got to try a couple of Caesar’s frozen entrees – you know the kind you stock up on and bring to work or school. It is a new gluten-free option that has hit the marketplace recently. We were able to try the Manicotti, the Vegetable Lasagna and the Cheese Lasagna.
In all honesty, the Cheese Lasagna went out the door with my exchange student this weekend as she went out of town with a friend. They were all having lasagna for a big lunch and — well I needed something comparable to give her. So I gave her the Cheese Lasagna, with the promise she’d give me a description that was more detailed than “it was fine.” So while I don’t have the pictures to support the cheese lasagna, I do have some information for you.
Cooked Manicotti
Caesar’s Gluten-Free Manicotti: I thought it was as good as any other, similar (gluteny) meal you would find at the grocery store. My husband, who enjoys manicotti, thought the pasta was very good, but wasn’t thrilled with the cheesy inside. I too really liked the actual noodle, but I was satisfied with the cheesy inside as well. Nutritional information: Calories 390, Calories from fat 160. Total fat 18 grams (saturated fat 9 grams).
Caesar’s Gluten-Free Vegetable Lasagna: I liked this very much. If you’re a big veggie eater though I’m not sure you’ll be satisfied with the amount of vegetables in the meal. I didn’t actually taste any vegetables until I dug into the middle of the lasagna piece. So is that good or bad? Take your pick. Maybe you’re trying to get your child to eat more vegetables – this could help them unknowingly eat some. But if you like the veggies pouring out and piled on, you might be disappointed here.
Cooked Vegetarian Lasagna
I thought it was very good. I don’t get enough vegetables in my diet and this would help that, at least a little bit. Nutritional information: 510 calories, 120 calories from fat. Total fat is 13 grams, 6 grams from saturated fat. This also has 50% of your daily value of vitamin A (twice that of the manicotti).
Caesar’s Gluten-Free Cheese Lasagna: Ida (my teenage exchange student and gluten-free girl) thought this was great. She came home from her weekend with a friend and it was one of the first things she said – well in part because I had forced her to promise me she would give me feedback when she got home. She told me it was really good and she would eat it again.
I went to the Caesar’s Pasta website – that’s where I was least impressed. There was no clear delineation between what they make that has gluten, and the products that are gluten-free. In fact on the company information page, I searched the word gluten and nothing came up. So if you’re looking for additional information, feel free to go to the site. But you may need to email them to get what you need.
The Linden Hills Co-op has a sale on these products through March 31st. Co-op members can buy these frozen products for $3.99 until then. The regular price for the Caesar’s Frozen Pasta Meal is $5.49 per entrée. A reminder, there is no giveaway with this review.
Tags: frozen meal, gluten-free, pasta
June 24th, 2011 at 7:00 am
Great taste! I thought finally I found a gluten free prepared food to supplement my cooking that actually tasted good. But then the store I where I found it sold to another chain and this brand was cut from their inventory.