Gluten Free Pasta: Annie's Homegrown Gluten Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar

PRODUCT NAME:                      Annie’s Rice Pasta & Cheddar

BRAND:                                     Annie’s Homegrown

COST:                                        $2.99

SIZE:                                          6 oz

COST PER OZ:                          $0.49 per oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:        NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         NA

ORGANIC:                                 NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:         NA

VEGAN:                                     NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:           NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:           California

SHELF LIFE:                              1 Year   

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese is a staple, wonderful and delicious comfort food.  Not going to lie, I lived on the stuff before my doctor informed me that a bunch of my health problems were due to a gluten allergy.  Mac and cheese was one of those things that I very bitterly gave up.  Well, no fears!  This Gluten free Macaroni and Cheese is AMAZING and just as satisfying as I remember the original being.  Hallelujah!

The instructions are the same: boil pasta, drain, mix in milk and cheese, stir and enjoy.  Personally, I cannot do too much dairy so adding a ¼ cup milk was a little bit scary, so instead, I decided to try it with some almond milk that I had in the fridge.  I even had my gluten/dairy-eating roommate try it and we both agree that it was a delicious alternative.  The texture of the rice pasta is good, but like with all rice pastas, be careful not to over-cook it.  The noodles are substantial and hold up well without being rubbery or mushy.  The cheese is creamy and binds to the pasta really well and overall makes for one tasty dish where I certainly don’t feel like I am sacrificing taste, aroma or texture to be gluten free. 

The ingredients are simple and there is no horrific amount of calories or salt or anything you need to be too worried about for eating a comfort food.  The value is pretty good too, but considering the regular mac and cheese is a dollar less, I take that with a grain of salt.  $2.99 is still not that bad.  Regardless, this is certainly something I am going to continue to keep in my cupboard for those evenings where mac and cheese is the only things that fits my needs.  This is also something that can be shared with gluten-eating friends as well as it is just as creamy and delicious as the original. 

Check out Annie’s website for other flavors and more info:  www.annies.com

Taste:  good solid noodles and creamy cheese.  Delicious.

Labeling:  clear Gluten free label with recognizable Annie’s logo

Packaging: blue box with individual packet of cheese amongst the dry noodles

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 5                             

Taste:                     5                             

Value:                    3             

OVERALL:              4.3         

Reviewed by

Krisztina Lazar

Gluten Free Soup: Kettle Cuisine Chicken Soup With Rice Noodles - Product Review #69

Gluten Free Soup: Kettle Cuisine Chicken Soup With Rice Noodles

PRODUCT NAME:                   Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles

BRAND:                                  Kettle Cuisine

COST:                                    $4.35

SIZE:                                      10oz

COST PER OZ:                       $0.44/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      GFCO

ORGANIC:                              NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      N/A

VEGAN:                                 NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:       NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:      Chelsea, MA

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
Chicken noodle soup is often considered a comfort food. Not so much for people with Celiac and gluten intolerance because of the noodles in there. Jerry of Kettle Cuisine took it upon himself to restore the comfort food title for everyone with his gluten free Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles. After learning that his daughter had to go on a gluten free diet, he decided to create a whole line of great tasting gluten free soups.

The soup comes in individual 10oz servings that are frozen. All you need to do is microwave or heat it a pot on your stovetop and it’s ready to serve. With 140 calories, 3g of fat, and 14g of protein per serving I would consider it pretty healthy. The one thing that you should pay close attention to is the 540mg of sodium in this soup. While it is only a fraction of the sodium in regular canned chicken noodle soups, it does not mean you should over look it. Originally, the recommended daily sodium intake was 2400mg. Last month, the American Heart Association announced a new daily guideline of 1400mg. It’s just something to keep in mind. When eating prepackaged soups like this.

When we cooked this soup up, we opted for the stovetop option because we don’t have a microwave here. It was very easy, just put the frozen contents of the bowl in a pot and heat on medium. Make sure you keep an eye on it and stir it frequently to keep the chicken from sticking to the bottom.

Jerry did a great job with soup with this chicken noodle soup made with chicken stock, chicken meat, rice noodles, carrots, celery, onions, chicken fat, sea salt, and spices. I think the fact that this soup comes frozen rather than canned has helped a lot with how fresh this soup tastes. The chicken and the vegetables are all tender and don’t taste artificial like you would find in a canned soup. You might be happy to hear that the chicken used in this soup is raised without antibiotics and on a vegetarian diet. They also do not add any preservatives, artificial colors, MSG or artificial flavorings.

Overall it tasted great. The saltiness of the soup was balanced by the sweetness of the vegetables. It can be best described as tasting like a vegetable soup with chicken in it rather than a chicken soup with vegetables in it. The main difference being it is not nearly as salty as one of those canned soup deals. We did find that the soup was a still a little salty for our taste. Here’s a tip, if you find the soup a little too salty, just add some water to it to dilute it.

If you’re looking for a healthier chicken noodle soup, this is the soup for you. It has made this comfort food staple accessible to everyone including celiacs and the gluten intolerant.

Taste: Great tasting soup with real chicken and vegetables that actually taste like vegetables.

Labeling: Very nice labeling with all of the important information about the soup right on the front. All natural…check. Gluten free…check. No artificial ingredients…check. The list goes on and on.

Packaging: Usual packaging. It comes in a microwave safe container so it can go right from your freezer to your microwave, to your stomach.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         5
Taste:             4
Value:            3
OVERALL:      4

Reviewed 021011 by Calvin C.