Beyond Meat is probably one of the best meat alternatives on the market right now. The texture, appearance and taste is very close to meat - to the point where I do sometimes panic that I have accidentally picked up a meat product. So if you want a meat alternative that very accurately replicates actual animal meat, then Beyond Meat is the best place to start. previously though they only offered burgers or sausages - fresh and frozen versions - so I was intrigued when I saw their ready meals on offer.
The instructions say you can either microwave it for 7 minutes, or oven cook it. I do not own a microwave so this took 40 minutes to cook. So not exactly a 'quick' meal (unless of course you have a microwave) but you do literally just take the cardboard sleeve off and then shove it in the oven. So a very easy meal if nothing else. I was slightly disappointed by the portion, as the bowl is quite a bit bigger than the amount of food that you actually get with it.
The food was...oddly sweet. It was tasty, and the main reason I tried it was for the insane macros in this meal. However the sweetness was unexpected. But not sweet in the sense that the tomatoes and herbs made it sweet (not that these even would but you know what I mean), but more like it had a tablespoon of sugar poured over it while it was cooking. That's the sweetness I could taste in it. Which was quite off putting because it did not really taste of the spaghetti bolognese, but rather a very cheap, tinned version.
I was also a bit shocked at how hungry I still was afterwards. I had thought that it was because I'd had a pretty busy day and so was just more hungry than normal, until I checked the entire nutrient list again and realised that this meal was only 360 calories. That is not a meal. That is a side dish. That is a snack. That is not a full meal, despite having 17g of protein in it. So be warned that if you want this to replace a full meal, it will not do the trick. If you just want a light lunch or a decent snack then this would probably do fine, but as a full meal replacement this is just not enough in my opinion. A decent, healthy meal size should be around 700-800 calories as a minimum, so it is no surprise why I was still hungry afterwards and then was absolutely ravenous the next morning. With all this in mind, if you did want this as a main meal, you would still need to cook something else to have with it. Which begs the question of why buy it if I still have to cook anyway? I think it would actually be quicker to make your own spaghetti bolognese.
This meal wasn't exactly cheap either. It cost £3, which in comparison to other ready meals out there is actually on par. However, with the other £3 meals I have tried, they are bigger, more dense in content and actually work as a meal. I do not have to cook anything more to eat in conjunction with them, and the meals leave me feeling full and satiated. it just felt very much that this Beyond Meal was quite lacking, and I don't think it was worth the £3 price tag.
Overall: 4/10. It's fine. But not a meal, and not a spaghetti bolognese.
T xxx
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