Not Just Country Gravy

A few years back I went out to Ohio to visit some friends.  While there we discovered a chain of restaurants that seemed to be in every town. This restaurant was a mix of a number of other restaurants, Cracker Barrel, IHOP and Denny's all put together into a single place.  Bob Evans is a restaurant chain that focuses on the down home cooking and big meals.  We ate breakfast when we were there (they had some wicked biscuits and gravy among other tasty things!) and while this was before I was pondering bringing this blog to light, I didn't think about the possibility of mac and cheese.

During the summer (yes this review has been in 'limbo' for a few months) I was at our local Safeway, I was in the meats department grabbing some hamburger and other things for dinners when lo and behold, I saw a bunch of Bob Evans side dishes .  There were a number of potato options and our favorite staple  mac n' cheese.  It came home with the plan on it being a side dish for one of the meats I had just bought.


Brand:
Bob Evans Everyday Classics Macaroni & Cheese / Bob Evans Tasteful Sides Macaroni & Cheese

Picture of a farm seals proves farm fresh goodness.

The new packaging as of Nov 2012.  Also, these are still kept in the meats section for whatever reason...

Price:
$4.49 at Safeway

Packaging Description:
On Front
N/A

On Side
Bob Evans "Farm Fresh Goodness" Pledge
Bob Evans opened his first sausage shop near his farm in Rio Grande, Ohio in 1948. He used only the finest ingredients and set a standard of excellence.  To this day, every Bob Evans product lives up to the standard he started over 60 years ago. If you are not completely satisfied with this product, please contact us for a replacement or a refund. For more information, please visit www.bobevans.com/guarantee

Preparation:
*Remove the paper cover.

A great place to hide the sell by/use by date, under the sleeve.  Yes, the date is months ago, I prepared it when it was still within the date.

*Peel up (or slit) a corner of the plastic covering then microwave for three minutes.

*Remove from microwave, peel back the film and stir.

I accidentally peeled off the film.  Meals is ruined!

All stirred up.  It looks like the noodles went swimming in a cheese sauce lake.

*Place the plastic film back down over the tray and place it back in the microwave to cook for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.  I split the difference and heated it for an additional two minutes.

*Once the second heating has been completed, remove the tray from the microwave, stir and let it sit for a few minutes to cool before serving.

This after being heated up to directions, stirred and then let cool, was still quite runny.  I really thought I did something wrong preparing it.

*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:
There wasn't a very noticeable aroma from the dish after it came out of the microwave.  The noodles were very cooked.  While they weren't quite to the point of being completely overcooked they were close to it.  The sauce itself had a nice zingy taste, but it was very watery and none of it really stuck to the noodles.

Final Score:
This was almost like having a mac and cheese soup.  I couldn't eat it on a plate because the sauce just ran everywhere.  I had to put it in a bowl if I even wanted to try and enjoy it.  While it had an O.K. taste, I can't help but wonder if it would have been at least serviceable  if there was some consistency to the sauce. 

Nutritional Information:
Serving Size 1 cup (255g)
Servings Per Container: About 2

Calories330
Calories From Fat 140
Total Fat 16g (24% Daily Value)
Saturated Fat 7g (36% DV)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 35mg (12% DV)
Sodium 1220 mg (51% DV)
Total Carbohydrates 33g (11% DV)
Dietary Fiber 2g (9% DV)
Sugars 5g
Protein 14g