Today’s review is for Augusan Farms‘ Cheesy Broccoli and Rice, an “instant” i.e. a just add boiling water, wait and eat meal.
This is what I’d call a ‘good base for an entree’ entry in the reasonably priced, long term storage, easy preparation food. It’s not special, but is of good quality and tastes pretty good. There’s not much broccoli, but enough to give it a little flavor.
They don’t stint on the cheese in the cheesy broccoli mix, which re-hydrates well into a pleasant sauce. The rice was still just a bit chewy when I followed their prep directions, so some modification that lets it cook just a bit more (such as making it in an insulated or pre-warmed dish) would be an improvement. Overall I’d grade it a B.
Pros of the cheesy broccoli mix:
The cheesy broccoli pouch is the simplest prep ever. Open cheesy broccoli pouch, dump into bowl, add boiling water, whisk, cover, let sit 10 minutes. (Yet another job the Kelly Kettle would handle perfectly.) Comes in a reasonable package sizes too; with four servings per envelope.
The cheesy broccoli mix is filling for $1 a serving. Good texture, once I cooked it a tiny bit more than directed.
It’s easy to upgrade to a substantial entree by adding other dehydrated or canned food, but decent alone.
Neither pro nor con of the cheesy broccoli mix:
Nutrition. It’s white rice in cheese sauce, so it’s not going to really impress. There’s a lot of saturated fat (9g), essentially no fiber, and not great in the vitamin or mineral department.
However, *for* a white rice in cheese sauce dish, or for that matter compared to many long term storage foods, it’s ok. 350 cal for a serving of reasonable size, respectable Vit C and calcium (15% each), not too crazy on sodium for something rich in cheese.
Cons of the cheesy broccoli mix:
The cheesy broccoli mix is uncreative and a bit bland — how many ‘carbs with cheese sauce’ dishes will you want to eat, anyway? I get it, food sellers, they’re cheap to produce and all, but c’mon.
Rather misnamed: Cheesy Rice with a Hint of Broccoli would have been more truth in advertising.
Salty’s Take:
I like it, I didn’t find it too bland for me and agree that it can use some spicing up, but when the wife asks “how many ‘carbs with cheese sauce’ dishes will you want to eat, anyway?” I answer “a lot”. A good dish to throw in whatever it is you have sitting around, dehydrated veggies, a can of Tuna, some spices or some hot sauce and dig in.
Pro tip:
After tasting the dish straight up, I modified it to be closer to what I’d call an appropriate dinner: it needed more vegetables (both for nutrition and for added bulk to make it more satisfying) and more protein (even a person of my size is better off to get 50g a day, and most storage food including this provides too little protein per calorie).
I re-hydrated some vegetables and opened a can of tuna; both storage foods we always have on hand. As a bonus, 45 sec of microwaving to bring the veggies and tuna up to temperature also got the rice to the perfect consistency. The additions were a definite win.
Augason Farms Cheesy Broccoli and Rice
$5
Pros
- Simple to prepare
- Filling for serving size
- Easy to 'upgrade' by adding stuff
Cons
- Bland. Needs additives
- Only a hint of broccoli
I’ve been thinking about trying some of this, thanks