Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar is NOT the cheesiest. Nor will you find Sponge Bob Square Pants, Scooby Doo, or Pokemon-shaped pasta inside the box. That said, this mac n’ cheese does taste good. A little doctoring of the cheese portion was needed (I like my pasta happily smothered in cheese sauce), but overall this is a great product to have on hand for a quick meal.
Pros:
- Uber-simple to make. Even a monkey could prepare it!
- The rice pasta tastes like the “real thing” — no gritty texture.
- Reasonably priced at $1.99 for 6 ounce package.
Cons:
- The cheese portion of the mac n’ cheese was more like watery cheese soup. It’s very thin and needs to be thickened up with extra cheddar.
- The box of gluten free mac n’ cheese is 6 ounces. A traditional glutenous box of mac n’ cheese is 7.5 ounces. Um, hello, why do gluten intolerant peeps get less?
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#1 by Travis on July 28, 2009 - 5:01 pm
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I agree with you that Trader Joe’s Pancake mix has an “off” smell. But it is the least expensive GF pancake mix on the market, so I guess you get what you pay for. I look forward to trying the new GF Mac-N-Cheese, but will likely add some extra cheese myself:) It’s gotta be cheesy!
#2 by Marlow on July 29, 2009 - 8:59 pm
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Hmmm…the box isn’t too appealing…Love the review!
#3 by Kate on August 4, 2009 - 3:38 pm
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I am so glad you did this…I have a few boxes of it sitting on my shelf waiting to be eaten. I’ve been too afraid to try it, thinking it might be awful! But I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!
#4 by Rosemary on August 6, 2009 - 1:13 pm
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You know, this is actually my favorite mac and cheese in a box that I’ve found since going gluten free!! I love it, but I also add extra chedda to it
why does that stupid orange Kraft stuff taste SOOOOOO good?!
#5 by Julia on August 7, 2009 - 12:34 pm
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Did you use milk and butter and not water when you made it? If you do that (according to the pkg directions) then I never feel the need to doctor it up more.
#6 by Amy on August 14, 2009 - 10:26 am
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Can’t wait to try. We’ve just been doing Quinoa or rice noodles with Ragu cheese sauce for my itty bitty gluten free.
#7 by Jenrose on October 6, 2010 - 3:02 pm
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I have other food issues besides gluten, but this stuff is a horrible trigger of intestinal symptoms for me, despite the fact that I “should” be able to eat everything it contains. I can make rice pasta with cheese from scratch and be fine, but this stuff… terrible reaction to it.
#8 by Stacy on May 5, 2011 - 12:37 am
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This one looks promising! Now that I’ve read your review, I know that I can buy this and eat it too. Otherwise I would be just like Kate, buying it and putting it in my larder. I will definitely add more cheese to it too. Yum!
#9 by Mike on May 12, 2011 - 8:20 pm
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I tried it and wasn’t terribly pleased. But I like the idea of adding extra chedda to it.
Maybe I’ll give it another whirl. Thanks for the tip!
#10 by May Lehmann on May 20, 2011 - 12:01 am
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The serving mentioned is 6 oz. Is that enough for lunch or did you eat it with sides like a salad?