With Some Creative Adjustments - Great Fast Food (Tesco Italian Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta Bake)

Member Name: Silverwillow

Product:	Tesco Italian Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta Bake
Date:	06/02/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick To Cook, Easily Doctored To Make More Enjoyable

Disadvantages: Not Very Filling, High In Salt

I bought these whilst on offer at £1 in Tesco's. There are two nights a week where my husband and I just simply don't have the time to cook, but with our New Years Resolutions to eat healthy we wanted something a little better than the ready meals we had been purchasing. We hoped this would do the job.

The packaging is very simple and typical of the Tesco own brand but at £1 who's complaining, it's what is inside that counts. You can slide the sleeve across to see pasta in a tomato sauce with onions and two small balls of mozzarella. It definitely looks yummy.

Cooking this in a microwave is very simple and quick. Although I no longer follow what it says on the pack. The pack says to put it in the microwave for four minutes and ta-da you're sorted. I pierce the film before putting it in and give it a stir after 2 minutes before putting it back in for the remaining 2 minutes. The Tesco's way didn't mix the cheese through the sauce and you'd end up with clumps of overcooked/undercooked pasta.

It is far better if you have the time to cook it in the oven, but as this takes between 20 and 30 minutes it takes away the speed factor, which is the only reason we buy ready-made meals.

Whatever way you cook it, remember that the plastic tub holding all the pasta will lose it's solidity when very warm and wobble, you don't want that hot pasta over your hands or kitchen floor.

If you have a healthy appetite then this isn't going to be enough to keep you going. I always throw half a garlic baguette in the oven to eat with it to make it a more filling meal.

As for taste - it is enjoyable but nowhere near as great as a pasta bake made freshly. At £1 and ready in less than 5 minutes I don't suppose I can complain though. As with all ready meals it is high in salt and as someone that doesn't add salt to my food I do find it a bit salty, so a little doctoring is generally undertaken in my kitchen before I munch on it. I add extra tomatoes from a tin and some grated cheese after 2 minutes of being in the microwave, makes all the difference. If you don't have to worry about the smell I really recommend adding a quarter teaspoon of 'Lazy Garlic' and mixing through.

Summary: Great For When A Fast Meal Is Required!