product review: Udi's Gluten Free Rich & Creamy Penne & Cheese

I'm a huge fan of mac 'n cheese. For years, I ate gluten free pasta with the Kraft cheese packet out of the regular mac 'n cheese. We went through the process of wiping off the packet before opening it to avoid getting gluten in the cheese when we opened it... and it was always wonderful. A couple years ago, however, I started feeling really kind of sluggish after eating mac 'n cheese. It was like the cheese was so rich and just made me feel overly full. It wasn't worth it - and I didn't know if I was reacting to the cheese itself or accidental gluten. I stopped eating it. 

Then I tried Annie's gluten free mac 'n cheese (the one in the blue box). It was great - so much better than I remembered it. I made the switch and yummy cheese coated pasta was back in my life. (The Deluxe version, I'm still not a fan of.) 

When I was pretty young - 8-12ish - I tried Amy's Frozen Mac 'N Cheese. I DID NOT like it. Years later, I tried it again, and fell in love. 

All of that brings me to the topic of this post. Udi's Gluten Free Rich & Creamy Penne & Cheese was a product I'd seen for a while but never tried. I'm always a little wary of new mac n cheese products... but like I said in my shopping cart post, I figured it was time to give it a try. Well, I did. 

I didn't take a picture of it right out of the box, but I was not impressed. Looks aren't everything, so I did as the directions said and cut a slit in the overwrap and stuck it in the microwave for two minutes. Remove overwrap. Stir. Still not impressed. Back in the microwave for two minutes and forty five seconds. Let it sit for a couple minutes (so I might have cheated a little on this one... I didn't want it to get cold...). 

The result? 

The pictures are a little dark but they get my point across. My compliments to the package photographer... no idea how they heated it up and transferred it to a plate with the noodles intact. It's not that big of a deal, but it's a little tiny bit unappetizing to feel like you're eating mush when you planned on pasta.

I've definitely gotten used to Amy's frozen mac 'n cheese, because this seemed small. I feel full enough after eating just this, but I'm also 5 foot tall and under 100 pounds... so most people would probably need a little something extra.

The pasta is made from rice and corn flours, which is evident in the taste. I'm personally not a huge fan of corn pasta, and this one tasted overly starchy to me. The cheese sauce is ABSOLUTELY more of an adult taste - closer to the homemade mac 'n cheese that my grandma gave me a recipe for, as opposed to the kind from the Kraft box. 

To be fair, this one doesn't technically claim to be mac 'n cheese... so maybe it's unfair to compare it to products that do. I did anyway. You don't have to. 

Overall, I'd give it probably three stars. I don't plan on buying it again, and I wouldn't pick it to eat, but I wouldn't turn it down if that's what was offered. 

What do you think? Have you tried it? Should I do something differently and give it another shot? Let me know!