Pasta.  Cheese.  Broccoli.  Put them all together - what a delightful combination!  And now Velveeta makes it so easy - with their microwavable cup of Rotini & Cheese With Broccoli.

This is one of their single-serving meals, where you simply add water, microwave, and enjoy.  I sometimes use this type of meal when I'm on the go, and want a super quick, hot lunch.  In this case, the finished product is about a cup of food.  Not a very large lunch, by itself.  I usually try to grab a piece of fruit with it, to make a more satisfying meal.  But for a kid's lunch, or a quick snack, it's not too bad.

The first step to making this meal is to open the foil packet containing the broccoli, and add the contents to the pasta.  I have to wonder why that extra packet was necessary.  Why couldn't the broccoli come already mixed with the pasta?  Perhaps it keeps the broccoli pieces fresher to have them sealed in the little foil pouch?  In any case, the broccoli pieces are teeny, tiny, dried specks, so it's hard to imagine there'd be a problem if they came already mixed into the pasta.  On the other hand, I suppose it's convenient to package them separately, in case someone wants to leave them out.  Of course, in my opinion, the broccoli is a delicious part of this meal, but I can imagine others would disagree.

In any case, add the broccoli pieces to the pasta, then add water, and microwave.  Then add the little packet of cheese sauce.  Note that I said "sauce", not "powder".  This is not a powdered-cheese product, this cheese comes in a thick sauce, like other Velveeta macaroni products.

When it's all finished, it's actually quite a tasty treat.  The broccoli pieces "fluff up" with the heat and water so that they're a reasonable size, and you can actually taste them.  The Rotini pasta curls cook up just right - not too chewy, as I've found some other products to be.  And the cheese sauce is pretty good.  All in all, this is not a bad-tasting meal.

As far as nutrition goes, there are 220 calories, 8g of fat, and 640 mg of sodium.  If it's your whole meal, or if you only add a salad or some fruit, it's really not too bad.  While I certainly don't eat meals like this everyday, when I'm in a rush, this isn't a bad choice.  At least it tastes good, and contains some veggies!

Recommended: Yes