Smart Ones® Three Cheese Ziti Marinara – Satisfies that pasta craving and then some!
Written: Mar 08 '08 (Updated Jan 16 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Hearty flavor, cheese and great noodles!
Cons: None really!
The Bottom Line: This is a great meal to tide the pasta and cheese cravings!
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| Magick1's Full Review: Weight Watcher's Smart Ones Three Cheese Ziti Mari... |
Weight Watchers® Smart ones® definitely will fit in a pasta lover’s dreams. It’s loaded with delicious flavor, cheese and pasta noodles. I was pleasantly surprised by the delightful flavor of this product. Mind you, I have only been disappointed by one Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® meals so far and that was the Chicken Carbonara. But, each different one I try could be another to add to the list of nos. This is not one of those!
Weight Watchers® meals are relatively inexpensive. I can normally find them in the stores for either 2 for $5.00 or 3 for $5.00. (They are shaking up the sales around here and it’s been a few weeks since I have seen the 3 for $5.00.) But, either way, they are still a decent price and of decent quality. You will not be disappointed, I think, even if you pay regular suggested retail. But, if you can, try to catch a sale and stock up!
The Product
A lot of products with cheese tend to really skimp on the cheese due to the additional calories, fat and diet wreaking havoc that cheese can bring to a dish if there is an over abundance present. Weight Watchers® Smart Ones® strike a very nice balance between the amount of cheese and keeping the product reasonable. If you watch your points values for the Weight Watchers® program, this is a 6 point meal!
The product is 9 ounces, and it is very quick to prepare (in a microwave). It normally takes about 3 - 4 minutes and you are ready to eat! If you need to prepare this in a conventional microwave, it will take 30 minutes (after you preheat the oven).
They advertise this meal now “with more cheese”. So, I wonder if at one point the meal was skimpy and people commented making them add more cheese (and possibly more points) to the dish. Regardless, I thought there was a decent amount of cheese. More, to me, is always terrific!
Nutritional Values
This information is taken directly from the box and is based upon a standard 2,000 calorie diet.
Calories 320 Calories from Fat 70
Total Fat 8g or 12%
Saturated Fat 3.5g or 17%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 10mg or 4%
Sodium 590mg or 25%
Total Carbohydrate 47g or 16%
Dietary Fiber 4g or 15%
Sugars 2g
Protein 14g
Vitamin A 10%
Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 15%
Iron 15%
The Ingredients
Cooked enriched macaroni product (water, enriched semolina [semolina, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), water, tomato paste, diced tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, calcium chloride, citric acid), low moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese (milk, nonfat milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), reduced fat mozzarella cheese (part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, vitamin A palmitate), Monterey jack cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), parmesan cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), contains 2% or less of: onions, Monterey jack cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), onions, corn oil, salt, modified cornstarch, garlic, beet powder, romano cheese flavor (cheese powder [dehydrated cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey (milk), sunflower oil, lactic acid, maltodextrin (corn), salt, sodium phosphate, citric acid], natural cheese flavor [cheese powder (milk), maltodextrin (corn) sodium citrate, butter milk, salt, flavors, fermented wheat protein, autolyzed yeast extract, soy lecithin], salt, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate), spices, black pepper, annatto (color, soy), carrageenan.
Contains milk, soybeans, wheat
Overall Impressions
The flavor is very nice. The spices, cheese and sauce are all fairly mild without being heavily spiced with garlic or onions. As you can see, the onions and garlic are well into the ingredients list; therefore, they do not make a major impact. I don’t feel terribly conscious of my breath after eating this meal.
The amount of cheese is very nice. It’s not loaded with cheese, but you are not moving noodles and sauce around trying to find a string or two. You will definitely notice the cheese in this dish. The noodles are nice, hearty ziti pasta noodles and they are firm, yet tender. It’s hard to explain, but the noodles are not mushy at all.
This dish, I noticed they tend to have more sauce over the noodles rather than having the noodles and the sauce appear separated. It might be why the flavor and sauce blend in so well and give every bite a good taste!
If you enjoy pasta dishes and want some variety in the lunches you take to work, you might consider this one to add to the list. It’s filling, tastes great and takes care of the pasta and cheese craving. And, you did not have to blow every calorie counter or diet, as the serving size is perfect to quell those cravings without leaving you disenchanted or wanting more, more, more! I hope you enjoy it if you do try it!
~Thanks for spending time with me today!~
Recommended:
Yes
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