Gluten Free Food Reviews

This mix reminded me of a hot dish my mom used to make my family when I was growing up. I think it was called tuna noodle casserole. Now, I don’t believe it was a favorite of mine, but it was a good meal after homework and playing soccer during the school year. I saw this Mrs. Leepers Creamy Tuna Pasta & Sauce Mix discounted at my local grocery store for a mere $1.39 ( usually $2.79) and thought it would make for a quick meal on a busy day. I also knew I would be eating it on my own, since my husband and kids can’t stand tuna fish in any form. I hoped it was at least edible. You don’t know until you try, right?

This mix is super easy to prepare, and resembles the traditional “Tuna Helper” boxed meals. Just add 6 ounces of tuna ( I used the tuna in the foil pouch), water, milk, and butter. From start to finish it takes about 15 minutes, just as the packaging proclaims on the front. Perfect. I like it already!

I found this mix to have a simple, uncomplicated flavor. The sauce is a thin cream sauce that tastes fairly bland, and allows for the tuna flavor to really shine through. I did not notice a processed aftertaste or excessive saltiness, as the case may be with some dinner mixes. The noodles are a mini lasagna shape made of corn. I was actually surprised at how decent these noodles were! They hold their shape well with no mushiness and grip the sauce in the rippled nooks and crannies.

I would suggest purchasing this mix only if you really like tuna, since the sauce and pasta tastes so mild , the tuna flavor really shows through strong.

Overall, the mix was just “OK.” Definitely edible and might be a good last minute alternative for a hot meal. I would strongly suggest adding extra seasoning and maybe some celery, green beans, peas, mushrooms, or topped with fresh tomato to complete the meal.

PROS: decent noodles, quick prep time, great base for a good meal

CONS: the mix itself is quite mild and bland, add veggies or extra seasoning to complete

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy This Mix?

Mrs. Leeper’s Gluten-Free Creamy Tuna- Gluten Free Mall.com

OR

Ingredients:Corn Pasta (Organic Corn Flour), Creamy Tuna Seasoning: Cream, Corn Starch, Salt, Onion Powder, Nonfat Milk, Sugar, Vitamin A Palmitate, Soybean Oil, Sodium Phosphate, Dried Parsley, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Spice, Turmeric Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate

Also check out my reviews for the following Mrs. Leeper’s gluten free meal mixes:

Mrs. Leeper’s Beef Stroganoff- gluten free/wheat free/ egg free/soy free

Mrs. Leeper’s Cheeseburger Mac-gluten free/wheat free

My sister made this Mrs. Leepers gluten free stroganoff mix during my during my last visit, and I loved it! I couldn’t wait to rush home and try it out for myself.

I purchased this mix locally for $3.29. This one dish mix makes quite a large portion, and could easily serve 3 or 4 hungry people. The preparation itself is quite simple. First, you brown the hamburger, then add milk, water, butter, sauce mix and noodles. From start to finish this mix takes about 25 minutes to prepare.

The mix itself is very basic- noodles and cream sauce complimented by the additional hamburger. It is simple and unsophisticated, and unfortunately, a bit bland. I added onion, sour cream, and fresh mushroom to the mix and it was very tasty! However, after adding so many of my ingredients to maximize flavor, I might as well have made the dish from scratch.

The noodles taste great- no mushiness or issues with texture. They cook perfectly and hold their shape nicely. The sauce mix has a hint of sour cream and is missing “something”, in and of itself it is not that great. My gluten consuming sister noticed a slight aftertaste- you know, the kind most boxed meals have. Also be sure to drain the beef completely- otherwise it looks and tastes greasy.Overall, this is a decent mix that serves as a great base for a nice meal,and one I would buy again.

Pros: great noodles, easy preparation

Cons: For maximum flavor, you may need to add fresh iingredients.

Rating: 3 3/4 stars

Where Can I buy this mix?

Mrs. Leeper’s Gluten-Free Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients: Rice pasta (organic brown rice flour, organic white rice flour), stroganoff seasoning: sour cream powder {sour cream (cream, cultures, lactic acid), nonfat milk, citric acid, disodium phosphate, natural flavor}, potato starch, salt, rice flour, onion and garlic powder, whey, sugar, corn syrup solids, dextrose, whey protein concentrate, dehydrated parsley, caramel color and autolyzed yeast.

Wow. I don’t even know where to begin with this product. First, I will begin by saying this is the biggest waste of $3.39.; Can you tell I’m not a fan?

I was hoping this would be a quick meal alternative, which it is. It can be prepared from box to plate in less than 30 minutes ( the “Ready in 15 minutes” label on the box does not take into account browning the beef.) It cooks up like any other boxed meal, no real issues. It even smells pretty decent.

However, I was greatly disappointed when I tasted my meal. This product has an unpleasant fake cheese taste with an even worse aftertaste. Which I, after reading the label, discovered to was identified as “cheesebuger seasoning.” What?! What the heck is cheeseburger seasoning?? I’m not sure if I even wnat to know!

Anyway, the noodles lacked anythihng special, and the amount of sauce balanced well with the noodles and beef- not too runny, not too thick. Bottom line: save your money.

Pros: easy prep

Cons: taste- ewwwwwwww!

Rating: 1 star