Knorr Buffalo Chicken Pasta Sides

Noodle pack, my beloved! It's been ages since I've had one of these, even though I basically subsisted on them from age 10-24, because I was worried about their salt-bombiness. (Also this has MSG in it, and onion powder, which are brain diet non-approved, although I'm still not sure I believe in that stuff.) But this is a new flavor, so I gotta try it. It's soy-free and has the nice spiral noodle shape we know and love from cheddar-broccoli-flavor. I don't really like buffalo chicken flavored things, but that's fine because the main flavor notes here are: noodle pack and slight mouth burning. I guess a little chicken broth. There's no cheddar or broccoli in it, and yet if you told me this was the cheddar broccoli flavor with a little hot sauce or red pepper added, I'd say "well OK, but why'd you do that to it?". It is good because noodle pack is good but would be better if it were just cheddar broccoli noodle pack. However, if you love chicken broth and mild heat, or hate cheddar or broccoli, this could be the introduction to the noodle pack lifestyle you were waiting for! (In the age old question, "Am I nostalgic for my youth because of the noodle packs, or nostalgic for noodle packs because of my youth?", the answer is 100% the first one)

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10 

Knorr Roasted Turkey flavored Gravy Mix

This wasn't great. It's so hard to find a decent soy-free turkey gravy!! It was edible (and soy free), but dark colored and weird tasting. Alas.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10

Knorr Four Cheese Pasta Side

Aw, my mom got me this noodle packet special because it didn't have soy protein in it. Thanks, mom! It's a new one for me, too. I was a little nervous because I do not like blue cheese at all, but happily the cheese mixture just tasted like "generic white-ish cheese sauce". There was a little bit of tanginess to it, but I wouldn't be able to ID the individual cheeses involved, that's for sure. I like this pasta shape a lot (see also: Cheddar Broccoli Noodle Pack), and the sauce was not outstanding, but it was "fine". All safe noodle packs are winners in my book. I'd eat it again!

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Knorr Alfredo Broccoli Pasta

Like all noodle packets, especially the ones that don't have soy protein in them, this is a good food product. Very reliable and comforting, especially when ending a 5-year relationship and you need to cry into your dinner. :)

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Knorr Pasta Sides - Alfredo

Woah, woah, how have I not reviewed this one yet? This is a solid noodle pack, it's definitely in my rotation. It also has no soy in it, yay! One downside is that it's easily burnt so you gotta watch it and take it off the heat earlier than you might think, when it's still a thin soup consistency. It's good with the frozen mixed veg. A fun noodle.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Knorr Pasta Sides - Stroganoff

This was a little weird for me, because it's a noodle pack but without any cheese or veg in it! It was good, though. Generally a thick and unrunny pasta, and with real actual mushroom pieces, which surprised me. Good on its own but I also added a mixed veg and that was shockingly decent as well. Somehow not my favorite, just because I love cheese, but it was better than I thought.






Overall
Cost: 8/10 [1$]
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Rice Sides - Cheddar Broccoli

These Knorr rices just contain too many calories for one sitting (8-900!!) yet I always eat them all at once. It's one of many reasons I prefer the noodle packs. No self-control required with those! Anyway, this was good. Obviously not as tasty as the Cheddar Broccoli NOODLES, but it had a similar cheese/broccoli flavor, just ported to rice. It was quite filling (as you'd expect) and gave me a wee bit of heartburn, but if you have, like, a family, this is probably a good pick!




Overall
Cost: 8/10 [1$]
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Fiesta Sides - Taco Rice

Well, I must have liked this because I ate it all. It was moist and a wee bit spicy/hot. Apparently, there's cheese in the ingredients, so that probably explains why I liked it. I'm a sucker for cheesy carbs. I ate this unaccompanied, no veg mix-ins or anything. Yom.

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Selects - Lemon & Asparagus with Cavatappi Pasta

"Selects", huh? Sadly, it seems like the Selects line really boils down to paying more for less food that tastes worse, but is possibly healthier. I guess like life, in a way. Because of the cavatappi, this looks like a fancy wheat analogue to Knorr Cheddar Broccoli Pasta, one of my all time top foods. So I was intrigued. Ultimately this tasted "OK", it's light and easy. The noodles, being wheat, were much firmer than other noodle packs. I still like the cheese ones way more though.




Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Garlic Parmesan Rice

This wasn't my favorite. I thought it was too creamy for rice, like a risotto, which I don't like. I guess I also don't like parmesan/asiago cheese, or at least not when mixed with rice. It was still edible, but made me wish I had another flavor instead. It does make a ton of food, more than the noodle packs, which is good if you have, like, a family, but actually bad for me because I ate it all and then I felt bloated. We learned a lot today.

Overall
Cost: 8/10 [1$]
Taste: 5/10

Knorr Chicken Broccoli Rice

This has the look of a classic Knorr rice side! I guess I haven't reviewed it before because I don't go for the rice nearly as often as the pasta. That said, it tastes basically just how you'd expect. Not bad, not very exciting, but a dependable filler. It's pretty salty, both in flavor and actual salt content. It also cooks really quickly!

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Selects - Spinach & Artichoke Rice

Ooh, Knorr "selects". These are new and this was on sale, so I was excited to try it. I figured it'd be fancier than just your standard Knorr rice packets, which are already quite good. Unfortunately this bad boy was worse than the unfancy ones. It was like bad orzo instead of rice, with a way too strong bad cheese flavor (possibly asiago?) which was not a flavor I enjoyed. It also didn't really cook down well; there was a bit of a crunch remaining. It didn't taste to me like a spinach/artichoke dip at all. I added veg to this to try to mute the flavor, but then it became like eating a chunky nothing-paste. A chore almost. There were little tiny bits of spinach in the rice, and those did add some small moments of joy. I recommend you get a regular rice pack instead of this! Although I will probably still try out the other new fancy ones sometime. . . obvi.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [On sale for 2$]
Taste: 5/10

Knorr Garlic & Olive Oil Pasta

You know me, I love a good noodle packet. Yet sadly, even with the caveat that all Knorr side dishes are pure and good, I can't reaaally call this a "good noodle packet". I am sick, and this didn't require milk, which is good because my car is fucky and I couldn't get to the store. So there is a convenience benefit. But when I bought this at my parent's grocery, excited to try a new noodle flavor, I was hoping it could become a new healthier favorite to bring in to the rotation. Alas. First, this doesn't make as much as other flavors. Second, it is really boring - just plain soggy noodles, watery "sauce" that's vaguely garlicy, vaguely balls-of-soy-protein-y, supposedly parsley-y. Not amazing. I did add a veggie bag to this, which bulked it up a lot, and ultimately made it all taste like a frozen Birds Eye side dish. At least it was cheaper than that and didn't give me a stomach ache, but not what I'm looking for in a delicious noodle meal. Will not rebuy.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1$]
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Chicken Rice

This was filling and fine, but fairly boring as a rice side. I expected a little more from this. It didn't have a strong chicken (or anything else) flavor at all. It did have longer vermicelli pieces, which added a little touch of fun to the experience. I added brocco to this and it was an acceptable, if boring, dinner. At least this only requires water and butter (no milk) so it's convenient to make.






Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1$]
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Yellow Rice

I'm usually a huge proponent of all Knorr packets, but this one was just OK for me. In fact, though I recently had the Uncle Ben's chicken rice which I thought was sooo boring, I think this is even less desirable! The texture of it is good, it's nice and wet, which I like, but the taste is kind of funky. I'm not sure what exactly I find odd - maybe it's turmeric, or some sort of pepper, but I don't love it. This was certainly edible, and I did in fact ed it all up, but it's probably my least favorite Knorr rice pack yet! Woe! (I did like that the label was randomly Spanish/English bilingual though.)



Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1$]
Taste: 5/10

Knorr Pasta Sides - Parmesan

I am so shocked that I haven't reviewed this before! It's one of the holy trinity of tasty and accessible classic pasta sides (with garlic and cheddar brocco). I recently peeped this in the store and saw the noodles changed to be white only, which makes me very nervous, but hopefully Knorr isn't going through too many changes right now. I always get nostalgic about the Lipton Days, the Nacho Pasta days, the Knorr with Veggies days. But I see there are now "deluxe" pasta sides, which is interesting. I think that will be a review for another day.

Anyway, this is classic. The noodles are thin, so it cooks quickly, but not as fragile as the alfredo/butter/chicken noodles, I guess because of the thick spinach pasta? The taste is good, it's parmy and spinachy and creamy but not overwhelming in any way, and not as strong of a flavor as the garlic pasta. It's a good conduit for veg (frozen mixed veg, fresh spinach, brocco, you name it) and a nice side dish for chicken or pork. Just a simple classic, and you can find it easily.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [Usually 1.25 or so]
Taste: 8/10

Knorr Pasta Sides - Butter & Herb

Apparently my boyf used to have this as a kiddo, just like me! Except this is like, one of the most BORING pasta sides imaginable. Turns out it actually works as a side because eating all of it is a lot. But being Lipton/Knorr pasta side, of course it's still a good thing. Plus this one only needs water and butter, no milk, so it's very convenient. The noodles are those thin alfredo ones, so you have to be careful not to burn/overdo the cooking. On the other side, this can also end up quite soupy, so make sure you let it sit. The taste is indeed like butter and herb, the noodles are really soft, and it probably goes well with chicken and veg. A full meal if you will. On its own, not so impressive.

Overall
Cost: 8/10 (1$)
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Spanish Rice

My boyf gave me this rice because I was really hungry! Lucky me, because Knorr rice sides are the Knorr pasta sides of rice (well, duh). Not as good, but definitely filling (I ate it all, ha ha) and easy to cook. Just 10 minutes, a little water and oil, and you have a huge bowl of not too watery tomatoey rice, with a little bit of peppers but not much. A lot of the rice is that really long grained rice (vermicelli?) which made it look almost like spaghetti from a can, but it was not as gross as all that. Pretty standard, mostly filling, but satisfying enough.



Overall
Cost: 7/10 (Probably around 1-2$)
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Pasta Sides - Creamy Garlic Shells

This is a classic member of the Lipton noodle packet line! Like Parmesan and Cheddar Broccoli, it hasn't changed much over the last 10 years. Perhaps because it's a solid pasta side. It has a very strong flavor (creamy garlic is an accurate description), so I only crave it a few times a year, but it always hits the spot. This one actually IS good as a side, in small portions it is much more manageable. I like to throw in a few frozen broccos/cauliflowers to temper the extreme creamy garlic taste. It's very rich.




Overall:
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10

Knorr Chipotle Rosa Pasta Sides

Sigh. There used to be this amazing Lipton("knorr") pasta side called "nacho pasta". It was spicy and cheesy and beautiful, and I'm pretty sure I read at least 6 Harry Potter books the first time while eating it alone on the floor. weird food nostalgia. Anyway, those are gone now, and a few months ago, this came out -- and it looked super similar, so I was excited. Unfortunately it's nowhere near as good. It is still spicy, but maybe too spicy, or the flavor is a bit 'off' -- I can't put my finger on it, but it just isn't great. Eating a whole pot isn't even pleasant!! So that's the sad story. If I had never had nacho pasta, would I like this? I'm not sure. I think I would think it's "OK" every now and then, but nothing special. :(

Edit: somehow I'm drawn to this, especially with meat and asparagus or green beans. When cooking, smells kind of like a carnival, zoo, or fairground? Idk but I think it's a good thing.


Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10