Lean Cuisine Margherita Pizza

This was all I had to eat today and it was so not enough; I feel like my stomach is eating itself but my parents are here judging me so I can't eat anything else. Therefore I don't recommend this. But it was super quick to cook, the cheese did manage to melt fully, and I don't have any heartburn (so far), so that's good. It didn't crisp up at all, so really we're looking at a bit of soggy cheesy bread with bits of tomato, which could surely be worse but was a bit lacking in flavor (no basil or real mozzo flavor). Also, mine was square and the picture is round, so that's a bit odd. This was on sale, so maybe they're about to change it up. I hope so, because some of LC's other pizzas aren't too bad.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Lean Cuisine Tuscan-Style Vegetable Lasagna

I was excited for this because I love lasagna and also veggies. But this was quite bad. It wasn't an offensive taste, per se, it was just no taste. Tasted like wet nothing. There were no distinctive flavors, from the sauce to the veg to the cheese. Just food product. At least it was low-calorie nothing with veg in it, so things could be worse, but I'd rather have a salad.




Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 4/10

Lean Cuisine Comfort - Roasted Turkey Breast

Normally I wouldn't bother to specify the `subtype' of Lean Cuisine we're talking about, but it seems I've already reviewed a "Roasted Turkey Breast" with different sides from LC. In the end, frozen turkey meals are all pretty similar, but this one has the bonus extra of containing a sweet apple compote! The apples are sticky and sweet, like the inside of an apple pie. I expected them to have more 'goo' but I guess it wasn't really needed. The turkey part was also fine - and there was the goo I was looking for; there's plenty of watery gravy in this pocket. The gravy is quite mild/neutral, as is the dressing, which varied between soft and crunchy without much flavor (just bread and celery). The turkey tasted fresh. Overall this is a sturdy little meal, especially for ~260 calories, although it could use some potatoes, corn, and a roll to really elevate it.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (On sale for 2$)
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Chicken, Artichoke, and Spinach Panini

This is pretty good. The downside -- it's a big soggy (i don't know WHAT the 'special crisping tray' is doing...) and it's a bit small. I mean, this is a tiny sandwich. Makes you think "What am I doing, buying this?!". But, it does taste good. A good amount of chicken and cheese, and the artichoke doesn't taste gross like artichoke sometimes does. I might get again if it's on sale. Plus, it cooks really quickly!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Lean Cuisine Sweet and Spicy Ginger Chicken

This is a pretty good lean cuisine! It was filling and tasty. I'll definitely get it again! It's got thick udon noodles (very al dente), decent chicken pieces, and little broccos and waterchestnuts. The sauce is pretty sweet and gingery, maybe a bit too much, but since it's a smaller meal it's all right. Overall a good crisp flavor and a satisfying meal.

Overall
Taste: 8/10
Cost: 6/10

Lean Cuisine Traditional Pepperoni Pizza

Laura says:


To be fair, I like most microwaveable pizzas more than other people seem to like them. The flavor's pretty good and the pizza isn't too tiny. I like that the crust is fluffier than it is crispy so it feels bigger than most frozen personal pizzas. The pepperoni is kind of lacking in flavor, but the sauce of the pizza is what I think I really like, flavor-wise. 7/10

Lean Cuisine Meatloaf and Whipped Potatoes

Laura says:

I really like this frozen meal, actually. The meatloaf tastes very vegetable-y in a way that's actually good, like it's more related to spaghetti sauce than a traditional meatloaf. The potatoes are just alright but since the meatloaf taste is good enough you can kind of eat it all together and it all tastes better as a result. I'm not sure the difference between potatoes being whipped or mashed so these potatoes just tasted like standard frozen-meal mashed potatoes. It's one of the more filling Lean Cuisines since usually they leave me kind of hungry afterward, so if you're looking for more of a meal this meatloaf one is at the top of my list. 7/10

Lean Cuisine - BBQ Chicken Pizza (wood fire style!)

This is a weird pizza! It's good in that it's quite different from other frozen foods. In fact, it doesn't even taste like a frozen pizza. It's got BBQ sauce for sauce, which I actually really like! And the chicken is good. But the onions and the cheese -- although not necessarily bad -- really don't do it for me. The cheese is typical frozenpizzacheese I guess, and the onions just aren't what I want to be eating on this pizza. But it is interesting!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Lean Cuisine - Southwest Style Chicken Panini

So here's the deal -- I ate this in a rush yesterday, and now I remember absolutely nothing about it except that it was very hot and I wanted to eat it quicker. I think it tasted fine; pretty good even, but nothing worth buying because it's just one tiny soggy sandwich!!! The flavor is good but I need more. So much more.

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Chicken with Lasagna Rollatini

What's a rollatini? Who knows. This says it's a new recipe, and it has a new name and everything, but it tastes the same as it ever has to me. Anyway, this is 2 highly-processed thin chicken patties in marinara sauce, and a little rectangle of lasagna (2 noodles, more marinara, and some dubious cheese paste) in sauce. It's definitely not terrible, but the overall quality just appears so low - of all the lean cuisines, this one feels the most like a cheap-o processed freeze-dried food to me. Nevertheless I totally ate it all; the flavor is decent even if the quality isn't. Plus, it's like 2 main dishes almost, so it's fairly filling.
There wasn't a delicious rewards code (the lean cuisine rewards program) in the box though, which I count as a negative!

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli

Another new lean cuisine! Mushroom ravioli - this one was pretty good, probably my favorite of the new batch. There's about 5 ravioli, in a peppery cheese sauce which is pretty good as well. The inside of the ravioli is a mushroomy paste - I don't love it, but it's all right. The sauce is quite good and overall it's something new and pleasant to eat. I probably will buy it again! Especially since it's vegetarian.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Lean Cuisine - Ranchero Braised Beef

Another new lean cuisine variety! This one was pretty good, but as usual, nothing earth-shattering. I really like the potatoes, although the chipotle flavor is kind of a negative thing -- I like the "plain" sweet potatoes of the turkey lean cuisine a bit better. They're still really good here though. The beef is OK, but it isn't great...the bits of onion floating around are gross in flavor and texture, and the sauce is at best average, and a little too sweet. The meat itself is pretty good if you don't get too much sauce on it!


Overall
Taste: 7/10
Cost: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Chile Lime Chicken

This is a NEW! Chef's Pick, so I had to buy it. I had a feeling it would taste a bit like the chicken enchilada suiza which I know so well, and I was pretty close. The rice/corn mixture is light and fresh and tastes a lot like the Suiza's rice. The chicken in "chile lime sauce" was...okay. It was pretty generic, and the sauce didn't really stand out. The chicken was a fine texture and everything, but the flavor just wasn't very snappy/comforting/interesting so I probably won't get this again. It was filling and pleasant and fairly healthy, though.

Overall
Taste: 6/10
Cost: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Cheese Ravioli

I always tell myself when I eat this that I don't like the sauce and that this meal is way too small. The sauce is super sweet, and there are 5-6 raviolis included. Yet I've bought this one too many times to count!! I guess it's a dependable meal, and who doesn't like cheese ravioli? I mean, c'mon. The sauce isn't that bad once you start eating it, and ravioli are just fun to eat. So I persist.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Roasted Turkey Breast

This whole "extra-large(r)" lean cuisine, but no funny crumbly dessert? A lean-cuisine disappointment. Just the no-dessert policy, I mean. The rest of the meal was fine. The green beans were good, and the 2 dried cranberries were good as well. The mashed potatoes/gravy was above-average, and the stuffing was a little below average. The turkey was good. This was pretty filling for a lean cuisine, but nothing earth-shattering. Just a solid meal.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Fiesta Grilled Chicken

Disclaimer: this has black and pinto beans in it, but I just avoiding eating them and it was fine. Anyway, this is some chicken, rice, and corn in a nice creamy cheese sauce. The same sauce, infact, in the chicken enchilada suiza! And I do love that sauce. The chicken/rice and corn are all fine as well, but nothing special. The sauce really makes this, though, so I like it very much. It's also pretty filling for a lean cuisine, even with me avoiding 1/5 of it because of beans. I wish there were more sauce, in fact.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Traditional Deluxe Pizza

If you've ever had a frozen pizza, that is what this tastes like. Pretty darn generic! It's not huge, but it's not too small to be a filling meal. The toppings and crust are good, the cheese and sauce are "eh". I would buy this again.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Spaghetti with Meatballs

This is very similar to the "spaghetti with meat sauce" lean cuisine, except instead of mushrooms, the sauce features exactly 5 meatballs. The pasta is fine- kind of thin and sticky, but it tastes good. The sauce is fine too. So why do I dislike this meal so much when compared to the meat sauce one? spoiler alert: i think it's because I'm allergic to the meatballs. They have soy protein galore in them, so if you too are sensitive to soy protein then I don't recommend this. Also the meatballs don't taste very good anyway in my opinion. But I could only eat 2 of them. I bet some people (Laura maybe) would like this meal fine, though.

Overall:
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 4/10

Lean Cuisine - Herb Roasted Chicken

This was surprisingly good! Allergy warning- it did make me a little itchy afterwards though. Something about processed chicken, I guess. But even still, I'll probably end up buying this again. It just feels like a good, healthy meal. The broccoli and potatoes are crisp and fresh, the chicken is obviously processed but it still tastes good with the mushrooms and sauce, and it's only 170 calories! (OK I don't really pay attention to calories usually but that seems a very small number for the amount of enjoyment I get out of this meal). So yeah, it's a good one!

Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Lean Cuisine - Three Meat Pizza

I know what you're thinking -- THREE meat? I'm thinking that too, because I certainly didn't taste any ground beef, and I'm glad! I hate ground beef! Anyway, the sausage and ronis were fine, and the cheese and sauce were average, but the crust is really buttery and nice. Maybe I was just in a lean-cuisine-pizza mood, but this hit the spot. Yum.

Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10