Ziti & Meat Sauce by evol
Evol's Ziti and Meat Sauce reminds me of a similar dish I used to make that we called (perhaps erroneously), "goulash." It is a satisfying and oh so comforting combination of pasta, tomato sauce, beef and cheese. I remember making it in large quantities thinking I was being smart by freezing the leftovers. Except, I always seem to forget about the leftovers or when I do remember, they are hopelessly freezer burned! Although I am a pretty organized person, I haven't conquered the "what is in the freezer" challenge. I see a spreadsheet of freezer contents and some sort of vacuum sealer coming to my household soon! Or not!
The Ziti and Meat Sauce by evol ( yes, that is "love" backwards), is delightfully satisfying. It reminds me of the scene in Ratatouille where Ego the food critic was served ratatouille at Gusto's restaurant. I was transported back, just as Ego was, to a simpler time when I lived with my parents and would prepare goulash for the family. Awww! Alas, Evol is a lot better at packaging food for freezer storage than I am at freezing leftovers.
The dish is nicely balanced with ziti pasta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, beef crumbles that you can actually taste and a tomato sauce with basil and garlic. It packs a whopping 21 grams of protein in the single serve portion, but I usually split the portion for lunch and add an Italian salad on the side. It is also a great option for kids when you are going out and are not sure of the baby sitter's cooking abilities. Just add some fresh fruit or veggies.
It takes 3.5 minutes to heat in the microwave and 1 minute to rest afterwards. If you overheat it, it will get dry so check the wattage on your microwave. Evol's instructions of 3.5 minutes heating time is based on an 1100-watt microwave. My microwave has a higher wattage, so I don't heat mine for as long. Know your watts! The microwave wattage can usually be found on the inside door panel.
Evol is a national brand that takes pride in using quality ingredients without antibiotics or hormones. You should be able to find the Ziti & Meat Sauce in the frozen food section of your local grocery store for about $3.50.
Your grocery list:
- Ziti and Meat Sauce by evol
- Bagged Italian Salad
- Fresh fruit or veggies
