Lean Cuisine Review #2: Cheddar Potatoes With Broccoli

Roasted potato wedges with tender broccoli tossed in a rich and creamy cheddar cheese sauce.


I'm pretty sure Lean Cuisine makes standalone side dishes, but I don't think this was intended to be one. I mean, it has just as many calories as a typical LC meal (and an even higher amount of sodium thanks to the cheddar cheese sauce), but maybe I was just missing something. Perhaps there was something more than just broccoli and potatoes in this "meal."

The cheese just kinda sat on top in
a big puddle

Now, don't get me wrong, potatoes are my favorite vegetable by far, and they're the most versatile foodstuff this side of corn, and broccoli is perhaps my second-favorite vegetable, with me eating literally a head of it in a sitting. The thing is, only one of these vegetables freeze well, and it's not the tater. The starch prevents things from resurrecting very well, and the crisp, tender potato I envisioned in my head prior to my first bite was nothing like the mushy brown cubes waiting in my tray. Some green vegetables, like peas, are just as good frozen as they are fresh, and others are good enough, and I think broccoli falls into the latter category - it's not the same as fresh stalks, but when I'm intending to eat an entire bag of it, I don't mind all that much.

The cheddar cheese was the exact same rubbery, vaguely-nachoish cheese that are found in many dinners and vegetable packs showcasing the stuff, and served only as a means by which to cover up the failings of the vegetables. Honestly, though, I would have been much happier just eating the potatoes and broccoli with a little salt, knocking the calorie count down by 100 or so, and feeling free to open up another LC, treating this "meal" as the side dish it really is. Even worse is that this "meal" isn't even really difficult to make. It's, like, really easy. Why did I pay $2.50 for this "simple favorite"? Why do I keep using so many quotes? Who am I? How did I get here, and why am I still so hungry?