Purchased at: Aldi
9 oz., two sandwiches
290 calories per sandwich
Early on after my diagnosis, I went through a phase where I bought any food that said it was gluten free whether it was something I would regularly eat or not. That is how I ended up with these frozen stuffed sandwiches that are similar to what I remember Hot Pockets being. (It’s been a long time since I had a Hot Pocket.)
I bought two flavors of these stuffed sandwiches: Spinach, Artichoke & Kale and Southwest Veggie. I tried the spinach, artichoke version a few months ago, and was not impressed. So, it was with hesitation that I tried the southwest veggie version.
There are instructions for either microwaving or baking in an oven. Since there are two sandwiches in a package, I prepared one each way.
Microwaving was fast – 2 min. (A little longer for a low wattage microwave like mine.) Then you let the sandwich sit for 2 min. before eating.
Baking takes 30 min., and again a 2 min. wait until eating. It browned a little bit.
The crust has a cornbread taste to it, though there is little cornmeal in it. It easily cuts with a fork.
It was filled with black beans, brown rice, veggies and salsa. It’s tasty and has a little bit of spice to it. It wasn’t bad!
It didn’t make much difference whether it was microwaved or baked, though the baked one was brown and the crust was a little crisper. The texture was pretty much the same.
There are a ton of ingredients in this product. I recognize most of them, though there are more chemical-sounding things than I like.
CONCLUSION
Though this is not the type of thing I would normally eat, the Southwest Veggie flavor is not bad. From what I remember of the Spinach, Artichoke & Kale, I didn’t like it. (I still have one in the freezer.)
Microwaving is convenient and does not negatively affect the flavor. Baking takes a long time for what I would consider to be a “convenience” food.
There are a lot of calories in one sandwich, and though one is considered a serving, I don’t know many people who would think one was enough food.
If you like Hot Pockets and other frozen convenience foods, you might like these. If that is not your style, I would suggest skipping these.
