For someone who loves food as much as I do, I consider it a sin to have never visited New Orleans, a city so near with so much culinary fame. For a time I considered going to college there, even had two offers (one full-paid) from universities in the Big Easy, but I chose instead to stay closer to home at the good ol’ U of A. I don’t regret that decision, but I do regret that my only experience of this fine city’s exceptional cuisine has been secondhand. So, on that note, on with the review:

Zatarain’s New Orleans style blackened chicken alfredo (seasoned grilled chicken and penne pasta in a zesty, creamy cheese sauce).
The Price: $2.83
The Prep: 6 minutes microwaved (oven cooking optional)
The Dish: I’ve had the boxed dry varieties of Zatarain’s before and have been pleased with what they produce. But that’s in large part due to adding sausage or shrimp or whatever to their boxed gumbo or jumbalaya. I have to admit curiosity as to how they’d fare with a whole prepackaged meal.
In stirring the dish halfway through cooking, I worried the box directions for another 3 minutes were going to burn it, as it seemed plenty warm already. Hard, burnt noodles do not make for a good pasta experience. They actually came out quite the contrary – totally soft and, I’m sorry to say, even a little mushy. I was also a little disappointed in the amount of chicken in the pasta, as it wasn’t nearly enough to go around. Worse still, the chicken that was there wasn’t consistent. Some bites were as spicy as advertised, but others were totally bland, like something out of a can. Thankfully, they got a little help from the sauce, which was both plentiful and flavorful, though I’m not sure I’d call it alfredo. Cheesy and rich, yes, but lighter on the garlic than I would have preferred. Still, I’m pleased to say the meal was satisfying despite its flaws, and there was enough there to keep me content.
The Consequences: At 500 calories, this was more than what is recommended for a TV dinner, especially since almost half of them (220) are from fat. The total fat (25g, including 10g of saturated fat) was also high, but the good news is none of it was trans fat. The dish also had far more sodium than nutritionists advise (1320mg when 500mg should be the target, 800mg the limit) and was low in fiber (2g). It did have an acceptable amount of sugars (10g) and lots of protein (23g), but I’m not sure that’s enough to qualify it as healthy, even by TV dinner standards.
Rating: 2.5 TV Trays (out of 5) because there was enough foundation for a good meal at great price, but it came out only average.