Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Pastariso Mac Uncheddar: vegan, gluten-free mac and cheese for the masses

I've been on a bit of a mac and cheese binge lately, so when Pastariso (a division of Maplegrove Gluten Free Foods) offered to send me a sample of their new, gluten-free, Vegan Mac Uncheddar, I did not hesitate to say, "Yes, please!"


Non-GMO and certified gluten-free, Pastariso describes their lactose free/ dairy free/ gluten free/ soy free product as "authentically cheesy, without the cheese!"


As an ethical vegan, I don't make it a habit of reading nutritional labels. But even after all of these years I still can't stop myself from reading ingredients listings on products I already know to be vegan. In the Mac Uncheddar is something called "fructooligosaccharides," which I couldn't help but to Google. I can't possibly paraphrase, so I'll at least save you the trouble by linking you to this and this. Kinda cool!


The noodle was identifiably gluten-free in that it's texture mimicked al dente semolina. The cheese flavor was mild and I was pleasantly surprised by the significant creaminess of the finished product. It was as rich as any mac, so paired well with my side of vegetables and hot sauce.


Even this gluttonous (not to be confused with glutenous, but that too) nerd was a fan of the whole shebang.

13 comments:

  1. I dunno. I am pretty sure if I tried making it, it wouldnt look or taste as good as you depict.

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    1. It's so easy! You just need a stalking dog for photos.

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  2. Looks pretty cheezy to me. The string beans actually look like the noodles too.

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    1. I know! Total bummer. They were frozen, not fresh :-(

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  3. Yum, looks awesome. 10/10 would eat! Also amusingly I had to google that exact same word (I'm not typing it out again!!) a couple of weeks ago when I saw it on an ingredient label for the first time.

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    1. I have to admit, I was prepared for the worst. What a cool word, though!

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  4. Oh go on then, I'll have a plateful. With lots of hot sauce. And a quick google!

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  5. I don't get it. What is the cheesey flavor?? I don't see nutritional yeast or any nuts- does corn starch and paprika really taste cheesey..?
    Ttrockwood

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  6. Fructooligosaccharides is something I haven't seen on a label, yet. I assume it was used as a sweetener. Interesting. I have the same question as Unknown about the cheesy flavor. Could you tell where it came from?

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  7. I did try this one at expo! interesting that there's pea protein in it! and i've never seen the word fructooligosaccharides before haha

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