I’ve shared my undying love of Fresh & Easy grocery stores before, and if you know me in real life, there’s a good chance I’ve tried to convert you in person, too. I’m so in love with the way they do things that I just can’t imagine not being a regular shopper! Especially in the last few weeks- since my morning sickness has been pretty severe {it’s starting to ease a bit now}, it’s been hard for me to cook anything. Whenever I start, the aromas are just too much & it makes me sick. So instead of cooking from scratch, I’ve been relying on the Kitchen To Go items from Fresh & Easy. They have everything from chicken enchiladas to cheese tortellini so I’m able to still make a variety of foods instead of just having cereal every night.
Without knowing this, Glam and Fresh & Easy tasked me with a pretty fun challenge: to make & taste-test one of their Kitchen to Go premade meals and a from-scratch, home-cooked version of the same food! They wanted to know how F&E stacked up- nothing beats a home-cooked meal, but would the Fresh & Easy meal be comparable enough in taste for me to be willing to save the time & money and choose it over from-scratch?
Round 1: Fresh & Easy Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Serves: 3
Directions:
-Do not remove film lid.
-Puncture film several times.
-Microwave on high {100%} for 4-5 minutes.
-Serve.
Cost: $6.99
Total time: 4-5 minutes
Round 2: 3-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
-12 jumbo pasta shells
-1 egg
-1 cup part-skim ricotta
-1/4 cup shredded parmesan
-1 cup reduced fat mozzarella
-1/3 cup chopped {fresh} parsley
-1/2 tsp oregano
-1/4 tsp basil
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
– 1 jar spaghetti sauce
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Cook & drain pasta shells according to package directions. Lay on a sheet of foil or wax paper.
-Mix egg, cheeses & spices in a medium bowl.
-Pour spaghetti sauce onto bottom of a 9×13 inch pan {with sides}.
-Fill each shell with mix and place gently into pan.
-Pour remaining sauce over shells.
-Bake for 35 minutes.
-Garnish with shredded parmesan & chopped parsley, if desired.
Cost: I had most of the ingredients at home already, which I feel is important to mention because most people will & that counts for the total. It ended up costing me about $11 for the cheeses, parsley & shells at another local grocery store. For all of the ingredients, it’d probably cost about $25, give or take, but would also leave some leftovers for future use {the garlic powder, basil, oregano, and cheeses at least}.
Total time: 60 minutes {25 minutes prep time, 35 minutes cook time}
So what’s the verdict?
My opinion:
They were both delicious. I liked how HUGE the shells were from the Fresh & Easy variety, as even my “jumbo shells” couldn’t compare in size, but taste wise it was a close call. I may have liked mine a tiny bit more because of the garlic powder & the ability to customize the amount of cheeses, meaning I could make it specifically for my palate. But the promise of saving 55 minutes & almost $20 {or $5 in my case, since I had almost everything} has me voting for the F&E shells for normal, weekday meals. The from-scratch shells are more likely to be a dinner I make when I need to impress guests or have more time to cook.
Justin’s opinion:
Justin felt like the filling tasted exactly the same, but did say that the F&E shells were a tiny bit more chewy. Not actually chewy, but just a bit more so since they weren’t just made on the stovetop half an hour prior. That said, he also voted for the F&E version due to the time & money savings and the basically non-existent difference in taste and quality.
For just over $2 a serving, you really can’t go wrong with the Fresh & Easy meal. While I’ve been using their Kitchen to Go meals to fill in for me while I’m too sick to cook, they also make for great weeknight meals for everyone! It’s much faster to microwave a pasta dish for 5 minutes than swing through the drive through, and since F&E doesn’t use any artificial colors, high fructose corn syrup or added trans fats, it’s much healthier, too.
If you live in California, Arizona or Nevada, I can not stress enough that I encourage you to check out Fresh & Easy! They’re the best thing to happen to grocery stores since shopping carts. &If you decide to head in, make sure you bring this $5 off $25 purchase coupon!
Sometimes you want ingredients. Sometimes you just want to eat. At Fresh & Easy, find freshly prepared meals that are ready to eat in minutes, delicious options that are ready to cook and even the raw ingredients you need to create your own recipes. Fresh & Easy makes grocery shopping easy with great food you can trust at prices you can afford and a small store to make it easy to get in, get out and get on with it.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fresh & Easy via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Fresh & Easy.
Marcie W. says
Would you believe I have lived here in Nevada my entire life and have never stepped inside a Fresh & Easy store. I certainly need to change that soon and I’m glad I know where to go if we’re in a dinner bind.
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
Mmm, I would either one! LOL it’s been so long!
Jennifer @ The Quirky Momma says
I know what I’m making for dinner tonight! SHELLS! Thanks for the inspiration.
Penelope says
Looks so yummy, I LOVE stuffed sheels!
Tammy says
For the cost difference, I would have gone with the pre-made ones, I like being in the kitchen but that is a significant enough difference that the time and effort on top of the cost makes the Fresh & Easy ones a no brainer!
Meghan @JaMonkey says
I’ve been wanting to make these!
Donna says
I so wish we had a Fresh & Easy near us!
Jenn- The Rebel Chick says
Oh how I love stuffed shells. So delish and easy to make. I’ve never been to a Fresh & Easy but I’ve heard they’re amazing to shop at.
Mellisa says
What delicious recipes, my kids would love this!
Rosey says
This is a taste test I could sink my teeth into gladly. 🙂
Colleen says
Oh my daughter would totally love these she loves Italian food.
Jenn says
Nom nom. I’ll take either!
Becca @ Mama B says
I LOVE stuffed shells!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
After a long day at work, these are the perfect meal to hustle up in a hurry. Sounds delicious too!
Robin Gagnon says
I can totally see something like stuffed shells being better to buy. I find stuffing the shells a pain in the butt, so I very rarely make them.
HilLesha says
This sounds like something I’d love. 🙂
Crystal @ Simply Being Mommy.com says
They both look tasty. I wish there was a Fresh & Easy near us.
Angela says
They both look like delicious meals! I’m always on the lookout for busy week night meals, and would love to try the fresh and easy options.
Lolo says
Fresh & Easy is my go to place for a quick dinner!
Toni says
MMM these look so good. I am all about quick versions.
Kathleen says
If the taste is that close to call, I would probably go with the short cut version. 🙂 I am not a huge fan of being in the kitchen.
Leilani says
How funny! I just tried the F&Easy Ricotta Stuffed Shells the other day and we LOVED them!
Ty @ Mama of 3 Munchkins says
This looks really good!
Lisa says
That looks so good. I’m going to have to try it!
Beeb says
Boy, they both look so good! I’m with you, these days I would lean towards the really fast solution!
Anne - Mommy Has to Work says
I love stuffed shells! Yumm!
Anne says
Interesting comparison. I do like to have a quick-fix option on hand; for me, it’s usually frozen ravioli. You remind me that I haven’t made stuffed shells in too long. Thanks!
nicole dz says
Cheesy stuffed shells, yum! My kids love there cheese. Great quick way to make them too! Love this!