Vegetarian Entrées

Recent Vegetarian Entrée Reviews

Mountain House Macaroni & Cheese

Utterly awful. Nothing redeeming about this. I knew going into this that the MH Mac & Cheese was widely reviled, but since I snagged four MH meals from Amazon for a grand total of $20, and since this was in the bundle, I figured I'd try it, first, just to be certain. I regret having done so.There's just nothing positive I can say about this product. It is horrible. 0/10 would recommend avoiding it entirely, unless you are literally on the verge of starvation. I was hoping that it might be salvageable… Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Kathmandu Curry

A long-time favorite, in spite of a few little issues. I've been toting this out into the woods for a few years now, and am happy to continue doing so. It is exactly what a freeze-dried backpacking meal should be: quick, simple, and tasty. Nutrition:The full bag provides 670 calories—plenty of fuel for the next day's hike. It has a pretty big whack of sodium—2290mg or 100% r.d.a.; not a problem if you've been sweating all of that sort of thing out of your system over the course of the day, and… Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Pad Thai

Not your grandmother's pad thai, and that's just fine. A solid vegan/vegetarian offering of a traditional pad thai with protein provided by a strong helping of peanut products. I've had Backpacker's Pad Thai with Chicken in the past, as well as countless restaurant offerings ranging from fancy to food truck. This compares pretty favorably. Not exactly high end, but far from a poor example of the genre. Rice noodles chopped up short enough to be easily retrieved with a long-handled spoon, good sauce… Full review

Firepot Mac'n'Greens

A really tasty vegan entree, with just a few minor drawbacks. All right. First things first. I know the packaging says *nothing* about cheese. Anywhere. Not once. Not on the front. Not in the ingredient list. I read the package, front to back, multiple times. And yet when I picked it out of the test-box yesterday, my hindbrain still said, "Ooh! Mac 'n' cheese! That will hit the spot!" Of course, there is no cheese. Explicitly, no cheese. Oh, the wonders of the human brain. Nutrition: Nicely low-sodium… Full review

Peak Refuel Butternut Dal Bhat

A lovely, creamy, curry-spiced freeze-dried meal. Back to the winter proving grounds for another test run of a freeze-dried meal.  This one, like the previous review, is another dal bhat. A wee reminder: bhat is a rice soup, and dal is a relative of the humble lentil.   So this, this is called a dal bhat, but it's not actually a dal bhat. See, it's got no dal. It does have rice, and lentils, and chickpeas, and chunks of butternut squash. Given the coconut milk curry sauce and the squash and the… Full review

Firepot Dal and Rice with Spinach

A traditional Himalayan offering from a small British company. Low-fat, low-sodium, vegan. I've had this sitting in my food box since before the pandemic. I don't know if I bought it or if it was gifted to me. It certainly looks interesting, though. I've had dal bhat before, albeit a cream-sauce-based variety—which is, apparently, not entirely traditional?  So, "dal" is a legume akin to a lentil. And "bhat" is rice. While these British fellows don't call this meal "dal bhat," dal bhat is essentially… Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Hatch Green Chili Mac & Cheese

Much like their Three Cheese Mac & Cheese, this offering from Backpacker's Pantry is just a little weak. A word on flavor: "Yes."  A generous portion of hatch green chiles give this meal a solid spice-level, making for a pleasant mid-dayhike meal. The single-serving portion guaranteed no loginess, but left me a bit hungry before the hike was finished. I reckon this makes it the perfect size for a shared side-dish at the end of a long day of backpacking, or for those with smaller appetites. But… Full review

Backpacker's Pantry Three Cheese Mac & Cheese

Nothing special, sadly. Remember the old lady from the Wendy's commercials back in the '80s?  Allow me to refresh your memory, with a bit of alteration for context. "WHERE'S THE CHEESE?" This is called Mac & Cheese, and there was cheese (and mac), but....  I expect better from Backpacker's Pantry. I expect more from anything calling itself "Mac & Cheese." I don't expect nearly 100% of the r.d.a. of sodium from a relatively small portion of relatively bland pasta and dairy. This wasn't… Full review

Stowaway Gourmet Chana Masala

A lovely, creamy break from the usual salt-bombs. Another solid meal from a relatively new company, Stowaway Gourmet's Chana Masala is a pretty darn tasty dish. It is perhaps a little on the small size for an end-of-day backpacking meal, but it is just the right size for a midday meal on a long day hike. I added an extra quarter cup of water and an extra five minutes of rehydration time based on the usual requirements of rice—it was not necessary. This may have contributed to a perceived mildness… Full review