Product Review: Knorr Lipton Pasta Sides - Cheddar Broccoli

When you spend all day working, you probably don't want to come home and cook, right? It's nice to know that there are convenience foods, such as Knorr-Lipton Sides, that allow you to make a delicious side dish without all of the hassle.

I have bought and tried most of the sides that Knorr-Lipton has to offer. They have a vast variety of Pasta Sides, including as Alfredo, Butter, Creamy Chicken, Stroganoff and of course, Cheddar Broccoli, which is my favorite variety of them all. Knorr-Lipton also has other varieties like Whole Grains, Italian Sides, Asian Sides, Rice Sides and more.

For about $1.25 per packet, depending on where you live, you get everything you need to make delicious Cheddar Broccoli pasta, which is a spiral pasta with little pieces of broccoli in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce. Knorr-Lipton Sides are often on sale at my local Giant Eagle, for $1.00. I stock up on them when they are on sale. Usually, I can find coupons in my Sunday paper for $.60 off of 2 packets. Combining coupons (which are doubled to 99 cents at my Giant Eagle) with the sale price, I could get 2 packets of any variety I'd like, for about 80 cents! You really can't beat that price.

To prepare the Cheddar Broccoli side, you will need 1 and 1/2 cups of water, 1/2 cup of milk, and 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine if you'd like - it's optional, but I think it tastes better if you do add butter. You bring those ingredients to a boil, then stir in the contents of the packet. Keep boiling until the pasta is tender, and the liquid starts to evaporate. The total cooking time is about 10 minutes, then you let the pasta sit for about 2 minutes while the remaining liquid evaporates and the sauce gets thick. In 12 minutes, you have a fast, easy side dish and it can't get any easier than that. You can also follow the microwave directions on the back of the package if you'd rather use the microwave. I've tried this method, and personally, it's much better to cook on the stove.

This may not be the most nutritional side dish you've prepared, with a total fat of 15% when prepared, and 330 calories per 1 cup serving when prepared. The trick is just to limit your portions. If you are really concerned about your weight and are on a strict diet, this may not be the right side dish option for you. Here are the nutrition facts for Cheddar Broccoli, 1 cup prepared (2 servings per packet)

Calories - 330
Calories From Fat - 90
Total Fat - 15%
Saturated Fat - 18%
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 5%
Sodium - 36%
Total Carbohydrate - 17%
Dietary Fiber - 8%
Sugars - 6 grams
Protein - 10 grams

Vitamin A - 8%
Vitamin C - 15%
Calcium - 15%
Iron - 10%
Thiamin - 35%
Riboflavin - 20%
Niacin - 20%
Folic Acid - 30%

(nutrition facts can be found on the back of the packet)

You can also make an entire meal with Cheddar Broccoli Sides. Chicken breasts go great with it. I also found some delicious recipes from www.liptonfavorites.com that you can try with any variety of Sides.

I would recommend trying this variety of Knorr-Lipton Sides, it's so easy to make. If you are pleased with the Cheddar Broccoli, try the other varieties. Others that I like are Tomato Parmesan Italian Sides, Parmesan Pasta Sides, Taco Rice Fiesta Sides, Mushroom Rice Sides and Rice Medley Rice Sides. Look in your Sunday paper for coupons for this product.