***This post has been sponsored by Beyond Meat.***
Our family is a family of meat eaters. Finding good filling meals that they enjoy and that give them enough protein without meat can be a challenge but we like to eat meatless occasionally. I also know I have some readers who don’t eat meat, so when I was asked to try Beyond Meat, I said ‘Why not?’. I was in the mood for homemade macaroni and cheese and decided to change it up a little bit with Beyond Meat. Oh, and before I forget…we have a giveaway at the bottom of the page.
About Beyond Meat
Beyond Meat believes there is a better way to feed people that doesn’t involve meat proteins. Their goal is to replace animal proteins with sustainable plant proteins that conserve our natural resources, care for animals, care for humans’ health, and make a positive impact on climate change. While our family is not likely to go completely vegetarian anytime soon we have been cutting back on meat while trying to find other tasty products to replace it with.
Many meatless options on the market are made with soy. Soy is not my favorite product so I checked the ingredients on Beyond Meat products first to ensure I would be happy with feeding it to my family. Why try something I don’t want to give them on a regular basis? I was very happy to see that not only was it devoid of soy, but it is made with non-GMO pea protein and is gluten-free and kosher also. Beyond Meat has 10g of protein (just like hamburger) and added benefits are that it has no cholesterol and no saturated or trans fats.
Beyond Meat realized that one of the biggest challenges would be to replicate that “meat” texture, and who’s tried meat replacements? You know that’s one thing that can be harder to find. First they looked at the make up of meat – amino acids, fats, trace carbohydrates, minerals, and of course, water. Now that they had the make up of meat, they needed to find just the right process to take these “ingredients” from plants and combine the right heating, cooling, and pressure to produce that satisfying taste and texture we associate with meat.
With the lack of “not good for you stuff” in it, the true question is, “Does it taste any good?” The result was a resounding yes from even the pickiest child, with all 3 having seconds. I’m not sure where my 6 year old packed all that food but I think she ate the most.
We had two options (both 11 oz. packages for $5.99 each) – Beefy, with hints of garlic and citrus, or Feisty, which has a bit of spice to it. We love our spice so I purchased Feisty Beef Combos. Of course a kick of spice is always good with rich creamy homemade macaroni and cheese. Before you look all over the store for it I found it in the frozen foods department at Whole Foods, with Meatless Entrees. You can find the closest store that carries it here.
Our Thoughts?
Everybody loved it.
The kids had no idea it wasn’t real meat.
It tasted kind of like the “real” bacon bits.
We’ll make it again.
The Recipe
Print#BeyondMeat: Beefy Macaroni and Cheese Without the Beef
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1–11 oz. package Feisty Beyond Meat,
- 1–16 ounce box of pasta
- 12 ounces shredded cheddar
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare pasta per back of box.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare Beyond Meat per frying directions on bag.
- In large saute pan, melt butter.
- Add flour, salt, and pepper to butter, and heat until bubbly.
- Add milk to flour and butter mixture a little at a time until all milk as added.
- Stir constantly over medium heat, until thick.
- Add cheese and stir in until melted.
- Mix in pasta.
- Top with Beyond Meat and serve.
Giveaway
Giveaway: EVERYONE who enters will receive a FREE Beyond Meat Coupon! 5 people will get Beyond Meat SWAG kits including t-shirts, hats and coupons for Beyond Meat, and 1 Person Gets: a SWAG kit plus a $100 gift card to a Beyond Meat Retail Partner of their choosing.
We LOVE to hear stories of families that traditionally don’t eat plant-based enjoying our products Heather and it’s even better when the meals using our products are KID APPROVED!
Love how quick and easy this meal was and the photos are just as delicious looking as the meals themselves. Thanks so much for sharing this review with your fans and we can’t wait to share more of your great tasting adventures with our fans too!
Thank you so much for stopping by! Love your product and so glad to get to share a newfound product.