Hey everyone!
I got my carbonara yesterday I had a bowl straight away, just tucking into my second bowl for today’s lunch and wanted to share my thoughts.
Firstly, my hopes were high for this one, as its one I’ve requested and I’m a massive carbonara fan. Obviously I wasn’t expecting it to be the same as when bought in an Italian restaurant, but regardless I was excited.
First impressions
When you first get the bag, it’s likely going to need a really really good shake. My first shaken wasn’t enough, all my pasta was at the top, but on shaking at all angles for a good 20 seconds there’s a nice balance of pasta to sauce powder and vegan bacon.
The smell is nice and creamy, I did wonder if it would be heavy on the vegan cheese smell / taste, which would put my partner off, but he agreed it smelled good.
Cooking
When cooking I found it needed quite a bit more water than other h&s options, personally I like to add enough water that it’s like soup and then microwave until cooked and a nice consistency so this might be different depending how it’s cooked, but the amount of pasta in there is likely what soaks up most of the moisture.
The consistency of the sauce once cooked is beautifully creamy and smooth, and it isn’t at all skimpy on the pasta which is great.
Taste & Texture
The taste and texture of the carbonara is extremely creamy, with just a hint of vegan cheese flavour, but not enough to stop my vegan cheese averse partner from demolishing a bowl just now!
The vegan bacon is delicious too, the flavour reminds me a lot of bacon bits (those little crunchy bacon flavoured things if you know what I mean) a little salty, a little smoky and overall really tasty. Texture wise it reminds me a lot of a thick cut ham.
The Verdict
What can I say, I love it. I did find it needed a little salt and pepper, and today I did also add a small pinch of msg to bring out some of the flavours, but that’s just my personal preference and I tend to add a little seasoning to all my h&s.
Overall I think this is going to take the top spot as my favourite h&s yet. I was a little worried it might not keep me as full as the others due to the amount of pasta in a serving but honestly I’ve had no problems other than wanting a second bowl because I enjoy it so much.
My only regret is that I only ordered one bag!
Hope you’re all doing well!
Aura
Ps. Thanks @JamesM_Huel for the Christmas wish come true!
