Pasta Louigi Macaroni and Cheddar Supreme Dinner

Price: 27¢
Additives: 4 Tbps butter, 1/4 cup 2% milk
Synopsis: Sticky business

I was excited about Pasta Louigi because it seemed like a very grown-up version of macaroni & cheese. The word "pasta," the specification of "cheddar," and the wholesome-looking farmer on the box (whom I can only assume is Louigi himself) all indicated that this would be one classy box of noodles. And at less than half the price of a candy bar, how could I go wrong?

This time, I paid attention to the macaroni as it was boiling and cooked it to perfection. I added the milk and butter, stirred in the cheese powder (which was surprisingly fluorescent orange) and got ready for some seriously adult dinner.

Hm. I don't want to give this a thumbs-down, exactly, but I can't justify a thumbs-up either.

"Sticky" is the best adjective I can come up with to describe Pasta Louigi. I don't think there was one single separate piece of macaroni in the whole bowl. Everything clumped together in pasty lumps. I hate soupy mac & cheese, so this was fine by me. But the texture of the sauce was definitely off. I don't know how something can seem both sticky and grainy, but that's what this was like.

Don't get me wrong: The flavor was quite good. And I liked the noodles, which were smaller than most macaroni noodles. I did love the consistency. But the texture left a lot to be desired.

I'd recommend Pasta Louigi for anyone on an extreme budget who perhaps can't afford to pay 50 cents for a decent box of mac & cheese, or to anyone who really likes their cheese sauce to be thick. To everyone else, I'd say to skip this brand, dig another dime or two out of the couch, and splurge on something better.