Kraft Whole Grain Macaroni & Cheese Original Flavor Dinner Review

Recently I bought a box of Kraft Whole Grain Macaroni & Cheese Original Flavor Dinner  for review.  Yes, I’ve eaten perhaps more than my share of the original Kraft mac-and-cheese dinner through the decades, and so, have a good idea of what cheese-flavored pasta-based products like this one ought to taste like.

I find this healthier form of near-instant macaroni and cheese filling and great tasting (if I eat the whole box).  The Kraft cheese flavor, in my early life, set the standard by which all other macaroni and cheese products are measured.  The use of whole grain macaroni by no means lessened the satisfying cheesy flavor of this product, and may in fact, make this product more filling.

 

Benefits, Pros, Advantages, and Features

  • I love that manufacturers are incorporating whole grains into more mainstay products like Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner.
  • The cooking instructions for this original flavored Kraft whole grain mac and cheese dinner are straight forward, and though they suggest that certain brands of margarine be used, just about any good-tasting margarine does nicely.  I’ve tried it with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” and Shedd’s Spread.  Both tasted fine.
  • At roughly $1.38 per box, whole grain macaroni and cheese is still a fairly cheap yet tasty meal.  However, the whole grain version is significantly more expensive than the original product by roughly sixty cents.
  • Still, the extra cost notwithstanding, you might wish to stock up.  In fact, this Kraft whole grain product keeps for many months on the shelf so long as you keep it cool and dry.  So, yes, this macaroni and cheese dinner product is great to stock pile.
  • Kraft Whole Grain Macaroni & Cheese Dinner contains 260 calories per serving out of the box; somewhat more when prepared with an additional two or three slices of fresh cheese that I also add occasionally.  Still, for the high degree of great flavor found in this whole grain product, this calorie count seems relatively small.
  • Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner products are easily found in most grocery stores big or small.
  • Clean-up of the colander and pot used to prepare this Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner is simple so long as you immediately wash off the macaroni water from all utensils.  But, even failing this, just let the cookware soak for five to ten  minutes.  This step softens any dried-on pasta mess and makes wiping it off a breeze.

 

Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, Concerns, and Improvement Suggestions

  • Indeed, this is a highly processed food in my opinion, in spite of the presence of the whole grains in the pasta.  The list on the box of man-engineered ingredients is rather long.  Most of these are contained in the cheese flavoring packet.
  • Though this product touts that it is whole grain, it also says that it consists of only fifty percent whole grain.  So it’s not as whole-grain a product as it could be.
  • This Kraft product also contains enriched flour as a prime ingredient.  They might consider switching to all whole-grain flours; thus eliminating the need for enrichment with vitamins.
  • This whole-grain macaroni and cheese product contains significant amounts of sodium per serving (590 milligrams).  So those of you watching your blood pressure should eat this product sparingly.

 

Ingredients

Enriched pasta product (whole wheat flour, durum wheat flour, niacin, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), ferrous sulphate (iron)).  Cheese sauce mix (whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate.  Contains less than 2% of citric acid, lactic acid, sodium phosphate, calcium phosphate, yellow 5, yellow 6, enzymes, cheese culture).

Contains: wheat, milk.

 

Nutrition Facts

  • Serving size: 2.5 Oz. (70 grams, about 1/3 box (makes about 1 cup)).
  • Servings per container: 2.5.
  • Calories as packaged: 260.  Calories as prepared: 390.
  • Fat calories as packaged: 35.  Fat calories as prepared: 150.
  • Total fat as packaged: 3.5 grams, 5% DV.  Total fat as prepared: 17 grams, 26% DV.
  • Saturated fat as packaged: 2 grams, 10% DV.  Saturated fat as prepared: 4.5 grams, 23% DV.
  • Trans fat as packaged: 0 grams.  Trans fat as prepared: 0 grams.
  • Cholesterol as packaged: 15 milligrams, 5% DV.  Cholesterol as prepared: 15 milligrams, 5% DV.
  • Sodium as packaged: 590 milligrams, 25% DV.  Sodium as prepared: 710 milligrams, 30% DV.
  • Total carb as packaged: 49 grams, 16% DV.  Total carb as prepared: 50 grams, 17% DV.
  • Dietary fiber as packaged: 5 grams, 20% DV.  Dietary fiber as prepared: 5 grams, 20% DV.
  • Sugars as packaged: 6 grams.  Sugars as prepared: 7 grams.
  • Protein as packaged: 8 grams.  Protein as prepared: 8 grams.
  • Vitamin A as packaged: 0% DV.  Vitamin A as prepared: 15% DV.
  • Vitamin C as packaged: 0% DV.  Vitamin C as prepared: 0% DV.
  • Calcium as packaged: 10% DV.  Calcium as prepared: 15% DV.
  • Iron as packaged: 10% DV. Iron as prepared: 10% DV.

 

Product Rating

Over all, I indeed find this Kraft whole grain original flavored Macaroni & Cheese Dinner a good value.  I’d rate this pasta product at 92 out of 100.

 

Where To Buy Kraft Whole Grain Macaroni & Cheese Original Flavor Dinner

Look for it at most any size of grocery store in the blue box.  Enjoy!

 

References

 

Revision History

  • : Added whitespace and a References section, adjusted ad placement, reworked category and tag assignments, and tweaked the content.
  • 2012-03-31: Originally published.