When it comes to frozen food brands that could really stand to expand their mac and cheese lineup, Stouffer’s isn’t the first name that comes to mind. They’ve already got the Classic Macaroni & Cheese and the White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, alongside meals that contain mac and cheese as a side dish. On top of that, they’ve recently added two mac and cheese options to their Urban Bistro line. So expanding their macaroni options even further doesn’t seem like it would be high on their list of priorities.
Yet here we are, testing out the brand new Stouffer’s Four Cheese Mac with Bacon.
Now, we should point out that we’re not complaining. We love mac and cheese, and we’ll take every opportunity to try a new variation on this classic cheese-filled treat. We’re just surprised to see Stouffer’s push so aggressively into this already crowded space.
We spend a lot of time here at Freezer Meal Frenzy talking about Stouffer’s high cook times. We apologize if you’re tired of reading our observations about Stouffer’s microwave times, but we’re going to do it again. This must be cooked for four minutes, then stirred, then cooked for two and a half more. That’s six and a half minutes of cook time. It’s not quite as much as a Stouffer’s lasagna, but it’s still a pretty long cook time for a frozen macaroni dish.
But after all that time, you’ll pull something out of the microwave that smells like cheesy heaven. While you’ll be tempted to dive right in, please give this a few minutes to cool down; it comes out piping hot.
Perhaps we don’t need to even mention this, but you shouldn’t go into this expecting a traditional macaroni dish. This is not the bright yellow, cheddary stuff; in fact, this is more like an alfredo. It has a creamy white sauce that’s loaded with stretchy mozzarella. We wouldn’t necessarily describe this sauce as rich, and it’s certainly not sharp like a cheddar cheese sauce would be, but it tastes great nonetheless.
And then, of course, there are chunks of applewood smoked bacon. It doesn’t give the dish a meaty flavor so much as a smoky one, which is the right choice for this dish. We heartily approve!
Stouffer’s was clever enough to use shells here, which we have to say is the superior pasta choice for a macaroni. It’s just hard to top these shell-shaped bits of goodness, which soak up the cheese and make a satisfying slurping sound when you stick them into your mouth. There’s just nothing quite like a good macaroni shell.
This isn’t a low-calorie meal by any means. One box of the stuff contains 440 calories (170 from fat). That’s a bit high, though it is still quite a bit lower than the Stouffer’s Classic Macaroni & Cheese. This also contains a whopping 920 mg of sodium. That’s a hefty amount, so enjoy this macaroni with caution!
The Stouffer’s Four Cheese Mac with Bacon is an amazing macaroni dish. In fact, we’d venture to say this is one of Stouffer’s best meals. It’s maybe not for the calorie-conscious, unless you’re enjoying a cheat day, but it’s still a very satisfying macaroni dish that tastes incredible.
If you want to learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in this frozen mac and cheese, check out our package scans below.
