Marie Callender’s Salisbury Steak Review

Perhaps we’ve been reviewing mac and cheese just a little too much lately (though, in our defense, one of our recent reviews was wheels and cheese instead of mac and cheese). We love the stuff, and we really can’t stop eating it. It’s just so good!

So today we’re going to sneak a little bit more macaroni into our diet as we review the Marie Callender’s Salisbury Steak frozen dinner, which includes a side of mac and cheese (as well as some potatoes). We’ve tried a few different takes on mac and cheese from the folks at Marie Callender’s, though we actually haven’t tried their basic mac yet (something we’re going to try to rectify in the future). So we’re excited to sample this today.

Oh, and there’s some steak and potatoes too, so we’re going to check those parts out while we’re at it. We suppose we should do that too.

Anyway, this comes in a larger-than-average box, and it also comes with a larger-than-average cook time. You’ll need to toss this into the microwave for four minutes, then pull it out to stir the potatoes and give the steak a little twirl. Then you’ll need to toss it back in for another two and a half to three and a half minutes. That’s a total cook time of six and a half to seven and a half minutes, which is pretty substantial for a frozen meal. We should point out that we did find the six-and-a-half-minute cook time to be sufficient. (If you want to read the full cooking instructions straight off the box, check out the package scans at the bottom of this review.)

Because we hyped it up so much earlier, we’re going to talk about the mac and cheese portion right away. First off, we think the extended cook time didn’t do the macaroni any favors, as the sauce starts to boil by the end of that nuketown. This changes the consistency and takes away some of the creaminess of the sauce, which is a shame. The noodles get a little bit rubbery too. But as far as flavor, this is actually surprisingly good, and we’d really love to try a full batch of plain mac and cheese from Marie Callender’s.

The other side dish here is a heap of russet potatoes. These are actually pretty darn tasty, with ever-so-slightly-sweet undertones and an earthy skin. The flavor is made even better with the gravy, which really completes the picture. The consistency of the potatoes is soft yet firm — these are not soggy at all. There are some surprisingly good potatoes!

The main event here, of course, is the Salisbury steak. It’s decent, though we didn’t find it to be mind-blowing or anything. It has a meatloafy flavor (which isn’t uncommon in the Salisbury steak scene), and it’s soft enough to easily cut through with a fork, though there is a satisfying bit of resistance when you bite into it. This is really the perfect consistency for a chunk of Salisbury steak. We should point out here that we did find a couple pieces of bone, however, which could be a potential choking hazard for the unprepared. Chew this carefully, folks!

This meal contains 530 calories and 1,350 mg of sodium, so it’s definitely not designed for dieters. Of course, this is also a pretty substantial amount of food, so you probably won’t be going back to the fridge once you’ve finished eating what’s here. Those potatoes are plentiful, and boy howdy are they hearty!

The Marie Callender’s Salisbury Steak is surprisingly good, despite a couple minor flaws. The mac and cheese would be better with a shorter cook time, and the steak has some bone chunks in it (we found two in our steak). If you can forgive those issues, this actually might be the best frozen Salisbury steak dinner we’ve tried here at Freezer Meal Frenzy.

To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this Marie Callender’s frozen meal, check out our package scans below.