Imagine coming home to a brightly-colored box from Banza Pasta. You'd be super excited, right? Well, that was me last week. I was even more excited when I opened up the box to discover the cheesy goodies that were inside.
Waiting patiently for me was Banza Pasta's whole line of boxed macaroni and cheese, including two brand new flavors that hit shelves in grocery stores across the country just this week. Every box features Banza's signature protein-packed and gluten-free chickpea pasta in fun shapes that complement three different cheesy flavors.
Here's what I thought of each shape and flavor combination when compared side by side in a taste test.
3. Shells + White Cheddar
In my totally unbiased opinion, shells are the best pasta shape for mac and cheese. Each little pasta shell ferries a cup of cheesy goodness to my taste buds. And, in this case, the more cheese, the better. Banza's formula for white cheddar has the perfect amount of bite that keeps the cheese from becoming too rich.
It's a dangerous game to play when I make a box just for myself. So far, I've never had any leftovers.
2. Elbows + Classic Cheddar
The elbow shape and classic cheddar flavor combination has a special place in my heart, because it takes me back to my aunt's famous macaroni and cheese. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor in the classic cheddar mix. It tastes so much more natural than any other boxed mac and cheese I've ever had.
I used to only indulge in homemade ultra-creamy mac and cheese every Thanksgiving, but now I can spruce up the boxed Banza version with some bread crumbs and extra cheese on top for a special treat any day of the week.
#SpoonTip: Try mixing pureed butternut squash into your macaroni and cheese for extra hidden veggies without sacrificing flavor or the classic bright cheddar color.
1. Shells + Cacio e Pepe
Cacio e Pepe is only for fancy restaurants, right? Not anymore. After trying Banza's most innovative new flavor, I can't help but wonder how no one's thought to do it before. It has by far the greatest depth of flavor. When I go out to dinner, whether it's the parmesan or black pepper grinder, I never tell my waiter to stop. This flavor comes straight out of the box tasting exactly how I would want it.
If you're a macaroni and cheese fiend, this is just about the newest thing since sliced bread, so you're going to want to pre-order the sampler box. Then you can try all of the flavors for yourself.
For those looking for instant gratification, try checking out your local grocery store. The new Banza Macaroni and Cheese flavors were officially released October 10, 2018, so it won't be long before you can find them everywhere. If you're lucky, you can be cooking up protein-packed macaroni and cheese for dinner tonight.
Note: I want to give a huge thanks to Banza Pasta for sending me the cheesy goods to sample before they were even available in stores!