I put all the Sainsbury’s own-brand pasta bake ready meals to the test to find out which one is worth buying – the best scored nine out of 10.
I tried all the Sainsbury’s pasta bake ready meals – only 1 was close to being a 10/10(Image: Angela Patrone)
There’s nothing quite as soothing in the evening as a hearty pasta dish, and pasta bake ranks among my top choices. It’s undoubtedly one of the finest midweek suppers and a surefire hit with everyone.
After a tiring day, you can pop it in the oven with hardly any preparation and be confident the entire household will enjoy it.
For those seeking an even simpler solution, supermarkets stock numerous pasta bake ready meals. During my usual food shop at Sainsbury’s, I came across four different own-brand pasta bake varieties that I resolved to sample.
I’d previously sampled all of Sainsbury’s own-brand spaghetti bolognese offerings and discovered a standout winner, so I was eager to see whether any of their pasta bakes would impress me.
I picked up all the pasta bake ready meals I could find in Sainsbury’s(Image: Angela Patrone)
Sausage pasta bake(Image: Angela Patrone)
Sausage pasta bakeCost: £3.75
Leading off, we have the sausage pasta bake, which I’d anticipated would be my top pick of the quartet, but it turned out fairly unremarkable. I appreciated that there was a generous quantity of sauce, despite the flavour being somewhat underwhelming, and the pasta hadn’t been overcooked — a common pitfall with ready meals.
There was a decent amount of sausage pieces in the dish, but they were rather tasteless, and I wasn’t keen on the texture — the meat dissolved to a pulp in my mouth. While there was grated cheddar cheese present, I don’t believe there was sufficient to justify calling the dish a pasta bake.
Rating: 5/10
Three cheese pasta bake(Image: Angela Patrone)
Three cheese pasta bakeCost: £4.25
Being the priciest choice, it’s worth noting that this option serves two people, while the others are single portions. Packed with mozzarella, cheddar and red Leicester cheese, this pasta bake managed to mask the rather bland tomato sauce lurking underneath.
Considerably superior to the previous pasta bake, though not quite the finest on offer.
Rating: 7/10
Tuna pasta bake(Image: Angela Patrone)
Tuna pasta bakeCost: £3.75
Next on the list is the tuna pasta bake, which featured both a creamy white sauce and the classic tomato pasta sauce. Rather than rigatoni or penne, this version opted for pasta shells, which made for a welcome change.
Despite being a tuna enthusiast, this pasta bake proved to be the most disappointing of the bunch. While the tuna itself was the highlight, the sauces — particularly the béchamel — left much to be desired.
Although it appeared appetising on the surface, stirring the pasta revealed an overly watery white sauce, with a notable lack of tomato sauce throughout.
Rating 3/10
Chicken and bacon pasta bake(Image: Angela Patrone)
Chicken and bacon pasta bakeCost: £3.75
The chicken and bacon pasta bake came as a genuine revelation, emerging as the tastiest of the lot — quite the surprise given a general reluctance towards white sauce-based pasta dishes. The cheese sauce surpassed that of the tuna version, needing only a touch more seasoning.
The generous portions of chicken and bacon were also commendable. Were I to purchase a pasta bake from Sainsbury’s again, this would undoubtedly be my first choice.
Rating: 9/10
