Author: Old Man

Price: $1.50 at Grocery Outlet

Calories per can: 320

Sodium: 1350mg

9g of protein.

Does not require a can opener.

You know, the old man doesn’t necessarily love to support the meat industry, but times are tough and we work with what we get. That is simply the unfortunate truth of the matter. Chef Boyardee® Beef Ravioli in Pasta Sauce is a household name in the world of canned foods, and it certainly isn’t my first time diving into this can. However I have to say that this is my first time eating it after heating it up.

As I started my canned food journey a few weeks ago, I didn’t have the optimal strategy down yet. I would go to the store and look for cans that had a poppable top to them, as I didn’t have a can opener at the time. I would grab a bagel and a can of the ravioli, head over to the local park and eat the room temperature raviolis. This did not really motivate me to continue the journey, I knew something needed to change.

Fast forward to this week, I get my cans at Grocery Outlet in advance, and this allows me to heat them up at work in the microwave using our hot water cups. Gotta save money somewhere, and I’m certainly not going to buy bowls.

Anyway, where was I?

This is a classic canned food and you immediately get that distinct tomato sauce smell as you open the can, it’s quite pleasant. The contents were a bit of a hassle to pour out due to the thicker nature of the sauce as can be seen in the images above.The raviolis themselves have a bit of a soft mushy texture to them, but when it’s heated up, it feels more like a melt in your mouth type of beat. I actually think it works well that they are soft.

The sauce itself is decent, it has a nice creaminess, tastes like a tomato sauce, but it feels like adding a few more Italian spices could go a long way here. The saltiness of the ravioli makes up for this blandness when paired together though. When combined, there’s a delightful tang throughout the chew. In the can, you’ll find a couple “stacked raviolis” so to speak, as they double up on top of each other and become a megabite of ravioli. This is quite an exciting part of the meal the first time it happens, but it loses a bit of charm as you encounter 1 or 2 more of these. Feeling quite full after this meal.

I know this is supposed to be my review but here’s a comment I found regarding this lunch of mine:

“what did u expect? it was perfect ravioli, thanks

it’s beef ravioli in a can, what do you expect. I opened the can, dumped it in a paper bowl and heated it in the microwave for 2 minutes. ravioli was tasty good and warm all the way thru. when I was done with ravioli I used a few pieces of bread to mop up the sauce and ate them, also good.” 4/5
-30 day prepper

Overall I am left full, the ravioli was solid and I had a pleasant time. It didn’t blow me away, but it’s a nice pick to add to your lineup.

82/100

Price: $1 at Grocery Outlet

Calories per can: 390

Sodium: 1490mg

15g of protein.

Does not require a can opener.

This is one of the worst tasting things I’ve ever eaten in my life. It’s a shame because I bought two of them, so I already ate the first one yesterday. I am about to eat another can of this food today. From my memory of yesterday’s lunch, it had a very thin soupy texture to it, the chunks of food were fine. There is an extreme strange sour taste to this can of food and I genuinely don’t know where that flavor comes from. I would have to imagine it’s from the buffalo seasoning which includes vinegar, or maybe it’s the runny cheese sauce, whatever it is tastes disgusting. However it is still edible and I did finish the can.

The recent reviews on Campbell’s own website are all 1 star reviews, not very shocking to me. I know this is supposed to be my review but an anonymous user posted this review titled “Worst Ever”: “I have liked your soups over the years, BUT this is the most God awful stuff I have ever had from the Campbells Company. My dog did eat it and I was surprised. Pull it now and save the disgrace to your Company ..”

I am very much not looking forward to this meal.

Okay I have just returned from my 2nd go at this. It smelled like acidic pepper cheese, and not in an appetizing way. The chicken pieces came in these cube chunks, tasting them alone was very bland. The macaroni had a soft but not soggy texture. When you take a full bite with everything is where it really breaks down and the problems arise. It tastes so artificial and like a watery cheese with an artificial pepper flavor shoved to the front.

I didn’t hate it as much as I did the first time I ate it, I think I knew what i was getting this time around. I don’t understand how anyone at Campbell’s gave the go-ahead to ship this one out.

I did feel full after eating it but that’s really the main benefit.

Overall I’m giving this a 30/100.