Lean Cuisine Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta

April 20, 2007 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Price: $3.29
Serving: 1 Package, 10 oz.
Calories: 240
Fat: 7%, 4.5g
Cholesterol: 18%, 55mg
Sodium: 25%, 600mg
Protein: 15g
Carbs: 12%, 35g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
WW Points: 5

Lean Cuisine says: Shrimp and angel hair pasta in a creamy seafood sauce with accents of sherry, tossed with red peppers.

Amanda says: No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. NO. Do not buy this meal. If it is currently in your freezer waiting to appease your next shrimp craving: THROW IT OUT. If you cannot return it to the grocery store you unfortunately bought it from and can’t stand the thought of throwing your hard earned income into the waste basket, GET OVER IT. Do not heat and serve to any unsuspecting pets. Their magical sixth sense will inform them of the trauma you are trying to inflict upon them and they will in turn become rabid and attack you viciously. And rightfully so! This meal is AWFUL.

I removed the package from the cardboard and began poking fork holes into the overwrap to vent as instructed. I then inserted the meal into the microwave for 3 minutes and 35 seconds. Lean Cuisine gave me a choice of cooking time; anywhere from 2-4 minutes. This made me nervous. Shouldn’t they know how long to cook this meal? 2-4 minutes? We have to guess? So after the 3 minute and 35 second mark, I removed the dish from the microwave, ripped off the overwrap and then stared down dissapointedly at 5 slimy, silver shrimp. SLIMY. SILVER. SHRIMP. They weren’t cooked at all! So I decided to nuke them a little longer. 2 minutes longer for a total cooking time of 5 minutes and 35 seconds.

The shrimp curled themselves and turned pink. The sauce bubbled and thickened slighty; an orange tinted variety with sticks of carrots and red pepper slivers. The noodles were thin and seemed plentiful. It didn’t look THAT BAD. So, for you review readers, I took a bite of the pasta. And I’m telling you- I wish I hadn’t. It was really, really bad. Take the scent of old, rubbery shrimp and turn that into a flavor. Then turn that flavor into the very essence of a strange sauce. Pretend to accent the strange sauce with sherry but really just add more atrocious shrimp stink. Then throw in actual old, rubbery shrimp and VOILÁ! you’ve got the worst Lean Cuisine meal I have ever had. I took one more bite of the pasta and I actually ate one of the shrimp just to see if I was being overly critical. I was not. And this is out of the mouth of a woman who unabashedly removes mold from the edges of her sharp cheddar cheese blocks and keeps on keepin’ on.

I slid the “meal” back into it’s cardboard box and tossed it into the trash. I then promptly phoned my boyfriend and asked him to please, please, PLEASE bring me something edible to eat and quickly; anything to get the taste of old shrimp boat captain’s galoshes out of my sad, sorry mouth.

comments

33 Responses to “Lean Cuisine Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta”

Marvo on April 20th, 2007

I’m glad I break out in hives and pass out when I eat shrimp.
MaryAnne on April 20th, 2007

Did no one pay attention to my comment on the Healthy Choice garlic shrimp meal below? Do NOT buy frozen meals with shrimp in it. You’re just asking for it.

I think you should send a copy of your review to Lean Cuisine quality control. It was very… vivid. I felt for you.
Abi Jones on April 20th, 2007

It is too late, MaryAnne. There is already a Smart Ones Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein in my freezer. I am thinking about giving it to Nicole.
Ace N. on April 20th, 2007

Holy crap, I have this exact meal in my freezer. I’m not sure how it got there, but now I’m afraid it’s going to come after me at night if I try getting rid of it.
Colleen on April 20th, 2007

I agree! I hate this meal, and if I remember right, this is one of those frozen shrimp meals where if you don’t cook it for long enough, the shrimp come out still blue.
Crow on April 21st, 2007

I’m not sure how you can under cook shrimp in the microwave…they are small bags of water…anyways, raw seafood is always a plus.
Colleen on April 22nd, 2007

Heat.Eat.Regurgitate.
Andrew on April 23rd, 2007

I had the Smart Ones Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein last week and it wasn’t totally barfy. I don’t like seafood but every once in a while I’m compelled to try it again just to make sure I still don’t like it. I’m not crazy about shrimp, but the shrimp in that meal were small enough and inoffensive enough that it really wasn’t too bad.
Molly on April 24th, 2007

I have to say that I was a little hesitant about shrimp (or any seafood really) in the microwave. I didn’t try this one and wont now, but you should try the Lean Cuisine â€œLemon Garlic Shrimpâ€ because it is really great, and cooked (at least in my microwave) perfectly in the time that the box recommended.
Angela on April 26th, 2007

This was my first lean cuisine meal. My shrimp came out very well, because they packed it raw. If it was cooked prior to nuking, it would’ve been way over cooked. But I agree the noodles and sauce were definitely lacking. The noodles were mushy and had no texture.
Rachel on April 29th, 2007

Well, I will be the devil’s advocate and say that I’ve eaten this one and thought it was absolutely fantastic. My microwave must have done something magical if everyone else has had so little success with it. I thought it was definitely one of the best frozen meals that I’d ever eaten.
Denise on May 2nd, 2007

I started eating Lean Cuisine for the first time in my life 5 weeks ago and have been pleasantly surprised with their overall quality and flavor, especially the Spa Cuisine line. I have several favorites but three stand out. One of these is the LC butternut squash ravioli in cream sauce with peas, broccoli and carrots, which is amazingly rich and delicious - a very satisfying choice if you’re really hungry. I brought an extra one of these to work for a friend to try a week ago and she is also crazy about this one and had it again for lunch today. The roasted garlic chicken with spinach in a parmesan cream sauce is very tasty - and only 180 calories, can you believe it? Another favorite is the chicken in peanut sauce - the chicken is so tender and the sauce is incredible. None of these three dinners taste “diet” at all! The one resounding “dud” has been the LC Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta. You are absolutely right - it IS putrid. It literally stunk up my kitchen! It’s also really soupy — is this supposed to be a dinner or a DRINK??? The LC Lemon Garlic Shrimp dinner is similarly bad, so I jsut stopped buying any LC shrimp-type dinners - and I LOVE shrimp. But other than those two varieties, I have been VERY impressed with the large selection and the overall taste of the LC dinners. My thing is portion control so this is an easy way for me to diet without having to count calories. Each day varies because some days I’m hungrier than others but, on average, I am taking in 900-1200 calories. In the past 5 weeks, I have gone from a tight 18 to a very loose 16 (I’m almost into a 14) eating Lean Cuisine 2-3 times/day. I DO ADD a hearty salad with hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onion to eat with either my lunch OR dinner or throw in some of my frozen snap beans (low cal and full of fiber) to bulk up some of the LC dinners. I also eat a couple of grapefruits each day for vitamin C, drink green tea and 2-3 cups of coffee with Splenda and Fat Free Half ‘n Half (Land o’ Lakes). Even though blessed with a hearty appetite, I don’t feel deprived at all and the weight is literally falling off.
Sue A Sidle on May 8th, 2007

I am happy to report, after just finishing this meal ten minutes ago, that I agree with both Angela, Rachel, and Crow. I find the fact, that the shrimp is raw, to be a plus! A fresh taste, along with the correct texture resulted; rather than to have had already cooked shrimp reduced to shrimp jerky, from “re-cooking”. Shrimp is an ambitious endeavor for any frozen prepared meal, let alone a “diet meal”, and I feel Lean Cuisine did a nice job. I added a pinch of garlic powder, some finely chopped fresh onion, and a handful of cubed fresh tomato at the “stir break”. That break, by the way, is critical to your success with both the shrimp, the pasta and the sauce! Mine was delicious!
Laura on May 10th, 2007

Hahaha….you didn’t follow the cooking instructions correctly. You are supposed to uncover and stir after the initial 3 mins., recover, and cook some more (time specified on box). Then you are supposed to let it sit in the microwave for 1-2 mins. to achieve consistency. By the way, cooked shrimp is supposed to be pink. You worry me.
Lauren on May 16th, 2007

I made this for lunch one day at work, and the look of the shrimp worried me, too. I had to ask a random man sitting in the kitchen if he thought the shrimp looked cooked enough. He gave a half-hearted “Yeah sure”.

I did not find this meal as disgusting as some, but I have not bought it again, nor do I plan to. It tasted alright but I prefer other LC’s. My current favorites are the Butternut squash ravioli, Thai style chicken, some of the paninis and any of the pizzas. Don’t know what I’d do without LC!
Washington City Paper: News & Features: Blogs on May 21st, 2007

[…] five sodium-packed meals-in-a-box have received the dreaded Zero Stars from Abi and her raters: Lean Cuisine Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta, Kraft South Beach Chicken Monterey Wrap, Trader Joe’s Lentil Rice Biryani, Gardenburger […]
M on June 9th, 2007

I really like this meal - perhaps you cooked it too long?
Lindsey on June 24th, 2007

I agree with M, Sue, and the others– I really like this one! And I’m pretty sure (though I don’t have one in my freezer to check) the directions say to heat it, then stir and heat again? I could be wrong. But I think this meal is really tasty.
Papa Mike’s Blog » Blog Archive » Food Reviews on August 20th, 2007

[…] Lean Cuisine says: Shrimp and angel hair pasta in a creamy seafood sauce with accents of sherry, tossed with red […]
Walter on October 3rd, 2007

The reviewer (along with most of the other commenters) cooked this meal completely wrong. Which is hard to understand - the instructions are very clear and very easy.

Heat. Stir. Heat. Stand.

If you follow the directions, this turns out to be one of the best meals in the Lean Cuisine. Shrimp are perfectly cooked, sauce is not watery, and the pasta has a good consistency. A dash of Tabasco is a nice addition if you like some spice.

Trust me, I’m from south Louisiana, and I know shrimp.
LeanCuisineLurver on October 10th, 2007

No way dude! This one is the best! I think you should try it one more time, using the correct cooking method. It’s shrimp-tastic!
Shann on December 6th, 2007

I actually ate this. It was alright. The shrimp was a little rubbery, though.
chris on December 17th, 2007

I think what most people are missing is the fact that Amanda clearly didnt follow the cooking directions. It clearly says that a 1100 watt microwave was used, and yours could have some variance. Also you didnt cook it an additional 2-4 minutes, then you are supposed to. When you let it stand, it will thickrn up.

Iam with most of you though, as far as taste this is not one of the better Lean Cuisines! I have tried many others, and this brand is deifinately the best tasting and healthiest for you. As far as the nah sayers, and complainers on taste?!

you are buying convenience that is FRESHLY frozen, and pretty healthy, and economical. It will not taste like that quarter pounder with cheese, that many of us like…
Top 10 Posts of 2007 | HeatEatReview.com on January 3rd, 2008

[…] Lean Cuisine Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta - Confirming the dynamics behind the 2nd most popular post of 2007 […]
ryan on January 16th, 2008

I had this meal for dinner last night…I thought it was okay. Of course, I was famished.

If I recall, the directions said to nuke for 2-4 minutes, remove cover and stir, then cool for an additional 2-3 minutes. Maybe you didn’t complete the cooking directions the first time?

It wasn’t great, but I’d probably give it 2.5 stars.
Kelly on January 18th, 2008

This is really not that bad. I enjoyed it. Like the other posters, the cook time is 4 minutes, stir, then an additional 2-4 minutes. I liked it. 3 stars.
j p on May 5th, 2008

I’m not sure you cooked it right! The shrimp is still “fishy”, the liquid watery - before you do the “stop, stir, cook a little more” in the directions. While I normally agree with you on your reviews, and about the shrimp frozen dinners - I can’t with this one - it’s really great at least a 3.5 if cooked correctly. Add a little fat free parmesan cheese, capers and/or pepper before eating (no, not drowning out the taste - just a tad) and it’s a definite 4-5 star. The fact that they leave the shrimp uncooked - really gives it a nice, fresh flavor.
Suzy on May 19th, 2008

I’m going to have to disagree with this review. I had this meal and thought it was quite tasty. The shrimp cooked in the microwave very well (I’ve never seen frozen dinners come with shrimp already cooked; it wouldn’t come out right) and the pasta was al dente. My complaint would not be about taste or texture, but amount of veggies. There are barely any!
aj on June 6th, 2008

You cooked it wrong. lol

This is an absolutely delicious lean cuisine! The sauce is great, she shrimp taste great, and so do the pasta and vegetables.

Just read the back, it tells you in very simple instructions how to cook it.
blarg on June 29th, 2008

Your article scared the shit out of me. I am no longer touching anything with the words “shrimp” and “Lean Cuisine” in the same sentence. My mom bought me “Lemon Garlic Shrimp”, because it supposedly combined two things that I love: garlic and shrimp. I had forgotten which one you reviewed, because all I remembered was “shrimp” in the title and how horribly you suffered, so once I saw “shrimp” and “Lean Cuisine”, I panicked. I shoved the box in my mom’s face and yelled, “Are you trying to kill me?! This is supposed to be god-awful!” I’m hearing some people saying that the meal was fine and you cooked it wrong, but you are a professional, and I’m going to just stick with that.
JC on July 11th, 2008

Read the back of the box again. I think you’ll experience one of those “ohp! i’m a total dumbass” moments when you realize you completely skipped the first step that tells you to cook it on High for 4 minutes, STIR, and recover. Step 2 is to microwave (”Continue”) for an ADDITIONAL 2-4 minutes. Total cooking time should be about 6.5-7 mins. You seem intelligent enough to comprehend the back of a box meant for people of average and below average intelligence to comprehend. What happened? Did you just try to look at the illustrations? On step three, the ending illustration is rather crude and lacks resemblance to the intended product. Based on this, did you expect the end result to be mashed potatoes?

Some other common sense moments out the window in your post:
Silver shrimp=uncooked, pink shrimp=cooked

Lean Cuisine’s inability to reflect proper cooktime.
1. Ovens vary in function.
2. You read the instructions wrong in the first place.
3. Ovens vary in function (Just in case you skipped to number 2 automatically).

I’m all for cynicism on the web. It’s fun. It’s funny. In fact, I’d think your post was even more hilarious if I wasn’t laughing at the fact that someone so intelligent can’t properly microwave a frozen meal. But I think everyone knows that the potential for something to taste like piping hot diarrhea is inherent in just about anything if you can screw up its preparation badly enough.

I’d give this meal something around the neighborhood of a 3 or slightly better. The flash-frozen raw shrimp are actually what make this meal.
DL on August 8th, 2008

hmmmmm THANK you JC! I was going to write almost the exact same thing! I guess I’ll just quote you again lol

“Lean Cuisine’s inability to reflect proper cooktime.
1. Ovens vary in function.
2. You read the instructions wrong in the first place.
3. Ovens vary in function (Just in case you skipped to number 2 automatically).”

That says it ALL
Plavix. on August 11th, 2008

Plavix stroke….

Plavix class action….