Hormel Compleats Beef Steak & Peppers

April 17, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Hormel Compleats Beef Steak & Peppers with Savory Sauce & Noodles Price: Free from Hormel
Serving: 1 Container, 10 oz.
Calories: 210
Fat: 8%, 5g
Cholesterol:17%, 50mg
Sodium: 24%, 580mg
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 7%, 22g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 4 points

Hormel says: Beef Steak & Peppers with Savory Sauce & Noodles. Created for a healthy lifestyle. Ready in 90 seconds!

Matt says: The title of the meal is “beef steak & peppers,” which is not to be confused with “pepper steak” of Chinese fare. Beef is definitely the star here. For a meal that sits in the cupboard at room temperature the beef is surprisingly tender, and for the package size there is plenty of it. As promised the meal is very hot in 90 seconds.

My main complaint is that everything tastes like the beef gravy, meaning only the meat stands out. The gravy has a mild peppery flavor, but not enough oomph to make it spicy. Considering that this dish contains 580mg of sodium (24% of my daily intake) I’m surprised it doesn’t taste salty.

The noodles are present en masse. However, they are so soft they merely create a mushy bed to hold the meat. There are carrots, onions, mushrooms, and green and red bell peppers present in the dish but they are lost in the mushy-meat mess. The carrots and peppers are cut into strips that are similar in shape to the noodles. In one’s mouth the noodles and vegetables are indistinguishable in flavor and texture.

Because of the packaging for the shelf, the texture difficulties are somewhat unavoidable. Regardless, I would have liked a little more spice to the sauce to liven things up. How about bigger cuts of the vegetables? While the meal in edible, it is nothing that will force a midnight run to Safeway.

comments

9 Responses to “Hormel Compleats Beef Steak & Peppers”

Lisa on April 17th, 2008

I have to say that after looking at the picture, I’m impressed you actually ate that.
Sharon on April 17th, 2008

I agree with Lisa - it looks disgusting!
bj on April 17th, 2008

I couldn’t read the review because the picture made me want to go number three.
Rose on April 17th, 2008

I’m also impressed you ate this, I’ve ingested one of their meals, it was a bad choice. I think it was something..like…roast beef with mashed potatos, maybe? I don’t know, I remember slices of meat and crappy potatos and ALOT of gravy, it all tasted like..gravy..or cat food or something. this looks worse than mine did though.
Julie A on April 17th, 2008

Many YEARS ago (probably when I was in college circa 1987-ish) I called Hormel and voiced my concerns over the extremely high sodium content in their products.

The nice lady listened politely (as most Minnesotans seem to) and said she’d pass along my concerns.

Obviously that comment ended up in File #13. And I agree; this thing looks NASTY.
lowderra on April 17th, 2008

Wow. You ate that? You’re braver than I thought.

No seriously that just looks disgusting. If I was really starving I might eat it, but I mean I’d have to really hungry.
Jill on April 17th, 2008

I’m following the idea of others. You ate this? They are in the vending machines on campus - this notion frightens me.
Kimberly on May 8th, 2008

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the name “Hormel” is so similar to “horrible.” Haha, I am so clever. Just tried the Sesame Chicken one. Yup, you guessed it … HORBEL The sauce, meat, noodles, and vegetables all tasted like vomit. Gross.
Hormel Compleats Santa Fe Style Chicken : Heat Eat Review : We Review TV Dinners, Frozen Meals, and Microwavable Foods on May 9th, 2008

[…] Matt: Did you see my review of the beef peppers? […]