Lean Cuisine Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans

August 25, 2008 | Reviewer: Guest Reviewers

Photo of Lean Cuisine Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans Price: $2.14
Serving: 1 package, 10.4oz.
Calories: 300 per serving
Fat: 8%, 5g
Cholesterol: 5%, 15mg
Sodium: 24%, 590mg
Protein: 11g
Carbohydrates: 17%, 52g
Fiber: 20%, 5g
Sugar: 10g
Diet Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat, 2 1/2 Starch, 1/2 skim milk, 1/2 Fat
Weight Watchers Points: 5 Points

Lean Cuisine says: Santa Fe-style rice & beans in a sour cream & mild chile sauce.

Jay says: Lean Cuisine’s Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans probably looks more like a side dish than an entire meal to most people. Unless you’re a vegetarian, you’re probably not accustomed to consuming side dishes as a whole meal. Vegetarians out there are nodding their heads because they know exactly what I mean. If you absolutely cannot fathom consuming a meatless meal unless it somehow emulates some kind of meat-based dish, you might want to use this as a side for a dinner for two, or skip it altogether.

Portion size aside, this dish smelled wonderful in the microwave … which, in an unfortunate number of cases is not indicative of a pleasant dining experience in your immediate future. On the other hand, your senses are primed for a flavorful meal and on that front, this Lean Cuisine meal delivers.

The first couple bites of this dish have a very strange “off” flavor. Keep eating: it dissipates eventually. It’s kind of like diet soda—eventually your taste buds become familiar with the awkwardness and then everything seems fine. After the first few strange bites, the meal ends up with a very nice, slightly spicy, slightly tangy taste. The only thing overpowering here is the sauce. The packing is quite misleading: in the photo, the rice and bean mixture seems to be delicately graced with a ribbon of sauce and a sprinkling of melted cheese. The actual meal, however, is completely drenched in the sour cream sauce and the cheese has gone MIA. This may not be so bad if sour cream is your thing, but if you were hoping for the sauce as a side show to the meal, it’s more like the main event. This meal is so saucy it could almost pass as a creamy Santa Fe-style rice and bean soup. As for the cheese, perhaps it was somehow absorbed into the excessive sour cream sour sauce monstrosity à la the Blob, but I could not taste it. Maybe it got ousted by the sour cream sauce in some kind of dairy turf war.

Since affordable, mainstream vegetarian frozen meals are so few and far between, those of you vegetarians who eat dairy products (like myself), rejoice! This meal is actually fairly decent and far from bland. You also get a nice fiber boost and 20% of your daily calcium. You also get a ghastly amount of sodium (590 mg), which isn’t something to rejoice about, but you can’t have it all, can you?

comments

11 Responses to “Lean Cuisine Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans”

Heather on August 25th, 2008

Of all the Lean Cuisines I’ve tried over the years I’ve liked this one very much. I love rice and beans and this one delivers with that creamy sauce on top. It’s better than their “mystery meat” entrees. No chewing on nasty bits of gristle with a vegetarian meal. I’ll have to pick one of these up again and try it. It’s been a while.
Julie A. on August 25th, 2008

This looks like it might make an interesting dip for tortilla chips.
rob on August 25th, 2008

I like this meal okay but there are cheaper substitutes that are just as good:

http://www.michelinas.com/ProductByBrand_LG_10625_Santa_Fe_Style_1Lean_Gourmet.aspx

It has 30 more calories but you can buy it at regular price for $1.50. It’s just rice, beans and some sauce.
Chavi on August 25th, 2008

This is great with some awesome Black Bean chips … yum. This was probably one of my fav Lean Cuisines, as well. It always got the job done.

Your’s looks a little overcooked, tho
Maria on August 25th, 2008

I’ve found this is an amazingly filling lunch while at work Delicious and low key and generally my coworkers look at me with a greedy hate when I heat it up in the microwave.
It’s rather enjoyable.

Though I must say that one SHOULD NOT opt for Michelina’s Bean and Rice alternative… as while it is similiar, I’ve found hard bits of mystery in it, and that at the same time offers less of it with more calories (Not something I’m a fan of.)

…To end.
I like this lean cuisine.
Smart ones is comparable as well, sometimes cheaper, sometimes not
Heather on August 26th, 2008

“The actual meal, however, is completely drenched in the sour cream sauce and the cheese has gone MIA”
———————–
They can’t load it up with cheese or the calories will go up. I think it has quite a good dusting of cheese and your pic shows it.
Michelle on August 27th, 2008

As a vegetarian always in pursuit of quick meals, I found this dish to be both convenient and delicious. In order to deliver a more satisfactory portion size, I cook up the rice and then spread it over a bowl of salad, maybe spoon in an extra tablespoon of salsa–and voila! You have yourself a spicy, creamy “taco salad” that seems more gourmet than “lean.”

It’s my favorite lean cuisine meal…when this brand isn’t on sale, the Smart One’s Sante Fe Rice and Beans measures up accordingly. In fact, they resemble each other a little to much in my opinion…though Lean Cuisine has better nutritionals, so I’d go with that brand if at all possible.
Jay on August 27th, 2008

I’ve actually eaten this dish a few more times since reviewing it, and I must say.. it does grow on you! I did find variation in the amount of cheese and sauce in each dish so perhaps my review sample was unrepresentative.. I would still highly reccomend this dish to all of my lacto-friendly veggie friends.. and in terms of Lean Cuisuine’s other vegetarian options, this is one of the best.
christine on August 27th, 2008

I have had this and its pretty good, but avoid the SB diet one! Yikes that was not good. And I might try this as a dip….. nice idea.
Rose on August 29th, 2008

I’ve eaten this with tortilla chips, not alone, but with a friend. it wasn’t something I’d buy myself..or want to eat a whole lot of, but it was fine as a snack/chip dip.

warm sour cream sauce kind of grosses me out, and I’m a huge sour cream fan…cold..sour cream.
D on November 13th, 2008

I add some perdue grilled chicken strips to it and it makes a great quick meal.