Today was one of those weeks where you only make it to Thursday and already you are utterly, totally exhausted. I had so many projects piling up at work that all I could do was keep my head down and power through. Oddly enough, these tend to be the weeks where I like a long cooking project the most. Mindless chopping and stirring make me feel a million miles away from work and provide me with concrete proof of my labor. The more time I spend doing business-oriented tasks the stronger my need to do something with my hands, which cooking satisfies.
This week though I took a different route. Through Foodbuzz I had the chance to sample one of Buitoni’s new frozen meals. I don’t often review frozen meals on the blog and that’s because with the exception of Trader Joe’s Mandarian Orange Chicken, which I keep on hand for dire food emergencies, I really don’t eat them. I usually have leftovers of some sort in the freezer or some ingredients on hand that lend themselves to a speedy meal like a sandwich or quesadilla, so honestly frozen meals rarely come to mind. Because of this I found myself intrigued because I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. When I was first cooking I used to use Buitoni’s refrigerated pastas as a base for my dinners, but it had been awhile since I picked up a box.
However, it didn’t take me long at all to decide which dinner in the line I wanted to sample. I’ve been missing lobster terribly since moving away from Boston so Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli it was, even though I had to visit two stores to track it down. The preparation couldn’t be simpler. A sauce packet went in a pot of water while it was coming to a boil and then was joined by the ravioli. Once cooked, I simply tossed the pasta and sauce together gently. To make my entree more of a full meal I also stirred in some leftover corn (a perfect pairing with lobster), some pre-cooked lobster meat, and some chopped chives. Pre-cooked lobster meat is by no means cheap, but given the strength of my craving I figured it was a worthwhile little splurge.
My verdict on the meal? Mixed. I was pleasantly impressed by the ravioli itself. The pasta was a tad thicker than I would normally make at home, but had a good texure and flavor. The filling was the real star. I dissected a couple of ravioli to get a better look at what was inside and found generously sized chunks of shrimp and lobster. Lots of lobster ravioli, including some I have had at restaurants, suffer from hardly tasting like lobster at all and this was definitely not the case here. I also appreciated the portion size. Portion sizes with frozen meals can be pretty skimpy and end up eating more than the suggested serving size, but my serving left me very full (and probably still would have even without my add-ins).
I did not, however, care for the Garlic Butter Sauce at all. It wasn’t light as it was described in the website copy and was instead more gelatinous. It really masked the flavor of the ravioli and I liked them better on their own. I would have much preferred to purchase just the ravioli and prepare the sauce myself, although admittedly this would have made the recipe more time consuming. It’s a shame too because I thought the value of this product was pretty good. It retailed for $9.99 at my local supermarket which isn’ t bad as shelled lobster meat is pretty pricey so I definitely don’t think I’d be able to make homemade shrimp & lobster ravioli at home for this price.
After trying this I still stand by my belief that Trader Joe’s makes the best frozen meals, but given the quality of the pasta in this dish I’d be curious to try others in the line to keep on hand in case of hunger emergencies.
**Edited to add: Readers who have tried the product as well have been kind enough to weigh in down in the comments section about their own experiences. I highly recommend scrolling down to view their comments as well.**
What about you, what is your favorite frozen meal?
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I’ve had buitoni’s mushroom ravioli and also the quatro formaggio and really enjoyed it. My favorite frozen meal that I almost always have on hand is TJ’s mushroom truffled flatbread. SO GOOD!
I was tempted to pick this up the other day at the store! We generally have one or two of these frozen meals in the fridge for “dire food emergencies”, but like you we always have to add something else to it.
Elina – That flatbread is really good. I’ve always had good luck with TJ’s meals in general. They tend to be very high quality, especially for the money. If I didn’t enjoy cooking I would probably survive off of those.
Rae – They had some other varieties that sounded tempting as well. I’m still curious enough to give them a try, and actually it’s reminded me that I should buy their refrigerated pastas more often. The pastas are really high quality, but I think getting a good sauce to freeze is difficult.
Gelatinous sauce does not sound good. Wonder if they went crazy on the cornstarch in it, perhaps? But good that the shrimp and lobster were present in good amounts.
Thanks for the review – it’s nice to have stuff like this around for the crazy weeks at work! I also like a lot of the options at TJs.
I bet you are missing the Boston seafood–when I go out there to visit, my family knows to stock the fridge with TONS of seafood, which is always completely gone before I leave
And I know what you mean with frozen meals, it seems the sauces never are the right consistency–but glad you enjoyed it for the most part!
The ravioli sound so good – too bad the sauce didn’t live up to it’s name. I like how you added corn and even more lobster! Delicious. I haven’t eaten frozen dinners in many years but my favorite one used to be the Santa Fe style Rice and Beans by W.W. I have since created my own homemade version.
I just saw an ad for this and have been dying to try it!! I’m also a Boston native, but I’m living in land-locked Pittsburgh! I’ll have to give them a try… and based on your review, I’ll make a backup sauce to go with them!
I agree Marguerite that a back up sauce is probably the best way to go as he pasta itself is very good and definitely in line with what I have come to expect from Buitoni. Another option might be to water down the sauce with some of the pasta water. I didn’t do this because I wanted to review the product according to how the directions suggested to prepare it, but I imagine this would definitely take care of the consistency issues.
I tried the Buitoni Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli mean and am sorry to admit that we absolutely COULDN”T stand it
. The sauce was not good at all. I finished my first meal of it reluctantly, but no one wanted seconds. It seemed to be way too overpowered with garlic sauce, and was just not tasty at all. We did however, like the Chicken and spinash entree they have out. I wish I could find a consumer review for them to let them know that thier shrimp and lobster entree is not very good. We were looking forward to it.
Hi Cree – Sorry to hear you didn’t have great experiences with the product. It sounds like you had the same issues I did with the sauce. I think the best thing to do could be to use the contact form on their website. If nothing else it documents how you feel about it and if enough people complain (and don’t go back and buy the product) they may chance the recipe. May be wishful thinking on my part, but I don’t think it hurts to share your opinion.
My husband and I did try the Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli and had the same reaction – great pasta, but the sauce was terrible. Just way too heavy and garlicy for the delicate nature of the pasta. I went on Buitoni’s website and left comments under the “contact us” link at the bottom of the page. They responded right away, letting me know that they were sorry that I didn’t like the product, but that they’ve tried their best to test the product before releasing to the public. Not sure who their taste-testers are, I haven’t heard of anyone that likes that sauce. They also sent me coupons to use, one was a free meal! They also mentioned that my comments would be forwarded on to another department, so they seem to take the feedback seriously. On another note, I absolutely adore the Wild Mushroom Agnolotti!
I tried this today and thought it was very good. It is a generous size and I liked the garlic butter sauce as well. I added some shrimp and mushrooms to mine and thought it was great. I did not use up all the sauce, I don’t know why people are complaining about the sauce.
I tried their mushroom ravioli a few months ago and did not like it. Way too salty for my taste. But this shrimp lobster is a keeper.
Lisa – thanks for sharing your opinion.
I think that’s the beauty of varying preferences and palates. What is not enjoyable to one person is tasty to others. Glad to hear your experience with the sauce is more positive than mine. I love the idea of adding mushrooms, I really enjoy them with lobster and found including a few add ins of my own made for a more filling meal. Shrimp is a great choice as well.
The Buitoni Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli with garlic sauce was in a word….HORRIBLE! The filling was unrecognizable and overwhelmed by the garlic butter sauce, so I do not know whether there was any lobster or shrimp in it. We waited a long time to try this…anxiously, and was very disappointed.
Patricia – I’m sorry you didn’t like this either. It sounds like your experience was worse than mine, I actually found the pasta to be pretty good and got lots of nice chunks of lobster and shrimp. I think this is a great idea though and love the idea of a frozen lobster pasta. I’m hopeful they will reformulate. If you’re looking for a suitable alternative, Healthy Choice has a Lobster Cheese Ravioli that seems to be getting pretty good reviews online. Granted it’s not a full calorie/fat product so the taste and expectations are obviously different, but seems like potentially a good option for someone who wants the frozen lobster and ravioli all in one package. That said, I haven’t tried it personally so I can’t confidently speak to what it tastes like.
I tried this stuff for the first time today, and I’ve been glued to the toilet all day due to an uneasy stomach. The taste was absolutely disgusting. Just thinking about the garlic butter sauce makes me feel like hugging the toilet again. I don’t know what was in the ravioli, but it looked like ground up mush, and it tasted nothing like any seafood I’ve ever eaten. I honestly feel robbed of my $8 that I spent on this stuff, and I seriously wish there was something I could do to get a refund. I understand that different people like different things, but I’m not into bizarre tasting foods, so this definitely wasn’t for me. I think this stuff belongs on Andrew Zimmerns show.
I am considering making this as part of a nice dinner for my girlfriend as a Christmas gift. She is impossible to shop for and seems to like it when I make her a nice dinner with candles, wine and a nice night to just relax. Like most of the posters have said, I like to add this or that to any pre-made meal I buy. I am going to bake a rainbow trout in a white wine sauce and place it over top the ravioli. I just wondered whether or not a white wine sauce sounded good with this ravioli. I am also going to make crab rangoons (her favorite) as an appetizer and cheesecake as a desert. Any pointers would be nice. I’m not exactly a chef, but I have a natural knack in the kitchen that allows whatever I am trying to do to succeed.
Just tried this, after reading these reviews, and agree those that said the sauce was HORRIBLE. I don’t have the most refined palate, and I couldn’t eat more than 3 or 4 of them. I was pushing it to eat that much. I kept hoping that the taste would grow on me. Plus, I was thinking of the $10 I just spent on it. I just wasted $10. I had the canneloni the other day and loved that, but that was pretty basic (no flavor) so not much you could do to mess it up.
I think if you just had a simple alfredo sauce for this ravioli, it would have been really good.
Not getting this again!
I have to agree. I said just about the same thing to my
husband, that I would have much preferred the shrimp and lobster
ravioli plain and wished I hadn’t even used the sauce. I also agree
with Jenn above that a simple alfredo sauce would have worked
considerably better than the awful garlic butter flavor. The sauce
really ruined the whole thing for me.
I have purchased numerous pasta’s from Buitoni, including the Angoli Mushroom Ravioli and Chicken and Spinach Tortellini . I found them all to be unbelievably delicious. So I was thrilled to hear of their new Lobster and Shrimp Ravioli. I had about given up trying to find it at my local Grocer’s when I stumbled upon it in the freezer section. I placed the product in my cart, cashed out, and couldn’t wait to get home and cook it. Well needless to say, I cooked it and was completely nauseated by smell that I wouldn’t touch it. My Husband told me to atleast give it a try, so I did. After the first bite, I almost threw up. I immediately spit out the chewed up nastiness into my napkin, but the HORRIBLE taste wouldn’t leave my mouth. I am so disappointed by this product. Especially after my built up anticipation!!! GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It seems you and many others had the same problem I did. I made the ravioli, put the sauce on and went to take a bite, and was so disappointed because I could only taste garlic. I do love garlic, but I want to be able to taste other things. I rinsed the sauce off about 1/3 of the ravioli and remixed it all together. At that level, it was much more palatable. I’ve been able to make 3 meals out of the pasta, that rarely happens with packaged dinners.
I tried this today…and was really looking forward to it. I knew to taste the sauce first…pure garlic. The pasta was good…the filling….not so much. Basically no lobster flavor….just shrimp and tough shrimp at that. Overall…I mananged to get it down, but I doubt that I will fix what is left of it. Don’t waste your $10.
I’ve never had a food alergy in my life and neither has my fiance. We both have broken out in extremely aparant rashes this evening after eating the Buitoni Riserva Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli. I would never recomend this product to anyone. BUYER BEWARE!! If you would like to see pictures of this please email alexandraandjusting@gmail.com
Most sincerely,
Justin & Alex’
WOW! I wish I had read the reviews on here BEFORE I purchased this meal. You are dead on with your description about the sauce. It is positively horrid! I do think a simple alfredo sauce would be great, as others have mentioned, but when the meal costs that much already…I don’t think I’ll be trying it again, even with another sauce. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be trying any more Buitoni products period. I contacted their customer service, but have not yet gotten a response.
AD – Sorry to hear about the bad customer service. I am in no way affiliated with them, but would hope you hear something soon. I can understand how having such a poor response would make you unlikely to try their products in the future. That said, I will say I’ve had great experiences with the refrigerated pastas. Even though it makes for more work, I generally pair them with my own sauces because it adds a bit of freshness. But I have also tried, and liked, their refrigerated sauces. But yeah, I hear you. I REALLY wish they would reformulate the sauce on this one.
I had the Buitoni lobster and shrimp once and really liked it, but not one of the dozen grocery stores in my area carries it anymore. I am very disappointed!
I cannot find buttoni Lobster and ravioli any more in my local mkt. where is it sold now.I live in Midlothian va.23112′ thank you