Review: Lundberg Farms Risotto

In almost all of the grocery and natural food stores I go in, I always seem to see boxes of Lundberg Farms Risotto in several flavors, including Alfredo, Florentine, Tuscan, Wild Porcini Mushroom, Butternut Squash, Cheddar Broccoli, Creamy Parmesan, Garlic Primevera, and Italian Herb. I have to admit that the first time I picked up a box of their risotto, the first thought to enter my mind was "oh, look, gluten free rice-a-roni!"

Well, don't knock rice-a-roni - we loved that guilty pleasure stuff in the pre-gluten-free days, so figured it couldn't hurt to try risotto. And I have to say that we haven't looked bacgk. In fact, Lundberg Farms risotto is so rich, tasty, not really budget friendly but affordable and worth it at around $3/box, and easy to make that I've been known to highly recommend their products to friends, gluten-free or not. In fact, after eating their products I don't think we'd ever be able to go back to some of the cheaper packaged rice mixes. They take about 20-30 minutes to cook including the time to boil water (and the stove in our apartment can take forever and a day to heat up) so it's not totally "convenience" food but it's easy enough to whip up as a side dish. I'd recommend pairing with something like baked/roast chicken, baked pork chops, or even fish.

We haven't tried all of their flavors - there are some that my hubby vetoes right off the bat - but of the ones we've tried our personal favorites are Creamy Parmesan (my favorite) and Cheddar Broccoli (Vin's favorite). We also occasionally have the Wild Porcini Mushroom flavor for something different. The only ones we weren't thrilled with were the Florentine and Alfredo, and it's not fair to say that the Alfredo is bad, but it just doesn't compare to the Creamy Parmesan, so why bother?

And, of course, the puggle loves Lundberg Farms risotto. When there are leftovers she's ready and waiting, only happy to oblige - unfortunately there rarely are leftovers. The puggle gives Lundberg Farms risotto four paws (out of four, of course!).