eDiets Lunch Review: Pork Roulade with Gravy, Egg Noodles & Green Beans

by Marianne Plunkert                                  

Overall rating:  4.5 of 5

Meal Description and Cooking Instructions

The Pork Roulade with Gravy, Egg Noodles, and Green Beans entrée was packaged in a 2-compartment plastic tray.  Two generous slices of pork roulade with gravy on about ½ cup of wide egg noodles occupied one section and about ½ cup of green beans the other. 

The heating instructions on the container were a bit confusing.  They said, “Remove bread.  Microwave on high 1- 1 ½ minutes,” but there was no bread included with this meal.  So, I simply nuked the meal on high for 1 minute 45 seconds since my microwave tends to take longer to heat things through.

Pork Roulade with Gravy, Egg Noodles and Green Beans

I was to provide a fruit and a non-fat dairy item to accompany the meal.  I opted for a handful of blackberries and an ounce of low-fat cheddar cheese.  I’m now uncertain if the blackberries are “legal” since I didn’t find them on the eDiets list of suggested fruits.  Thus far, my phone call and emails to the eDiets nutritionist have not been answered, so I’ve made the executive decision that they will remain a fruit of choice until I learn otherwise.

My General Impressions

Although the pork roulades were formed from ground pork instead of whole pork tenderloin slices, which is how I normally make this dish myself, they certainly looked like whole slices of pork.  The bright green beans, golden cheese wedges, and blackberries arranged alongside it made for an attractive plate.

It was attractive from a taste standpoint as well.  Although the texture of the roulades made it apparent that the roulades had been made from ground pork, they were moist and tender and nicely seasoned.  The gravy had a rich taste to it and, though scant, seemed to be sufficient for the pork and noodles.

According to the description on the packaging, the roulades were supposedly stuffed with apples and cranberries.  I could spy the cranberries, but not the apples.  Regardless, my taste buds picked up neither of these flavors.

The green beans had a crisp texture and tasted fresh.  They could have used a little seasoning, however.

Nutritional Content

This is another one of those delicious, yet low-fat, eDiets meals.  Only 23% of the entrée’s total calories of 260 are from fat.  It also offers a good amount of fiber--5 grams.  Total carbs are higher than I prefer at 33 grams, and there are 6 grams of sugars in the meal.  The protein content weighs in at 14 grams.

The entrée provides 20% of the recommended daily average dose of iron, 10% of Vitamin C, and 6% each of Vitamin A and calcium.  With the blackberries and low-fat cheese I supplied, the meal contains an item from each of the 6 major food groups:  protein (pork), fruit (blackberries, cranberries, apples), dairy (cheese), starch (noodles), vegetables (green beans), and fats (canola and olive oils).

Food Rating/Quality

I am rating this meal as a 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5, primarily because the green beans lacked seasoning and I couldn’t taste the cranberries and could neither see nor taste the apples that served as the stuffing for the roulades.  

Still the roulades were savory and delectable, and the gravy that accompanied them had a rich flavor.  The noodles were tender and teased the tongue.  And, albeit on the bland side, the green beans had a nice texture to them.  I will definitely order this meal again if given the chance.