Boston Market Beef Pot Roast – Reclaimed Meat with Wallpaper Paste and Vegetables

Back when I had a Boston Market restaurant near me, I used to enjoy their food quite a bit.  It was an alternative to typical fast food for lunch.  When I had the opportunity to try some of their frozen dinners, I looked forward to it.  Usually they are a bit on the expensive side, but one of the local supermarkets had them on sale 4 for $10.

The Boston Market Beef Pot Roast looked really good when looking at the box.  Gravy and Beef Pot Roast with Carrots, Celery, Green Beans, and Grilled Onions and a Side of Home-Style Mashed Potatoes.

Preparation was easy.  It’s just a matter of heating it in the microwave.  Since there is more food in a Boston Market frozen dinner than a typical frozen dinner, it takes a bit longer. 

I can say of all the frozen dinners I tried from Boston Market, this one disappointed me the most.  The beef was in cubes, and didn’t look like chunks of beef, but something formed in a mold.  I’m told this is because it is “reclaimed meat” rather than being actual beef like I make.  Reading the ingredients list, it’s easy to grasp that as there is cornstarch, soy and other ingredients which seem like fillers or ingredients used to bind something together. It tasted pretty good, though.  It was tender and only had a few spots where it felt chewy.  It wasn’t like when I make pot roast in a slow-cooker and it gets fall-apart tender, but it was still pretty good.

The vegetables are mixed right in with the beef and gravy.  It’s celery, carrots, and green beans.  The vegetables are tender without being mushy and tasted good.  The gravy had a good taste, not too strong that it tasted artificial and not too salty.

The potatoes are a disappointment, especially from Boston Market.  When I would buy food from their stores, I was always impressed by how good their mashed potatoes were.  These taste like typical mashed potatoes found in frozen dinners, possibly worse.  I took a taste of them plain just to verify that they tasted the same as the other Boston Market frozen dinners I tried.  Yup, still the same wallpaper paste.  I stirred the remaining gravy into it and that was a big improvement. 

Nutritionally, this isn’t too bad, especially for a 15 ounce dinner.  There are 390 calories in the entire dinner, with 150 of those calories coming from fat.  That works out to 17g of fat or 26% of the recommended daily value.  Of that, 5g are saturated fat or 27% of the recommended daily value.  Like most frozen dinners, when it comes to sodium this is bad.  There is 1110mg of sodium in the entire meal or 46% of the recommended daily value.  For those of us with high blood pressure, this is not a good choice on a regular basis at all.

While I didn’t find Boston Market Beef Pot Roast particularly bad tasting (with the exception of the potatoes), I really was disappointed.  The Boston Market I remember stood for quality and wouldn’t have marketed something that seems like it’s a step up from dog food.  I can’t say I would ever eat this again.