Healthy Vegetable Soufflés…in Your Microwave?!
The soufflé has always eluded me. Okay, “eluded” may be giving myself too much credit because trying to make one scares the heck out of me. They seem tricky, complicated and advanced. (Seems like a good future Hunger for Life assignment though, eh?) But, man oh man, are they delicious. So even though the idea of a microwaved soufflé seemed like a long shot, we decided to give Garden Lites frozen veggie soufflés a go. Because what—just what—would happen if the microwave actually could produce a light and fluffy and healthy soufflé? Well, I’d have to reevaluate everything I believe about these rising puffs of goodness, and I was okay with that. Soufflés for all!
And, dude. Garden Lites did it. With 200 calories or less per soufflé (an average of four Weight Watchers PointsPlus) and two full servings of veggies in each one, these make for the perfect protein-packed (about 10 grams) snack or mini-meal. You can bake them in the oven for 40 minutes or just pop them in the microwave for four and a half minutes for what comes out to be a surprisingly light yet filling and rather delicious veggie soufflé. Each soufflé boasts four grams of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and even a little iron and calcium. Oh, and these are gluten-free, soy-free and vegetarian—and have an ingredient list you can pronounce and feel really good about eating. The only bad thing I can say about them is that they do have a little more sodium than ideal (490 milligrams), but for food from your freezer, I’ll take it.
And the Garden Lite soufflés really look just like this once they come out of the microwave!
There are a ton of healthy varieties to try, too, and all of them are tasty and highlight the ingredients featured. Broccoli tastes like, well, broccoli. And Spinach tastes like—you guessed it—spinach. The Garden Lites name is really fitting, as they do taste like they’re fresh from the garden. While I didn’t try a single one that I wouldn’t eat again, Pizza was a really fun way to indulge without indulging and Butternut Squash was like a savory dessert, and I couldn’t get enough. Seriously, these are like going to healthy soufflé heaven. And they both inspire me to try to make my own soufflés at home—and make me want to just pick these up at the grocery instead because they’re so darn perfect already. And did I mention they take four and a half minutes to make?
Anyone else tried Garden Lites soufflés? Love them as much as I did? Tell us about it! —Jenn