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National Vegetarian Week: Tesco Vegetarian Kitchen review

Now as you may know by now, I am a vegetarian and I have a wheat allergy. Finding ready meals for something quick to throw in the microwave has been a hassle but then I found Tesco’s Vegetarian range. All of these items were bought with my own money and the opinions are honest!

Mushroom stroganoff and wild rice



This tasted fab with a rich creamy sauce but there was a bit too much rice in relation to the stroganoff so it seemed a bit dry.

Tikka masala with pilau rice



Overall the flavours were excellent. Two problems, the whole spices that had to be fished out and there was a black manky bit on a cauliflower floret.

Roasted mushroom and ale pie



I’ll admit my dishing up skills are not that great! Which is a shame as I love the flavours in this. The gravy is rich and the ale is perfect with the mushrooms. Definitely one of my favourites and I have bought this several times since 🙂

Smoky piquito pepper and courgette paella



This was a fun and colourful dish but I felt there was something missing…

Creamy butternut squash and pesto risotto



Creaminess: fab. Spinach: very healthy. Butternut squash: a bit hard and crunchy! The flavours were pleasant and I would get this again but want more spinach to even out the flavour combination and a bigger portion!

Smoky three bean chilli and rice



Not too spicy so my kids shared this with me (they love beans!) Like the strognaoff, it was slightly too rice heavy in the ratio.

Overall opinion

This is just a small selection of the Vegetarian Kitchen range offered by Tesco as they are all wheat free (I cannot guarantee they are gluten free as this is different).
Several of the above meals would definitely benefit from an accompaniment such as a bread (wheat free for me obviously) or tortillas, none of them would really suit a potato based product (I love chips! 🙁 )
My favourite is the mushroom and ale pie and I wish they did it in family sized packs. All of these meals are quick to microwave, perfect for having a quick lunch or dinner. I often spend so long making the kids something that I just can’t face the effort of making something for myself so this ensures I have a proper hot meal.

32 comments

  1. I’m also a vegetarian and though I very rarely have ready meals I used to love the Tesco Vegetable Stew and Dumplings one. I’m not sure they do it anymore, which is a shame. I like the look of the mushroom and ale pie, something a bit different 🙂

  2. I’m vegetarian too so I will try these! I tend to have nothing to eat during the day because I don’t have time around a baby and working from home to make food!

  3. It’s great to see supermarkets finding ways to help all dietary requirements. Making food from scratch isn’t always easy and with children and their busy social lives, convenience can make life a lot easier.

  4. I totally agree, cooking for kids can very exhausting. The tikka masala with pilau rice and smoky three bean chilli and rice are my favorite Tesco vegetarian kitchen brands. I haven’t tried the mushroom and ale pie.

  5. Amy

    I admit I am not vegetarian at all, but I do sometimes buy a veggie meal as a side to my meat These look pretty good valu for money #foodiefriday

  6. I love Tesco vegetarian ready meals – it is good that they are suitable for those who need wheat free. Looks like you sampled a good selection of them to help others get an idea about them before they buy.

  7. I am trying to have a few vegetarian days per week but I never buy ready meals, always trying to make something myself which is sometimes is a challenge as I am struggling with ideas for vegetarian dishes.

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