Have you seen the new Great Value Gourmet Soups and Mac & Cheese selections at your local Walmart yet? We recently heard about this and wanted to give them a try as they are said to be compared to the quality and taste of those found at casual dining restaurants (i.e. chain restaurants).
Today, we are reviewing these new selections and also giving away a $50 Walmart gift card.
For example, according to reviews, many are saying that these soups are compared to the similar varieties found at Panera Bread. We really enjoy eating at Panera Bread, but it is not very often because they are a bit pricey.
In addition, our kids LOVE the the Pub Mac & Cheese from Red Robin. We get one to share between two kids as it is FAR better than the expensive yellow mac & cheese kids meals. But even this is not that frequently as it is still pricey to take a family out to eat.
That is why we occasionally like to explore the freezer options for these restaurant-style dishes at home. It generally means that we can feed everyone a similar meal for 1/4th of the cost.
And this case is no exception! In fact the soups are so-panera-style that they also include croutons like the restaurant.
But the real question is….how do these Great Value Soups and Mac & Cheese compare?
Price comparison
The first and often one of the top comparisons for all of us budget-minded families is the price. I know that we can’t eat “restaurant style” everyday, but if we can eat restaurant-style at home instead of eating out, we can get that much closer to our goals.
So I am not comparing the prices for “everyday eating” but for those alternatives to eating out.
Great Value Soups are in the freezer section
Walmart is offering 4 different varieties of soups:
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Broccoli and Cheese Soup
Each one serves 4 people. The price of these soups is $5.48.
This makes them only $1.37 per serving. This is literally less than 1/4th of the “eating out price.”
When you are at Walmart, you can find these soups in the “convenience foods” freezer section.
Great Value Mac & Cheese in the freezer section
Walmart is offering 2 different varieties of Mac & Cheese:
- Classic Mac & Cheese, and
- 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese
The 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese reminded me of my kids’ favorite restaurant mac & cheese – the Pub Mac & Cheese from Red Robin as this is also a 5-cheese version with bread crumbs on top.
Each one contains 3.5 servings. The price of the Great Value Mac & Cheese is $4.98. This makes each serving $1.42. Since Red Robin is 5 times this price, this also is a REALLY GREAT VALUE!
The Mac & Cheese was located with the soups. In our local store, the Great Value Mac & Cheese was located in the “Entrees” freezer section.
Cooking Ease and Options
We chose these three products as they are our favorite “restaurant” soups and mac & cheese for our family specialty dinner.
This is what they looked like when we opened the packages:
Another thing that I noticed about these Great Value casual restaurant varieties was the many options for cooking these dishes. I was intrigued and excited that the microwave was not the only option for these freezer meals. And along those same lines, that the conventional oven was also not the second or only option.
I get tired of trying to make a fast and convenient meal from the freezer either in the microwave or oven.
With both the soups and the mac & cheese, they have 4-5 options for cooking:
For the soup, you can cook it by:
- Microwave
- Stockpot
- Slow Cooker (YAY!)
- Stovetop
For the mac & cheese, you can cook it by:
- Microwave
- Stockpot
- Slow Cooker (YAY!)
- Stovetop
- Oven
I LOVE having all of these options. I personally chose to cook the soup by the stovetop (thawing method) and the mac & cheese by stockpot, topping it off by baking it in the oven for that crispy, cheesy, top!
My experience cooking the soups:
We had the Great Value Broccoli & Cheese Soup and the Great Value Tomato Basil Soup. I wanted to cook it on the stovetop like how soup is normally cooked.
Since it was frozen, I thawed it in a stockpot of tap hot water for about 10-15 minutes.
They went in the stock pot of tap hot water.
After 10-15 minutes, they were mostly defrosted.
After they were defrosted enough to put in a stock pot, we just poured them out into the pan. They had some frozen chunks still, thus the clumpiness of the Broccoli Cheese Soup and the wateriness of the tomato soup.
I only had to cook them on the stove top for about 6-7 minutes at this point. I did notice that the tomato soup really had to be whisked to make one uniform consistency.
After that, they were done in just over 20 minutes total from freezer to table.
When I made the Great Value 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese, I decided to go with the stockpot cooking option. It was so easy. I just dropped the frozen bag into a stockpot of boiling water. The instructions say to boil for 10 minutes if thawed and 35 minutes if frozen.
I was cooking from frozen. I planned to bake the topping and finish is off with a baked finish. So I noticed that the mac and cheese looked thoroughly steamy hot after about 25 minutes. So I only boiled it for 25 minutes from frozen.
I then poured into a baking dish:
I then topped it with the included topping:
I popped it in the oven at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
It was beautiful with that delicious extra crunchy, baked element. I love topping off gourmet mac and cheese in the oven.
So I was VERY pleased with the ease of cooking, outside of a microwave or conventional oven.
Taste
Since these options passed the price and cooking test, the final test was the taste. If the taste wasn’t there, then who cares about the other factors? Right?!?
Great Value Broccoli & Cheese Soup
My kids LOVED this soup. I tasted it as well and it did taste like it had just come out of a Panera-type kitchen. I personally am not much of a cheese soup person, but they liked the dish dry.
Great Value Tomato Basil Soup
I personally opted for Tomato Basil. Most of my kids were not too fond of it. But Tomato Basil is one of my favorite soups.
I think it a bit sophisticated for their little palate. But I really, really enjoyed the Tomato Basil soup.
It was the perfect choice for me. I will buy and eat this over and over again for date night in with Alex. It’s a perfect solution.
Great Value 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese
This was also a total winner! It was so, so good! The thing that surprised me was that I expected the noodles to be a bit squishy and a gross consistency. At least this is what I expected from frozen to cooked noodles from my past experiences. But they were actually perfect, slightly al dente, which is how we like it. So only boiling for 25 minutes and baking for 8-10 minutes was PERFECT.
The 5-cheese blend was amazing and my kids said they thought it tasted EXACTLY like their favorite restaurant version. So I am happy to have found an option to save a bit of money on eating out.
In the end, these options are really a stellar alternative to the restaurant versions. Now you can have family or date night in and enjoy the same kind of meal for a fraction of the cost.
Enter to Win A $50 Walmart Gift Card
Now that we have shared an alternative to eating out that will save you loads of money, we want to make it even more awesome for one of you! We will be giving away a $50 Walmart gift card so that you can have a totally free date night in or family night in.
It’s easy to enter! All you have to do is leave a comment! But we would also love for you to try these out and share your pictures and thoughts with us too.
Enter by leaving comments like:
- Which product(s) seem of most interest to you?
- Have you tried these yet?
- Would you use an alternative like this for eating out?
- What product DID you try (and share a picture with us!)
- Whatever you want about this topic!
BONUS ENTRY:
You can also receive one bonus entry for subscribing to our weekly money-saving/money-making newsletter HERE, then confirm your subscription by clicking on the confirmation link in your emai. Once you have done that leave a comment that you subscribed AND confirmed your subscription.
This giveaway will run through Monday, March 31st at 11:59 pm MST. The winners will be selected randomly and will be notified via email. Must be 18+ to enter and reside in the United States. The information collected is utilized for entry into this giveaway only.
This is a sponsored post, written by me, and my opinions solely. We strive to provide real and helpful information for a money-conscious audience in all of the posts we provide.
Dee
Thank you for sharing, never heard of these meals. Potato soup sounds great! I am a subscriber and love frugal recipes.
Nikki
Have not seen these before, will have to try them
Nikki
Thank you for all the great tips and ideas!!!
Bonnie
Love this idea for unexpected visits from my grandchildren! They would love the Mac and cheese. I am currently a subscriber and love your newsletter!
Terri Hutchinson
Sadly, I’m not sure we could use any of them due to gluten but they sure look delicious and definitely something I would have picked up a few years ago before discovering our son’s allergies. I too love tomato basil 🍅 which is funny to people who know me because I dispise tomatoes (can only eat them cooked!) and only eat baked Mac and cheese (hated the boxed stuff since I was a kid! Lol) Between the new, more expensive food, the lack of restaurant options who can serve us all, and my SSDI supporting us while my husband goes to college (for the first time at 47! 🤗), I am always searching for great date night in/restaurant alternatives so this is a great idea for anyone who can eat them! Walmart has been doing some great things lately though and even offers a gluten free line for us now which is great tasting and always less expensive than the name brands, maybe they’ll add some frozen options like this for us in the future! Thanks so much for sharing! Been a quiet subscriber for years and always love seeing what tips and tricks you have to offer! While you’re reading this, also wanted to add, never need to apologize for enjoying your life with your family, been so busy myself lately I actually took a break from writing as well but glad you are okay and that you’re back! Can’t wait to see the next wonderful idea we can try!!
mami2jcn
I haven’t tried them. Chicken tortilla soup sounds interesting.
Veronika
I am going to Wal Mart today to look for them. The Tomato Basil sounds delish!
mami2jcn
I subscribe to your newsletter.
glenda
The mac&cheese looks interesting. I have 2 teen boys so finding meals that are quick when we are busy is very important!
glenda
I am already subscribed (confirmed my subscription too)
Eileen
I am currently a subscriber and enjoy reading your newsletter! Will have to try the soups, they look delicious!
Jemry
Thank you for bringing these frugal dishes to light! I have never seen nor heard of them as I do not buy frozen foods often. They do look delicious! I think that they’d be a great option opposed to eating out. My kids love Mac and cheese and I’m a soup lover. They’ll be on my menu! Thanks again!!
Lacey
Tomato basil sounds wonderful! Looks delicious!
Jessie C.
I haven’t tried them yet, would love to.
Jessie C.
Email subscriber.
ST
i’ve enjoyed reading this article and am looking forward to trying these products.
they look delicious! and the cost is perfect for us. thank you for this
opportunity.
Christena Dickson
We will be trying some of these.
Christena Dickson
We subscribe 🙂
Cassandra
How interesting! This is good to know (though we are gf and df so we couldn’t do the Mac and cheese for sure😊).
Cassandra
All ready subscribed!
Debra B Gunter
Saw these at our Walmart and wondered if they were good. Plan on buying the broccoli cheese and may try Mac and cheese.
Debra B Gunter
I am a subscriber already. Love your website!!
Miriam
I haven’t tried them. I love Red Robin’s tortilla soup.
Cindy
I am going to. Give it a try.. Thank you for making my life easier..
Jamie
I haven’t tried (or even heard about) these products. I would definitely like to try the Mac and Cheese, the Loaded Baked Potato Soup, and the Broccoli and Cheese Soup.
Jamie
I am already an email subscriber.
Nancy Bledsoe
We actually had the 5 Cheese Mac last night! it was great!
Missed seeing your newsletter emails lately, glad to see them again. 🙂
Diana Campbell
I would love to try the soups. I LOVE Panera soup especially the Broccoli and Cheese Soup.
Jackey Timman
They all look good. I have never tried but just might try the soups. The macaroni is not something we eat
But would definitely try the soups. I am already a subscriber and have been for years. Thanks for your tips.
Deborah Roberts
I am so happy to hear about these soups at Walmart. I have not tried any of them yet. I plan on trying the tomato basil first. I am already subscribed to your newsletter and enjoy it very much. Thank you for sharing.
Julia
The soups look good to me especially the tomato basil
Julia
I subscribe to emails
Jenny
I am already subscribed to your emails. Great tips! Loved the soup critique! I can’t wait to share your results with my adult children.
Eric Armendariz
Every week I see these in the freezer section. I will definitely try them now!
PAMELA A LAKE
I have seen other variations like this from other stores. After, read the review I think this would be a great idea as fan alternative to eating out. The soup and the mac and cheese all sound really good!
Laura
My (some times fussy) teenaged daughter is the only vegetarian in our house. I’m always looking for different convenience foods that will satisfy everyone in my family. I am excited to try the mac and cheese as it looks so rich and creamy! My family likes Panera Bread also, but it’s a rare treat as it is so pricy. Thanks for taste testing for us 🙂
Laura
I’’ve been a subscriber for a few years now and truly look forward to your posts. I am amazed at how much money I can save. I’ve even got my husband believing that being frugal doesn’t mean you have to be cheap and do without. Alex and Cassie, I hope you get an Aldi’s near you soon. I spend less than $40/wk on groceries for our family of 4 (two teenagers). I have a freezer full of meat (from Zaycon Fresh) so I don’t usually buy meat from Aldi’s, but I get nearly everything else from there. I even get some clothes, gardening supplies, kitchen items and tools. Apart from the savings, what I like best about them is that I can get in and out so fast! Thanks again for all of your great posts. Our family appreciates you!
Kelly D
I subscribed and confirmed.
Carol G
I subscribe and enjoy reading your tips and lessons.
Leslie
I think of soup when its 105 out. Then i tell myself can’t wait for soup weather . Think I want to try mac n cheese though.
Larry Stoffregan
A lot of great tips to save a little green. Thank You
Victoria
I rarely ever buy prepared foods. However, there are days when I’m over scheduled. I’m thinking the five cheese mac and cheese might be worth trying on those days.
Victoria
Forgot to mention I subscribe to emails.
Karen
I have not heard of these, but I have celiac disease and am unable to try them. I do subscribe to your emails and love your blog. THank you for all of your tips!!!
Pat
I haven’t heard of these before but will certainly look for them on my next Walmart trip. I would like to try the Mac and cheese. I am already a subscriber.
Claire
I didn’t know about these. The loaded baked potato and the chicken tortilla sound great and my son loves broccoli and cheese soup!
Claire
I’m subscribed to your newsletter.
Sandra Frederick
I’ve not tried these yet, but I do love Tomato Basil soup! I nearly always have a good experience with Great Value items.
Carol Siepka
The tomato basil soup sounds wonderful. I like how you compare the convenience foods with the cost of eating out. I typically don’t buy this type of food because I like to cook mostly from scratch so my food is healthier and not full of preservatives, fat, and salt.
Ginny Eacret
Tomato basil would be my choice. Really all of them sound good.
I am already a subscriber. I enjoy reading the tips and recommendations.