Chicken Pesto Pasta 2009 [no photos]

[rattattoo]

I had a loose main from the '09 Chicken Pesto Pasta MRE yesterday for lunch.
I was out and about for a few hours, planning on going a dozen places, and I knew I was going to want something to eat so I threw it on the dashboard in my "car heating unit"(*) as I left. I was tired of munching down on jerky, trail mix and NABs packages, which are my usual road food since I swore off of fast stops at fast food joints last October.

*A couple of months ago I got some Italian food takeaway that came in a microwave safe/dishwasher safe container. The bottom half is flat black and the top is an opaque plastic. I've been keeping it under the car seat with the intention of putting an MRE pouch in it and seeing how it heated on the dashboard just in the sunlight. An MRE sits inside like it was made for it. Worked out perfectly. The pouch easily warmed up to about the same temperature you'd get with an FRH in about an hour on the dash... it's a keeper. [I'll try to remember to toss a fast photo up over on the "tips and tricks" page]

The Chicken Pesto Pasta was pretty middle-of-the-road in my opinion. It was loaded with sizable pieces of completely identifiable chicken, The pasta pieces, while certainly not al dente, were fine as well.
Where it fell down was in the sauce. There was a definite pesto taste there, but not very much, and I think that it would've benefited from a bit more "sauce" in general. It was just pretty bland, and I would've liked it better if it was a bit juicier. Because this was spur of the moment I didn't have along any of my "kick it up a notch kit" goodies that I carry when I go camping, so I didn't even have salt-and-pepper to toss on it.
To me, the real failure was the fact that because the pesto sauce was so lacking in character, it ended up imparting an almost tin-can taste to the meal. Pesto is not something that is to everybody's taste, so I was actually a little surprised to see "pesto" featured in an MRE... I figure there's got to be some boys from Iowa and Nebraska wondering "WTF 'dis stuff". And they're not going to be interested in trying real pesto down in Little Italy after eating this meal.

I would have to rate this one is being just about on par with the Penne Pasta with Vegetable Sausage. It's not going to be at the top of my take-along list, but like the Penne Pasta, it's a substantial, and filling meal that will get you on down the road.

Onward through the fog... and remember to always sniff the bag before eating.

[RockyRaab]

Hmmmmm...Ya gots me thunkin' here. I'm going fishing tomorrow (fly fishing, not in my kayak) and I'm taking along a Menu #1 Chili with Beans. Maybe I'll toss the entree pouch on my dash to pre-heat while I fish. That'll give the FRH a headstart at least when it's lunchtime.

It's a 2013 MRE, with cornbread, tortillas, and jalapeno cheese, all three new items for me. I plan to make quesadillas as an appetizer while the entree heats, and then have the chili atop the crumbled cornbread. I'll have along my own "extras and additives" in case the chili isn't zippy enough. (Who am I kidding? Rocket fuel isn't zippy enough for me...) I'll take a few photos.

There are usually a few Chicken Pesto Pasta TOTMs on the rack at my Commissary. I'll pick one up next time. Thanks for the review.

[Norton]

Great Review and the dash board method is interesting.