Noodles & Company Mac & Cheese Trio & Under 500 Calorie Menu Review + Giveaway

Did you know that March is National Noodle Month?  I didn't either, but the awesome folks at Noodles & Company wanted to keep me and my readers in the loop!  My family eats a lot of noodles.  And that's not just because we have a toddler - noodles have always been a go-to meal for hubby and myself as well!  But even though we have made a lot of noodles in our time, when we visited the Lees Summit Noodles & Company location last week, we were astounded by all the different varieties presented to us!

As part of a fantastic noodle celebration, Noodles & Company is dishing up some delicious "grown-up" versions of their classic Mac & Cheese! 

Mac & Cheese is pretty much the ultimate comfort food, right?  These appetizing varieties from Noodles & Company are sure to please the adult palate.  Each dish starts off with Wisconsin cheeses and fresh cream (yum) and is topped with some special gourmet ingredients to make the eating experience an adventure!

1. Southwestern Chili Mac.  Mac & Cheese covered in red chili, crumbled oven-roasted meatballs, topped with diced green onion and cheddar-jack cheese. I am weird about food textures - I don't normally eat chili because I don't like all the ingredients combined.  This delicious Mac & Cheese blend has a great chili taste, without the texture combo I dislike - so this is a version of chili I will eat!  This was my hubby's favorite out of the three Mac & Cheese combinations.  Southwestern Chili Mac is available for a limited time only - so hurry if you want to try it!

2. Bacon, Mac & Cheeseburger.  A deconstructed version of the American bacon cheeseburger.  Oven-roasted meatballs, crispy chopped bacon, diced Roma tomatoes, chopped green onions, house-made breadcrumbs and cheddar-jack cheese. Both hubby and I really enjoyed this dish!  It has a hearty, home-style taste.  I can imagine ordering this as a take-out meal in the cold winter months - or for a party on the patio in the summer!  This dish has gained so much popularity that it will be featured on the "regular" menu even after National Noodle Month!

3. Truffle Mac with Baby Portabellas.  Signature Mac & Cheese with white truffle oil, sauteed baby portabella mushrooms, shredded Parmesan cheese, house-made toasted breadcrumbs and parsley.  This dish actually reminded me of an alfredo - the cream sauce was amazing and this seemed the most "refined" of the trio.  This one gets my vote - and if you want to try it, it's available on the menu all the time!

Overall, we were thrilled with these Adult Mac & Cheese choices!  There's something for those with a sophisticated palate - but plenty of room for the picky eater as well!


If you're looking for something lighter than Mac & Cheese, Noodles & Company is also featuring an Under 500 Calories menu - with over 100 possible combinations!  We got to try a few of the featured items, and wow - we were sure surprised by all of the options available!

Start off your meal with an order of Potstickers - tender and tasty chicken dumplings.  The sauce is fantastic with a nice little kick.  Even L (13 months) enjoyed these a lot!

We sampled two items from the Mediterranean menu.

1. The Med Salad.  Romaine, mixed greens, tomato, cucumbers, red onion, olives, cavatappi pasta, spicy yogurt dressing and feta.  I am usually not brave enough to try anything "Mediterranean" but I was pleasantly surprised by this salad!  I really liked the dressing and found this salad to have a light and refreshing taste - with just a slight kick.  Definitely a winner!

2. Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine.  Whole grain linguine, broccoli, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic, white wine, cream and Parmesan.  We tried this dish with chicken topping it off.  The chicken was so moist and tender...probably one of, if not the best restaurant chicken dishes I have ever had!  This dish is the healthiest Mediterranean menu item outside of the salad.  The flavor is not overpowering and the dish is overall warm and comforting.  We loved it.

We sampled three items from the Asian menu section.

1. Chinese Chop Salad. Sesame-soy tossed mixed greens, Asian sprouts, cabbage, red pepper, cucumbers, carrots, crispy wontons and black sesame.  All I have to say about this salad is yum!  The dressing was delicious, the flavor combinations excellent.

2. Pad Thai.  Rice noodle stir-fry with scrambled egg, carrots, cabbage, sweet chile, citrus and peanuts, Asian sprouts and cilantro.  This was not my favorite dish - it features a fish stock, and I wasn't crazy about that taste.  But once again, the chicken was amazing and I did love the extra flavor added by the lime wedge!

3. Bangkok Curry.  Sweet coconut curry, broccoli, carrots, red pepper, onion, mushrooms, light portion of rice noodles, cabbage and black sesame.  This is the healthiest item on the Asian menu (after the salad), as it features tons of delicious veggies and the smallest amount of noodles.  The coconut flavor was light and added a sweetness that I really enjoyed.  The shrimp was juicy and added another great element to this dish.

If your mouth isn't watering after all of that goodness, I would be surprised! 

Noodles & Company features such a wide variety of options that are sure to please any family.  As you can see in the photo above, my little guy was a big fan of the classic Wisconsin Mac & Cheese!  And the whole family literally devoured the giant Rice Krispies treat that was presented to us at the end of the meal!  The Rice Krispies are made several times a day in-house, and we all agreed that they were a perfect end to an amazing taste-testing experience!

Noodles & Company first opened its doors in Boulder, Colorado in 1995.  As of this year, there are over 250 restaurants across the country!  There are 8 locations in the Kansas City metro area, and more are coming soon!  If you've never been - or even if you are just craving an old favorite - why not head to your local Noodles & Company for dinner tonight?

Giveaway

Two My Kansas City Mommy readers will each win 2 Coupons for a FREE Bowl of Noodles, Soup or Salad!  This giveaway will end on April 6 at 11:00pm CST.  This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter this giveaway, follow the instructions in the form below (you will need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)!  Once you complete the first entry (entering your name/email), the other entries will open up so that you can complete them as well!  Make sure you enter and name and email address so that I can contact you if you win.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond.

All of the "extra entries" are optional.  You can do just one - or as many as you want!  You may tweet once per day.  Good luck!

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Thank you to Noodles & Company for providing my delicious review samples and the giveaway prize!  I received no other compensation and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read My Kansas City Mommy's Giveaway Policy.  Looking for more prizes to win?  Check out My Kansas City Mommy's current giveaways!



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