I have great childhood memories involving macaroni and cheese. What kid doesn’t appreciate that delicious orange cheese powder? My sister and I ate it with regularly, and not only did we live to tell about it, we are leading healthy and productive lives. In fact, here I am as a child scarfing down these macaroni delights circa the 1990’s.
My food choices may have improved a bit as I’ve entered adulthood, and as a result I don’t have macaroni and cheese a couple of times per week. However, my love for it hasn’t diminished. I was recently introduced to a pasta made from chickpeas instead of wheat. That means that instead of 9 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber in my former mac and cheese, it has 18 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. It also means that it is gluten free (and actually still tastes good), which is good news for all of you with Celiac disease.
There are always trade-offs, however, as my new-found pasta by Banza has slightly more sugar, cholesterol, and sodium (7 grams of sugar instead of 6 grams, 15mg of cholesterol instead of 10mg, and 620 grams of sodium instead of 570 grams). However, this is a trade-off I am happy to make for double the protein and four times the fiber.
The pasta by Banza is delicious and is more filling because of the extra protein. At about $5 per box, this cheesy treat is also about 5x more expensive than “other” macaroni and cheese. There are ways to justify it (if you look at it as paying per gram of fiber, they are about the same price!), but I’ll leave that up to you and your individual food budget. Pictured above is their mac and cheese deluxe – it comes in the purple box. However, I have tried their white cheddar and classic cheddar so far and they are equally delectable. I love trying new macaroni and cheese brands, and with decades of taste-testing experience, I’m almost a connoisseur.
Do you have a favorite macaroni and cheese brand?
stephanie scales campbell
March 22, 2017 at 11:06 pmI love that its made from chickpeas such a healthy food
Angelica Dimeo
March 22, 2017 at 11:00 pmI like the rotini pasta
Elizabeth Brooks
March 22, 2017 at 9:51 pmits healthier pasta with more protein and fiber
Cassidy ciazza
March 22, 2017 at 8:34 pmI love that it’s high protein and low carb
Kim Reid
March 22, 2017 at 8:19 pmI like that it has 18 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber.
Donna B
March 22, 2017 at 6:58 pmThey are certified non-GMO. I love that.
elizabeth miller
March 22, 2017 at 5:54 pmI love that it is a healthier pasta with more protein and fiber with almost half the carbs.
Nancy Bowers
March 22, 2017 at 5:30 pmProtein for my low carb, high protein meals.
angie w
March 22, 2017 at 5:28 pmI like that it’s high in fiber and protein!
Richard Brandt
March 22, 2017 at 5:14 pmI just love the idea of chickpea pasta. It’s like hummus i can chew! Plus, cheese, so win/win!
wen budro
March 22, 2017 at 5:05 pmI love macaroni and cheese and I really like that this brand is healthy and has a higher protein content.
carrie s
March 22, 2017 at 3:56 pmi don’t have a favorite brand. It’s my daughter’s favorite dinner so I’m going to look for this!
Melissa
March 22, 2017 at 2:25 pmI like its a healthy verision of pasta
Meghan
March 22, 2017 at 12:25 pmRich and creamy cheddar!
Annamarie V
March 22, 2017 at 11:52 amI like that it has half the net carbs and 14 grams of protein,
Marti Tabora
March 22, 2017 at 10:50 amMy favorite aspect is that it has a lot less carbs. I’m always trying to reduce carbs and the fiber is a big plus for me as well.
allison
March 22, 2017 at 10:49 amI love that they provide a healthy choice for mac and cheese! Thanks so much for the chances to win.
Mary Beth Elderton
March 22, 2017 at 10:48 amI like the high fiber content. Most Americans do not get enough fiber.
jeremy mclaughlin
March 22, 2017 at 10:07 amLove the protein.
sheila ressel
March 22, 2017 at 9:04 amI love that it is gluten-free and packed with protein!
Edward Reinholtz
March 22, 2017 at 3:15 amIt’s Made from Chick-peas and also has more Protein than other pastas !!!!
Nicole Martin
March 21, 2017 at 10:27 pmI like that it’s made from chickpeas.
Ashley B.
March 21, 2017 at 8:41 pmThe Rich and Creamy cheddar
allyson Tice
March 21, 2017 at 8:04 pmIm loving that Banza mac n cheese has 25 grams of protein!! Score!
Karrie
March 21, 2017 at 7:10 pmI really like its packed with protein..ohh this looks so good..my mouth is watering
robin s.
March 21, 2017 at 6:27 pmI really like the fact that it is gluten free.
Jessica
March 21, 2017 at 6:13 pmwhite cheddar!
Vera S
March 21, 2017 at 6:00 pmI like that it has fiber and protein.
Marty
March 21, 2017 at 4:46 pmI’d like the protein/nutritional aspects. I have a super-picky toddler and macaroni & cheese is one of the few foods she’ll eat without a huge struggle, but the cheapo kind has no nutritional value. This sounds better.
Alexandra Oller
March 21, 2017 at 4:34 pmMy favorite aspect of Banza is that they’re made of chickpeas.
Heather Abbe
March 21, 2017 at 12:30 pmI would love how is packed with protein and made with chick peas.
renee
March 20, 2017 at 10:53 pmI love that it has a ton of protein!
Karen D
March 20, 2017 at 3:55 pmI like that it is: “double the protein, four times the fiber, and nearly half the net carbs”
angela
March 19, 2017 at 10:42 pmnot sure if my youtube entry went through with the right name… lolangeladuh
Cheryl
March 17, 2017 at 4:05 pmI like the 2-year shelf life.
KENNETH OHL
March 14, 2017 at 6:17 pmI love the protein levels
Terri S.
March 14, 2017 at 3:06 pmI like that Banza pasta has 25g of protein compared to only 13g in average pasta and nearly half the carbs. I’m always looking for foods that have more protein for my granddaughter who is a vegetarian.
Dagmar
March 13, 2017 at 8:42 pmI love that they are made from chickpeas!
Julie Waldron
March 13, 2017 at 5:30 pmI like that it contains a good amount of fiber & less carbs than regular pasta.
Kim
March 13, 2017 at 3:46 pmshells and cheddar for us!
Leah Sorensen
March 13, 2017 at 8:28 amI like the extra protein! I’m always looking to sneak extra protein into my diet.
darla
March 12, 2017 at 10:17 pmI don’t have a favorite brand. i would love to try the mac and cheddar one for this
darla
March 12, 2017 at 10:22 pmSorry, I misread the question. You asked about aspect. I like that’s it’s made of chickpeas
Chrissy
March 12, 2017 at 10:06 pmI really like the amount of protein that Banza Mac and Cheese has. I’m always looking for high protein meals for my hubby and one of his favorite things to eat is Mac and Cheese so I think he would love this!
Rachel
March 12, 2017 at 7:48 pmI like the amount of protein that Banza pasta has.
Jennifer Tilson
March 12, 2017 at 3:04 pmI like that Banza pasta has four times the fiber as traditional wheat pasta.
Edye
March 12, 2017 at 1:50 pmI like the protein in it!
Kelly D
March 11, 2017 at 2:16 pmI would like the mac and white cheddar.
Renee Walters
March 10, 2017 at 4:53 pmI like that it has double the protein and three times the fiber of regular mac and cheese.
Maryann D.
March 10, 2017 at 2:40 pmI love that they are made from Chickpeas. My daughter and I love Chickpeas and eat them all the time. They are so good for you.
Heather!
March 10, 2017 at 2:33 pmI would be most interested in the taste! ‘Good for you’ doesn’t work if you won’t eat it, so taste is the most important thing. But the extra protein is really great!
Emily
March 11, 2017 at 2:30 amTake my word for it…it’s super yummy.
Kayla Klontz
March 10, 2017 at 12:13 amI would love the extra protein aspect of it.
sarah s
March 9, 2017 at 10:48 pmI’m a huge fan of chickpeas so a pasta made with them sounds awesome and the extra protein is a great bonus.
Kristyn M.
March 9, 2017 at 6:41 pmI like that it has more protein than regular mac & cheese.
David
March 9, 2017 at 4:26 pmI like that it has double the protein and three times the fiber of regular mac and cheese.
Sarah Hall
March 9, 2017 at 3:49 pmI like that it has less carbs than ordinary pasta.
Nancy
March 9, 2017 at 11:30 amI like that it has four times the fiber of standard pasta.
ColleenMarie
March 9, 2017 at 10:54 amMy kids would love the shells and cheddar
Peggy Nunn
March 9, 2017 at 8:32 amI like the amount of protein and fiber in them.
angela
March 8, 2017 at 11:01 pmI like that it’s made of chickpeas
Lauren
March 8, 2017 at 7:58 pmI like that it has extra protein.
Emily
March 8, 2017 at 9:01 pmMe too! It’s definitely more filling.
Laura
March 8, 2017 at 7:34 pmI love how it contains more protein and fiber than regular mac n cheese.
Barbara Montag
March 8, 2017 at 7:19 pmI like that the chickpeas are non-GMO.
thank you
Patricia
March 8, 2017 at 1:45 pmI would love the shells made from chickpeas.
Peggy Nunn
March 8, 2017 at 8:43 amI have not heard of the Banza brand. It is a little too pricey for me but my friend needs gluten-free in her family. I will tell her about it.
Janet W.
March 8, 2017 at 8:39 amMy grandsons love to eat mac & cheese. I’ll have to try this because it’s much healthier for them!
Emily
March 8, 2017 at 7:16 pmBe sure to enter the giveaway I just posted earlier today. You can have it sent straight to them if you win! 🙂
Ginny
March 7, 2017 at 3:46 amWhat a cute picture of 90’s Emily! I will have to give this Mac N Cheese a whirl. We are quite a protein and fiber focused generation as of late.
Laura
March 7, 2017 at 2:52 amSounds tasty! Mac n cheese is always a house favorite!
Emily
March 8, 2017 at 7:15 pmSame here! I like it as an easy “side dish” with meals too.
Barbara Montag
March 7, 2017 at 12:22 amEven with this product being pricey I would like to try it.
Sometimes healthier choices are worth.
Have not seen it in any store.
Emily
March 8, 2017 at 7:14 pmBe sure to enter the giveaway that was just added today for a chance to try it!
Barbara Montag
March 8, 2017 at 7:17 pmThanks for the heads up!