Pitango Organic Pumpkin, Leek and Spinach Risotto product reviews

We normally buy a these every week for one lunch meal over the weekend. They're quick and easy and make my busy life much, much easier. They're great for my young son, who usually devours half a packet to himself. We specifically like the Pumpkin, Leek and Spinach Risotto as its very creamy and packed with veges. Another neat little mum trick that means I can get a decent amount into him and he thinks that its just pumpkin which he loves!

I usually like to add chicken to mine as I personally feel like it can be quite bland on its own. However for a fast and simple meal I feel like its healthier than a frozen meal from the supermarket. The rice risotto is cooked perfectly for a heat up meal and it is very filling. I never usually can finish my bowl, and there is more than enough in one packet to fill the three of us. Even better is that these a dairy free. I am lactose intolerant and so these a great for me! I can eat and eat and have no issues unlike other packaged soups and risottos that can make my stomach hurt for hours after.

If you can't be bothered cooking or need a quick dinner for young kids, I would definitely recommend giving one of these a try.

I like risottos... I like pumpkin... but I have never been a fan of leeks. Too many bad memories of bland, watery leek dishes at my grandparents' place as a kid. No idea what it is about elderly British folks, but my childhood memories of their food made me sure they did love watery, over-boiled greens... peas boiled to a mush, leek soup that was more finely shredded leeks in hot water, cabbage that looked like blanched seaweed... so yeah, anything that has "leek" in the ingredient list is almost automatically overlooked on the menu.

However, after trying the other risotto and finding it pretty impressive, I was willing to give this one a go too, and I was actually quite surprised. The leek isn't the main ingredient, and though it can be tasted, it's not an overpowering flavour by any means. That title was claimed by the herbs and spices, making this a very pleasant dish to trial. Having the first person's portion 'as is' meant I can say that even without any additions or alterations this is one fine dish. However...

I am a tweaker, when it comes to food. I can't leave anything 'as-is' because a part of my mind - the MacGyver Gland, I call it - utterly refuses to believe anything can be perfect just the way it is. Everything has another use, everything can be adjusted, everything can be tweaked. So too with food and it's almost infinite potential for adjustment. In this case, it was the addition of a protein - some finely sliced scotch fillet steak that had been very lightly fried in garlic and rock salt - a few generous grinds of black pepper and some torn sweet basil. For me, this proved to be the most amazing lunch, though my family weren't overly impressed - too much flavour for their taste buds to cope with.

Overall, a nice meal, a better base for something special. I plan to get this again, but I suspect it's one I will only have regularly if the family take off for a week, or if I come up with some other 'adjustments' that are perhaps a little less radical.

Out of all the dishes from this brand, this is my least favourite so far. The flavour was rather unpleasant, even when there was bread on the side. I am a bit of a carnivore when it comes to food, so when I have a risotto, I really enjoy having meat in it. The risotto was also really sticky, and the tastes just didn't mix well. This stuff was also very bland, there was barely any flavour, but the flavour that was there didn't agree with my taste-buds. I found that having this risotto with bread DID bring down the bad taste a bit, so that was something.

I think that something like this would be better for someone who has a sense of taste that is used to this kind of meal. The portion size was great, this stuff is perfect for 2 people, and if it was served with something else, it could make a great family meal. the price is good, for a meal like this, the price makes it affordable, yet the price still preserves it's value, and that is always a good thing!

I think that the quality of this meal is lower than could be desired, and the stickiness of the rice was rather displeasing as well. To sum things up, quite simply, I think that it would be harder, but more worthwhile, to cook a risotto from scratch than to have this stuff. I would not recommend this to anyone who does not have a taste for this blend of ingredients, but if you are the kind of person who would enjoy this, then please, by all means, give it a go.

After thoroughly enjoying the Pitango Chicken and Garlic Risotto I was really looking forward to this flavour. I have to say I was not overly enthusiastic about it. I am not that fond of the price of these meals but I would happily pay $6.39 for a couple in the flavour range but not again with this flavour for me. There was nothing specifically bad about it, I just found it was very bland and sort of like eating creamed rice with only a faint flavour. I honestly thought that pumpkin and leek would really come through but it was just not there for me.

It had a great texture that I love in this type of meal, but the flavour just was quite lacking. I did not have any toast or sides with this meal and figured that you would need to scoop it anyway as it is not the consistency that you can really dip into like a blended soup. Being a thicker consistency it is even more filling than a thinner Pitango in the range - it will definitely fill you up and keep you full. It did for me.

If you are having this, it might go better as a side to something else. I found it did not quite stand up on its own.

Having had a rave about the Organic Chicken Noodle Soup I was really looking forward to trying the Organic Pumpkin, Leek and Spinach risotto for lunch today. I thought I would start with half a pouch as a pouch is supposed to be two servings. A pouch weighs 500 grams and this is a fairly dense risotto (i.e not all watery and runny) so I thought half a pouch was a decent serve. I poured into my bowl and put the sachet back in the fridge for another time.

This risotto heated up quickly in the microwave and in a couple of minutes I had the most divine meal for lunch. Half a pouch was perfect and it was just so tasty. I would have been completely happy being served this in a restaurant and it is definitely a meal that you think "I wonder how I could get the recipe for this"!

For dinner the kids were having sausages and eggs so I decided to pan fry some prawns in garlic and got out the rest of my risotto from the fridge. I heated it in the microwave and served up with my prawns and a fresh salad from the garden. Hey presto a perfect dinner. In fact served like this one pouch would definitely serve two adults which makes for a very cost effective and time saving dinner. As it was it provided me with a lunch and a dinner. These pouches last for several months in the fridge and I have to say with the different taste preferences and dietary requirements developing in the house this is definitely a product I would have on standby in the fridge. This is gluten free and vegetarian and contains only natural organic ingredients.

I would definitely recommend trying the Pitango products if you want quick and easy but quality food.

This Pumpkin, Leek and Spinach risotto was absolutely my top pick of the whole Pitango range. I loved the texture. I loved the flavour. I am a huge pumpkin eater. My family are not so much. So one night when my macaroni was not going to go far enough, I made myself the above for my dinner. That way the girls could have as much pasta as they wanted.

This risotto is full of ingredients that I don't normally get. So I was pleased to get this and all to myself. I was really surprised how flavourful this was. And I loved that I could see the spinach, and really taste the pumpkin and leek flavours through the mixture. The rice was great, not too mushy. It was a filling and delicious meal even without meat.

I think this would be fabulous for a quick vegetarian meal and I love that it's dairy free as well, just because some people really want to avoid dairy for various reasons. I would feel comfortable offering this as a meal to my vegetarian friends when they visit for a BBQ. Or it would make a great side dish to go with meat.

Pitango Organic Pumpkin, Leek and Spinach Risotto contains foods that I love but don't get to eat very often as the rest of my family won't eat them. As my husband cooks the main meals I try to be grateful that he does and so it is easier for me to go without these vegetables and rice. Now I have found a way for me to enjoy them without having to cook it myself.

Pitango risottos make the perfect lunch for someone pressed for time. Just throw it in the fridge when you get to work and at lunchtime just heat in the microwave. As the pouch serves two I squeezed half the contents into a bowl and microwaved it. The instructions said 3-4 minutes but knowing I was only heating half and my microwave was powerful I found 1 minute 30 to be perfect.

I have very fond memories of Mum making risotto when I was a child but it was usually the packet variety with a few veggies and leftover meat added. Pitango's risotto contained much less salt and was much fresher, not to mention tastier Mum's. The risotto had a very mild taste which I really enjoyed. It was a very soft and smooth texture with the exception of the spinach which were thankfully in very small pieces as it had to be chewed.

Just after I had finished eating (but the bowl was still on my lap) Miss 3.5 came over thinking I had ice cream in the bowl. She saw that it wasn't but still grabbed the bowl and wiped her finger around inside the bowl and licked it. She continued doing this until the bowl was clean. She had no idea what she was eating but definitely enjoyed it and didn't complain about wanting ice cream.