disclosure:  I received the 2 packets mentioned for the purpose of review, my comments, however, remain my own, honest thoughts.

This post is an entry for BritMums ‘What’s for Dinner Tonight?’ sponsored by Schwartz – sign up to get your free sample here

I always like to try new things so when BritMums told me about the new 2in1 range of recipe mixes from Schwartz and asked if I fancied trying it, I obviously said yes!

“The new 2in1 range offers easy to use recipe mix sachets in one handy pack: one sachet flavours the main dish whilst the other contains ? seasoning for a complimentary side dish or topping. With 5 different varieties to choose from, and an easy recipe on the back of each pack, it’s a great way to try out new dishes or transform an existing family favourite.”

I received a packet of the Schwartz 2in1 Mediterranean Chicken Pasta + Cheesy Crumb Topping (a blend of herbs and spices for chicken pasta with a cheesy topping) and a packet of Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken + Crispy Roast Potatoes (roast chicken seasoning, with garlic and thyme, accompanied by a special seasoning to create perfect crispy roast potatoes) in the post earlier this week.   The other mixes within the range are:

Chicken Tikka + Mint & Cucumber Raita, Garlic & Herb Crunchy Chicken Bites + Cheese & Chive Dip as well as Southern Style Crunchy Chicken Bites + BBQ Dip.

On Friday this week a friend should have been coming over in the evening for a takeaway, unfortunately, she needed to cancel at the last minute, so I needed a quick fix for dinner!  Uum, what to have?

I had a quick look in the cupboard and picked out the packet of Mediterranean Chicken Pasta + Cheesy Crumb Topping.  I noticed on the back of the packet it offered an alternative recipe – using Tuna instead of chicken – problem solved! The packet has a separate section for each part of the recipe mix, with all the instructions, and includes the alternative recipe suggestion.

I put 200g of pasta in a pan of boiling water and set the timer for 10 minutes.

I prepared a crunchy side salad, put the grill on, and then a few minutes before the pasta was ready I put 150ml of cold water in a bowl and added the Mediterranean Pasta mix and stirred through, tipped it into a pan and added 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, 200g of drained tinned sweetcorn and 180g drained tinned tuna ……

Once this mixture was simmering the pasta was cooked.  I drained the pasta and added it to the mixture and cooked through for a further 2 minutes, I then transferred the tuna pasta mixture into a baking dish.  I sprinkled the Cheesy Crumb topping over the mixture…

and then added 75g of grated cheese to finish it off.  I then placed the bake under the grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese was melted and golden, and served with the crunchy side salad.

I have to say that my son loved it, as you can see ……

….. but for me it felt a tad bland, maybe the tuna had an effect? But I was expecting a bit more of a taste sensation.  If I’d had more time I would probably have cooked the chopped tomatoes through first with some onion and peppers before adding to the mixture.

But for a quick, no-fuss meal, it definitely did the trick.  It was simple to prepare and dinner was ready within 15 minutes.  Monkey left an empty plate so he was very happy with this meal.

I plan to try the Schwartz 2in1 Garlic & Thyme Roast Chicken + Crispy Roast Potatoes with our Sunday Roast in a few weeks time, will be interested to see how that turns out.