Lunch can be chaotic in my house, so I am always on the lookout for meals that are filling, reasonably healthy, and fast. Frozen mac and cheese should fill that role, but I have tried enough disappointing options to approach anything new with caution. So when I spotted Counter’s macro friendly meals while wandering the aisles at Target, I felt cautiously optimistic. Would these actually keep me full and on track, or would they end up as another one-and-done experiment?
What Makes Good Frozen Mac and Cheese
Frozen mac and cheese is surprisingly difficult to get right. Storing pasta in sauce for the weeks that it takes to get to my house is going to see some issues. When frozen mac and cheese is good, it’s because of intentional steps the manufacturer takes to tackle these limitations rather than just ignoring them.
Pasta Texture
The pasta texture can make or break mac and cheese. If your noodles are sitting in sauce for too long, you run the risk of it soaking up moisture and losing valuable texture. Because of this, frozen pasta tends to be mushy. You will find that the entire bowl is one uniform texture, and it’s not a good one. Well done frozen mac and cheese finds ways to combat this so your dish isn’t a soggy mess. This is one of the main determining factors if I will buy a frozen mac and cheese brand again.
Sauce
The sauce carries most of the flavor in mac and cheese, and frozen versions tend to struggle here as well. Too much sauce can feel heavy or soupy, while too little leaves the pasta dry and underwhelming. A good frozen mac and cheese hits a middle ground: creamy enough to coat the pasta without overpowering it or turning the dish greasy.
Add-Ins
Add-ins should enhance the dish rather than compete with it. Bacon is a common example of this going wrong, as its flavor can easily overwhelm everything else in the bowl. Textural elements like breadcrumbs also matter; when they lose their crispness, they stop adding contrast and become unnecessary. The best frozen mac and cheese uses add-ins deliberately, supporting the base rather than distracting from it.
Preparation
The final consideration for frozen mac and cheese is more of a guideline than a strict rule. Baked mac and cheese tends to be higher quality, largely because baking allows breadcrumb toppings to crisp and creates a cheese crust that adds texture and contrast as you eat. That does not mean microwaved mac and cheese is bad, but it does have more to overcome. Without the benefit of browning or crisping, microwaved versions rely entirely on pasta texture and sauce to carry the dish.
Counter Jalapeno Popper Mac Review
Jalapeño popper mac and cheese is a natural fit for a pasta dish, with cream cheese, heat, and savory add-ins all working in its favor. Counter’s version caught my attention immediately, since this flavor can easily go wrong if it leans too spicy or too heavy. Overall, this one aims to balance heat, creaminess, and texture in a way that feels intentional. If you prefer making it from scratch, I also have a homemade jalapeño popper mac and cheese recipe that leans fully into those same flavors.
Pasta
Counter lists the pasta in this dish as elbow macaroni, and while it does have the familiar curve, there is one important distinction. The shape is closer to a shellbow, with one side of the tube partially closed. This design traps sauce inside the curve, capturing more flavor than a traditional elbow pasta typically does.
The noodles themselves are well executed. They are far from al dente, but they are not mushy and hold their structure well, which is exactly what you want in a frozen mac and cheese.
Sauce
The sauce takes a backseat in Counter’s jalapeño popper mac, and I’m not mad about it. It’s delicious but doesn’t particularly stand out. However, it does skew a little on the runnier side. Not offensively so, and I suspect that if I let it rest a little longer it would have thickened a bit more.
Add-Ins
This mac and cheese uses three add-ins, each playing a different role in the dish. The grilled chicken is clearly there to boost protein, and while I did not have high expectations for its quality, it ended up being a pleasant surprise. The chicken holds its structure well and adds both substance and flavor.
The jalapeño takes more of a supporting role here. While it contributes some heat, I would have liked to see it come through a bit more to fully earn the jalapeño popper name. Bacon is often the riskiest add-in in frozen mac and cheese, since it can easily overpower everything else. Thankfully, that is not the case here. The bacon complements the dish without pushing itself to the forefront.
Preparation
This mac and cheese only has microwave instructions, and I suspect it’s to hammer home the perception of convenience. It’s not convenient to have to bake your lunch. This does mean that you have lunch ready in 5 minutes. Fortunately, I did not gauge any issues from microwaving this mac and cheese.
Is Counter Jalapeño Popper Mac Worth the Money?
At nearly $6 per serving, Counter’s Jalapeño Popper Mac sits firmly in the premium frozen meal category. In return, it delivers solid protein, good flavor balance, and a level of structure that is not always easy to find in frozen mac and cheese. While it is not something I would reach for every day, it is a reliable option to keep on hand for busy days when convenience matters just as much as quality.
Counter Taco Mac
Taco mac is not a flavor combination I have explored much on my own, and Counter’s version made me wonder why. The addition of bell peppers and onions immediately drew me in, and the dish delivers bold flavor paired with solid texture. It ended up being one of the standouts in Counter’s lineup.
Pasta
Taco Mac uses the same shellbow-style pasta found in the Jalapeño Popper Mac, and it works even better here. The elbow-shaped pasta has one partially closed end, which helps trap sauce and seasoning within the curve. As a result, each bite carries more of the dish’s flavor rather than letting it pool at the bottom.
Sauce
Counter uses a queso sauce in their Taco Mac, and it suits the dish well. The sauce is creamy and flavorful without overwhelming the pasta or add-ins, helping tie everything together into a cohesive bite.
Add-ins
Counter uses ground beef, bell peppers, and onions to complement their taco mac, and the combination works well. The add-ins bring freshness, flavor, and structure to the dish, creating a filling take on pasta that feels cohesive rather than heavy. This is the kind of frozen meal that actually leaves you wanting to come back to it.
Preparation
Like Counter’s other products, this dish is prepared exclusively in the microwave. I had some concerns that this would lead to texture issues, but that was not the case here. The pasta and sauce hold up well, making this a convenient option that still delivers on flavor.
Is Counter Taco Mac Worth the Price?
Taco Mac was our favorite of the Counter lineup. The flavors are well balanced, the noodles hold their structure, and the dish delivers solid nutrition in a compact, convenient meal. While it is clearly a frozen product, it comes closer than most to tasting freshly prepared. This is one I would happily keep stocked, and it has earned an honored place in my freezer.
Counter Easy Lasagna Review
Lasagna is a classic frozen entrèe, and for good reason. Its ingredients take well to freezing and it’s a hearty, comforting dish to have on a busy or cold night. Counter’s Easy Lasagna invokes those feelings in an easy, comforting dish that is ready in around 5 minutes.
Pasta
The pasta in Counter’s Easy Lasagna is another strong point. This was one of the first dishes I tried, and I went in skeptical, but the noodles held their structure well and balanced nicely with the other ingredients. Instead of becoming soft or gummy, the pasta maintained enough bite to support the sauce and fillings.
Sauce
In this dish, the sauce blends closely with the other ingredients rather than standing out on its own. When it was fresh out of the microwave, I was initially concerned, as the sauce appeared oily and unappetizing. After a thorough stir, the dish came together more evenly, and the greasiness was not noticeable when eating it.
Add-Ins
Ground beef and ricotta are classic lasagna ingredients, and they work well in Counter’s Easy Lasagna. Together, they add richness and structure, giving the dish a hearty, filling quality that feels true to what you want from a frozen lasagna.
Preparation
Every Italian grandma would probably roll her eyes at the idea of preparing lasagna in the microwave, but in this case, it works. The noodles hold up well, and the end result is a filling, comforting meal in just over five minutes. For a frozen dish, that level of convenience paired with solid texture is hard to argue with.
Is Counter’s Easy Lasagna Worth It?
The Easy Lasagna ranked second in our lineup behind Taco Mac. All of their dishes are around $6 per serving, and this would be a great option to keep on hand for busy days. It’s cozy, filling, and comes together quickly, perfect for when you need to rely on it.
Counter’s Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Review
This is Counter’s weakest dish in the lineup. I had high expectations going into it, especially since Alfredo pasta is one of my favorite comfort foods, second only to mac and cheese. Unfortunately, this dish fell flat across most of the areas I look for in frozen pasta, making it a disappointing outlier among Counter’s offerings.
Pasta
While I praised the pasta quality in Counter’s other dishes, the pasta in their Chicken Alfredo left a lot to be desired. The penne pasta seemed to absorb far more sauce than in the other meals, resulting in noodles that were gummy and unpleasant. Instead of distinct bites, the texture was uniform throughout the bowl, and not in a good way.
Sauce
I had high expectations for the Alfredo sauce in this dish, and it ultimately fell short. The flavor is comparable to many standard frozen Alfredo sauces, but it does not stand out. If you are short on time, a jarred Alfredo sauce paired with fresh pasta delivers a noticeably better result.
Add-ins
I had to read the packaging more than once to confirm that chicken was included in this dish. The add-ins blend into the sauce and pasta so completely that everything takes on the same homogenous texture, with very little flavor or textural contrast. As a result, the chicken does little to enhance the overall experience.
Preparation
While frozen mac and cheese often benefits from being baked, I do not think a different preparation method would have saved this dish. Like the other Counter meals, it is prepared in the microwave, but the pasta texture issues felt inherent rather than procedural. Even with oven baking, the noodles would likely remain gummy.
Is Counter’s 3 Cheese Chicken Alfredo Worth It?
For me, this is the one dish in Counter’s lineup that does not earn a repeat purchase. Between the pasta texture issues and the lack of contrast from the add-ins, it falls short of the standard set by the other meals. If Alfredo is your go-to comfort food, you may still be curious to try it, but compared to Counter’s stronger pasta options, this one is easy to skip.
Add a Fork
Is Counter’s lineup of macro friendly dishes worth keeping on hand? Yes. While these are not meals I would serve to impress guests, they deliver solid flavor, reliable texture, and convenient protein in a format that works well for busy days. When you need something filling and satisfying without much effort, Counter’s pastas earn their place in the freezer.
