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Taste Test: Pizza Hut's Tuscani Lasagna

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:00:32 -0800

At the Food Fete that Party and I attended a few weeks ago, we ran into some representatives from Pizza Hut, who revealed that the fast food chain would be introducing yet another pasta to its delivery lineup: lasagna. After the intriguing taste test results of our Pizza Hut pastas, I was looking forward to giving the lasagna ($14.99) a try. It's impossible to go too wrong with any dish made of pasta, tomato sauce, and melted cheese. To check out more pictures and find out what I thought, read more.

Pizza Hut's Tuscani lasagna is made with three cheeses - ricotta, Parmesan, and Romano - as well as a meat sauce, so it's not an option for vegetarians. Upon first glance, it looked like a dead ringer for the meat marinara pasta I'd tried last month - that is to say, not so appealing. The tray was also a behemoth. The lasagna claims to feed a family of four, but I'd say that, considering it weighs in at over three pounds, it could easily feed a couple more mouths.

With a firm, chewy bite and a nice ratio of meat, cheese, pasta, and sauce, the lasagna was actually enjoyable. Both of us went back for seconds. We were, however, shocked by how sweet the dish was: the marinara was decidedly sweet, and the rest of the recipe compensated for this by being incredibly salty.

My advice to the Pizza Hut kitchen would be to cut back on both the sugar and the salt. If you're a big lasagna fan, don't want to bother with reheating and cooking, and can handle a bit of overseasoning, I'd say this could be the match for you.

Have you tried this dish yet? What did you think of it?

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Taste Test: Pizza Hut's Tuscani Pastas

YumSugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:15:08 -0800

Earlier this year, Pizza Hut played a trick on the country by claiming it had changed its name to Pasta Hut. Although the name change turned out to be an advertising prank, the pizza delivery chain did roll out a new line of Tuscani Pastas ($12.99). After trying out Domino's new line of subs, I decided that to be fair, I'd give Pizza Hut's pastas a try, too. To find out how the chain's new offerings tasted, read more.

Much like we felt Domino's subs tasted like pizza, PartySugar and I thought Pizza Hut's pastas actually looked like pizza. I did a double take on the Meaty Marinara, as it looked like a standard cheese pizza!

Meaty Marinara: This pasta arrived with slightly burnt edges, and was the least appetizing to look at. Thank goodness its name includes the word "meat," since the dish actually looks like it's vegetarian: The pasta, marinara, and meat are on underneath a thick layer of melted mozzarella. The sauce tasted more like pizza sauce than pasta sauce, but this option, with its tomato base, seemed the healthiest of the three.

Creamy Chicken Alfredo: Although the chicken strips were tender and meaty, this was my least favorite of the pastas. The congealed Alfredo sauce was representative of why I usually hesitate to order Alfredo.

Premium Bacon Mac 'N Cheese: This was the best of the pastas, with its smooth, creamy Velveeta-like texture and crisp and meaty bits of smoky bacon.

Beware that these pastas are certainly not light. After tasting a sample of each, I felt satisfied for hours. Later, I had a few more bites of each, and I felt thirsty, bloated, and a little sick. However, if you're already inclined to order delivery from Pizza Hut, there's no harm in ordering a pasta instead - my vote goes to the Premium Bacon Mac 'N Cheese (2 a.m. after a night on the town, anyone?). Have you been tried out Pizza Hut's pastas? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Pizza Hut Is Now Pasta Hut . . . or Is It?

YumSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:29:51 -0700

OK, I'm assuming this is a Pizza Hut's way of playing a practical April Fool's joke on all of its customers, but you never can tell these days. It could just be and oddly-timed marketing scheme.

This morning, the Pizza Hut chain unveiled new signage declaring they're now serving pasta so good that they've decided to change their name. The dishes that inspired the name change are the Creamy Chicken Alfredo and Meaty Marinara. The 3-lb. servings - that are baked in a blend of sauce and cheese - will be available for $11.99. Scott Bergen, Pizza Hut's CEO, said:

For 50 years we've been all about pizza. As we've prepared for the launch of our new line of Tuscani Pastas our customers have consistently told us these pastas are so good we should change our name to Pasta Hut. Starting tomorrow, Pizza Hut is Pasta Hut.

I can't imagine they would actually change their name, although I could see them doing it for a short promotional period. Surely the name change must be an April Fool's joke? Either way I want to know, are you curious about their new baked pastas, and would you buy pasta from Pizza Hut?

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Pizza Hut Tuscani Pastas

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:20:01 -0800

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Pizza Hut Diversifies, but Claims It Hasn't Changed Names

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:30:08 -0700

Recently, Domino's has overloaded on carbs with pasta bread bowls, Wendy's has supplemented its menu with boneless chicken wings, and Burger King's realized its destiny with pork ribs. Along the same lines, Pizza Hut has expanded its horizons, adding lasagna, pasta, and buffalo chicken to its lineup. But - contrary to public speculation - the fast food company will not be abbreviating its name. In light of rumors that the franchise was shortening its name to "The Hut," Pizza Hut has made an official statement that it has no plans for a name change.

“Pizza Hut is not changing its name. We are proud of our name and heritage and will continue to be Pizza Hut. We do use ‘The Hut’ in some of our marketing efforts," Brian Niccol, the company's chief marketing officer, clarified. The company, which is best known for its fast-delivery pizzas, has attempted to overcome poor sales by expanding its repertoire to include other food items and using the shortened nickname "The Hut." The chain is also launching a new "Big Eat Tiny Price" value menu.

What are your thoughts on Pizza Hut moving beyond pizza? Can its new items set it apart from other competitors? Does a name like "The Hut" compel you to buy something other than delivery pizza?

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Taste Test: Domino's Bread Bowl Pastas

YumSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:00:53 -0700

The world of fast food is certainly quick paced, so the second Domino's begun advertising five flavors of pasta housed in a bread bowl, it seemed everybody was buzzing about it. When Party and I first got word of these monsters, we were simultaneously shocked (who came up with the concept?), appalled, and eager to try them. Yesterday turned out to be the Domino's day of reckoning - to find out how the bowls stood up to their shock value, read more.

It's hard to fathom why Domino's rolled out this concept of carbs inside more carbs, but the fact that competitor Pizza Hut has already racked up more than $500 million in sales of its Tuscani Pastas and lasagna, puts things more into perspective. However, as soon as we opened the delivery, we were faced with many unanswered questions: How many people was each bread bowl supposed to feed? Was the dish designed to be eaten like a pizza, or were we supposed to eat the pasta first, then the bowl?

Pasta Primavera: This bread bowl was filled with pasta, baby spinach, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and a goopy, oily Alfredo sauce. While the sole vegetarian option was filled with vegetables, I questioned whether the dish contained any protein.

Chicken Carbonara: Although this tasted somewhat like carbonara, it was covered with similar globs of white sauce.

Three Cheese Mac-N-Cheese: This was our least favorite. We love macaroni and cheese, but the flavors of the dish - bland, artificial nacho cheese, subpar penne, and a yeasty bread bowl - just did not seem to meld at all.

Italian Sausage Marinara: If we had to choose a best of the tasting, it would have been the Italian Sausage Marinara, which was rather reminiscent of regular pizza delivery with breadsticks. But then again, why not just order pizza and breadsticks?

Chicken Alfredo: All of the bowls were loaded with sodium (I drank water for hours afterward), but the Chicken Alfredo was swimming in a sauce that was over-the-top salty, to the point of being unpleasant to eat.

Unsurprisingly, the Pasta Primavera, Chicken Carbonara, and Chicken Alfredo flavors - which possess the same mysterious creamy white sauce - all taste remarkably similar. The bread bowl itself, which tastes a lot like Domino's breadsticks, was satisfying, but overall, unless we were starving and had no other options, or were carbo loading for a marathon the next day, we wouldn't eat this again.

Have you tried any of the Bread Bowl Pastas? If so, what was your assessment of them?

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Domino's Pizza To Do Sandwiches

partysugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:15:14 -0700

Last week Jack in the Box expanded their breakfast menu to include brunch bowls, and this week Domino's Pizza has announced plans to introduce submarine sandwiches. The pizza delivery chain will offer four different kinds of baked sandwiches, including a Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich and a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. The $4.99 sandwiches will be delivered with or without a pizza order.With the sandwiches, which are available to order beginning on Aug. 25, Domino's hopes to increase lunch sales. Last Spring, Pizza Hut added pasta to their menu, so it's no surprise that Domino's is looking for other ways to grow profits. What do you think about the expansion? Will you try Domino's sandwiches?

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