Can you spot the ultraprocessed foods?

Take a virtual shopping trip to learn more about what's on grocery store shelves.

Lean Cusine Feature Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese
Frozen Foods
📊 NOVA 4✨ Seed Oil Free

Lean Cusine Feature Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Lean Cuisine
8 oz
Available at Foodtown
280
Calories
18g
Protein
4g
Sugars
800mg
Sodium
1g
Fiber
42
Ingredients

What You Should Know

Lean Cuisine Protein Kick Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese is a single-serve frozen bowl that lives in the refrigerated frozen meals aisle, stacked alongside other microwavable entrees and branded diet-friendly frozen dinners. You’ll spot it near other Lean Cuisine varieties, Stouffer’s bowls, and low-calorie frozen options. It reads like a modernized TV-dinner: a creamy, pale white-cheddar sauce folded with short pasta in a microwave-safe plastic tray sealed under a cardboard sleeve. The brand leans on portion control and protein-focused messaging—“Protein Kick,” calorie counts, and talk of premium ingredients—positioning it for busy, calorie-conscious shoppers who want convenience without a heavy indulgence. The packaging emphasizes clean-label cues such as “no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives,” but it is not organic and contains industrial ingredients like modified food starch. In plain terms it’s a ready-to-heat, industrially prepared frozen meal. Sensory notes: the sauce is smooth and tangy with a dairy-forward cheddar flavor and a slightly elastic, al dente-to-soft pasta texture; bites can be creamier when stirred after microwaving. Typical usage is pragmatic and ritualized—grab from the freezer on a hurried weeknight, heat for about 5–6 minutes, peel back the film, stir, and eat straight from the tray or pair with a side salad. Occasions range from quick solo lunches to late-night comfort meals. Culturally it sits at the intersection of nostalgic comfort food and contemporary diet culture, marketed toward adults who seek familiar, comforting flavors in a controlled, convenient format.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1.0
Servings per Container: 1
Calories280
% Daily Value*
Total Fat7g9%
Saturated Fat4.5g23%
Cholesterol20mg7%
Sodium800mg35%
Total Carbohydrate35g13%
Dietary Fiber1g4%
Total Sugars4g
Protein18g
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Ingredients

Cheese, Sauce:, Skim, Milk,, Reduced, Fat, Vermont, Cheddar, Cheese, (Cultured, Low, Fat, Milk,, Salt,, Enzymes,, Vitamin, A, Palmitate),, Water,, Sharp, Cheddar, Cheese, (Cultured, Milk,, Salt,, Enzymes),, Modified, Food, Starch,, Salt,, Butter, (Cream,, Salt),, Spices., Cooked, Pasta, (Water,, Semolina, Wheat, Flour,, Wheat, Gluten)..

Dietary Labels

This product is not vegan, is not gluten-free, and is not organic.

Ultra-Processing Assessment

NOVA Score:4 / 4

Ultra-Processed

Why this score?

This is an industrially formulated, ready-to-heat frozen meal containing processed cheese preparations and modified food starch, consistent with NOVA Group 4 (ultra-processed) criteria.

Daily Ritual

Can you Spot Ultraprocessed Foods? Play our Supermarket Game

Take a virtual shopping trip to learn more about what's on grocery store shelves.

Shopping in the supermarket oil aisle

Others also viewed

Common Questions about Lean Cusine Feature Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese

It depends on what you mean by healthy! With 280 calories and 18 grams of protein, it can fit into a balanced meal, especially if you're looking for a quick and satisfying option. However, it does have a higher sodium content at 800 mg, so if you're watching your salt intake, that’s something to keep in mind.

Perfect For

back-to-school
post-workout
movie-night

Vibe:

convenientcomfortingnostalgicpractical
$NaN
per package