9 Pre-Made Foods You Should Buy From Walmart And 5 You Should Skip

Thanks to Walmart's enterprising full-service grocery operation, you can find an incredible selection of pre-made food to make your dining life easier. It only takes a stroll through the deli section to discover how many different varieties of prepared dishes are at your disposal. You'll find everything from mashed potatoes to pre-made sandwiches to side salads, all ready to be devoured as soon as you hit the check stand. The company really sets you up for success with these items.

Not everything in the portfolio of prepared foods is going to be a satisfying purchase, of course. You're bound to compare whatever you buy to homemade and restaurant versions of the same dishes and discover they either hit the mark or fall short. I was curious about which pre-made Walmart foods were worth the money and which were a waste of cash. I rounded up what amounts to a cook out-style menu and invited my omnivore kids over to help me separate the prime picks from the definite skips. Even though a tasty time was (mostly) had by all, there are some definite downfalls in the choices I made. Let's all learn from this experience and avoid some serious Walmart grocery shopping mistakes with the pre-made foods you should buy and the ones you should skip.

No need to get all wrapped up in making your own wrap-style sandwiches when Marketside at Walmart can do it for you. It may not replicate a table at Panera or Wildflower Bakery, but if you're not in the mood to spend two or three times what you need to for a tortilla filled with meat, cheese, and veggies, swinging by Walmart for a tasty lunch or supper option is the next best thing. Depending on how spot-on the formula turns out to be, it may even be a better experience, thanks to the significant savings and being able to enjoy a side dish or dessert with the money you save.

Caesar Chicken was the flavor of the hour, and aside from having just a little too much tortilla at the end — which might be good if that's your kind of thing — this is an exemplary substitute for your usual sandwich, per my wrap-trying daughter. The fillings-to-dressing ratio is spot on, creating a nuanced version of the Caesar flavor arrangement in a grab and go bite you can tuck in your lunchbox or cooler. Way to go, Walmart!

Having the versatility of pre-made coleslaw means you can incorporate a ready side dish into your picnic spread or top your handcrafted barbecue sandwiches in style. When Walmart adds a collection of coleslaw to its Freshness Guaranteed line of pre-made foods, the possibilities become enticing. But a little too much mayonnaise or too little vinegar can curdle the container and disappoint diners in a major way. Can you count on this creation to be a big-box banger or should you spend your money In better ways?

While my previous experience marked this as one of the greatest store-bought coleslaws, somehow the batch I chose was either inundated with onion powder (on the ingredient list) or included actual onions (not on the ingredient list). The impact was so overpowering, my throat seized up and I couldn't speak for several minutes after taking just a single bite. This sort of inconsistency is one of the worst secrets Walmart has in store. Paying five dollars or so a tub shouldn't be such a game of coleslaw roulette, no matter what my prior opinion was.

There's little comparison to be made between blue box mac and cheese and anything that comes fresh from the deli. Handcrafted mac and cheese tops powdered sauce and home-boiled noodles any day. But that doesn't mean that every pre-made mac and cheese turns out to be a top-notch side dish; some recipes thin out the sauce and make mushy pasta an accomplice in what amounts to a culinary crime. With Freshness Guaranteed mac and cheese, Walmart takes a swing at providing premium mac and cheese for its customers who are in no mood to mess with making their own. Does the chain do this comfort-food standard a service or could you do better all by yourself?

A single bite of this magnificent mac and cheese revealed that it's the same recipe used by Sam's Club, or at least a very convincing duplicate. With silky cheese sauce coating the surface of every arc-shaped noodle, each bite delivered exactly what a dish like this is supposed to. At just about a dollar for a small cup, there's no question it could replace Kraft in a heartbeat.

Anyone who's prepared their own pasta salad knows how many steps go into creating a dish with so many varied tastes and textures. Shredding cheese, slicing tomatoes, chopping vegetables, boiling pasta ... for such a simple finished product, the process can really take the fun out of food prep. When I discovered that Walmart stocks Freshness Guaranteed ready-to-serve garden pasta salad, it was a no-brainer to add this tasty temptation to my shopping list. Maybe you can tell that I dug into this one with high hopes, ready for them to be dashed at any second if the dressing was too heavy or the balance of pasta to add-ins didn't add up to deliciousness.

Though this pasta salad is workable and contains all the right elements, including zesty Italian dressing and diced vegetables that don't get in the way of the corkscrew pasta, it's also no more impressive than any pasta salad you've ever had. If I were shopping for the best things to buy in the Walmart pre-made food world, I'd put this one aside in favor of a more exciting purchase.

I won't beat around the bush here: Deli-made potato wedges are one of my favorite foods of all time, whether they play a side role in a greater meal or they stand at the center of the table as the only thing I'm willing to eat. In the presence of these tasty tubers, I revert to the appetite of a 4-year-old who only wants fries and won't eat the burger. Knowing the difference between a potato that pops and one that flops, I was over the moon to give Freshness Guaranteed potato wedges a shot. I've never sampled this prime pick from Walmart before, so I went into it using my opinion on how a proper potato wedge should taste as a road map.

Hooray for a pre-made food section that does potato wedges right! These followed the formula that I know and love, with enough batter to flavor the potatoes without making it feel like you're eating a mouthful of baked flour. The potatoes themselves are soft and pliable, holding up nicely even as they cooled in the bag. A definite stand-in for the standard French fry.

So maybe a Marketside sub isn't as customizable as something from Subway or Jimmy John's. But the plentiful fillings that come stuffed between slices of somewhat artisanal bread provide an alternative that's easy to pick up while you're doing your other shopping or to grab on your way to the park for an easy picnic centerpiece. With a variety of possibilities like roast beef and Italian cold cuts, the options mimic your favorite sub shop. But do the taste and texture turn out to be equal to what you'd get at those places, or are you better off spending a little more for a direct experience from the sandwich artists themselves?

It turns out your money would be better spent going to somebody who actually knows how to make a sandwich. I went with the All American sub, which was one of the blandest items on the list per my team, with okay bread holding flavorless meat, mushy cheese, and two tiny packets of mustard and mayo that weren't nearly enough to cover the spread. Sub lovers cannot live by bread alone obviously, so let this sorry sandwich serve as a Walmart grocery shopping red flag and steer clear.

There isn't a huge variety of prepared green salads available in the Walmart refrigerated cases. So when I spied the Spinach Dijon salad among the Marketside selections, I was stoked to add it to the list. My hopes for enjoying something along the lines of a prime Panera pick might have been a bit too pie-in-the-sky for a supermarket salad made ahead of time. But when it comes to expectations for spending a grocery budget, you might as well shoot for the moon. And besides, expecting something less than enjoyable when choosing food of any kind just doesn't make sense.

This salad offers a hearty bed of baby spinach leaves sturdy enough to support the toppings, which in this case includes hard-boiled eggs, shredded cheese, cranberries and almonds, and fried noodles. The dressing is the perfect combination of Dijon spice and honey sweetness. All told, this one is a future lunch or last-minute dinner shopping possibility for sure.

Chicken tenders long ago replaced the humble hamburger for parents trying to feed hungry kids ... or for adults trying to feed themselves, for that matter. The humble strip has become such a fast-food staple, that even freezer nuggets can't replicate the supreme enjoyment of a properly made strip of tender white meat that's been breaded and fried to levels of ecstasy few other dishes can reach. Having left behind my meat-eating habits, I can only live on the memory of how much I loved chicken strips. Thanks to my helpful team of everything eaters (my kids), I can weigh in by proxy on how well Walmart does with its Freshness Guaranteed chicken tenders.

Per my taste testers, there's nothing rave-worthy or crave-worthy about these chicken strips. Everything is present and accounted for, though nothing signals a triumph over other chicken strips. Paying five dollars resulted in a purchase of four medium-size strips, which isn't nearly what I was picturing from the online listing. This is a definite no-go for future visits to Walmart's pre-made food wonderland.

Another chart topper in the world of cook out and picnic fare, potato salad is one of those dishes that you'll make if you have to, but you'd rather have somebody else show up with it instead. Having Freshness Guaranteed potato salad in a suite of tempting variations makes it easy to choose but difficult to decide. Rather than opt for one of the jazzy flavored versions, I stuck with straight ahead classic potato salad to get a sense of what the base experience might be. Total disclosure: I have sampled some of these potato salads for prior Mashed taste tests, So I wasn't exactly stumbling into this one blindly. But stacking it up against entirely different dishes to create an overarching meal is a different approach that warrants a revisit to the potato salad section.

While it's fair to say that potato salad is potato salad is potato salad, Walmart does a serviceable job providing a palatable version. The potatoes are tender, which isn't always the case, and the dressing and seasonings are pleasant enough to lend flavor without taking over. This is a dish I'd definitely invite to future cook outs.

If you go into a Walmart to pick up Freshness Guaranteed mashed potatoes expecting something like you'd find at Boston Market or KFC, you might be setting yourself up for heartache. Not every restaurant can whip a tater into a frenzy-inducing lusciousness, but if you're assembling dinner at the last minute and you're looking for homestyle options that don't require turning on the oven it's worth giving this restaurant-challenging deli hot bar favorite the benefit of the doubt. At least, that's what I thought when I saw an empty spot on the proverbial picnic table and decided that this would make a great space filler. Was I overthinking?

What a revelation to discover that Walmart can make mashed potatoes better than KFC! They're thick and fluffy, with a buttery, almost cream cheese-like flavor and a sprinkling of pepper that adds just enough warm spice. The price is right too at $.97 for a small cup, which is enough to feed one or two people depending on the size of their appetites. It's a definite buy for dinner makers in a hurry.

A selection of soothing soups from Marketside makes it easy for soup and sandwich diners to grab a tub and tote it to the home kitchen for heating and enjoying. Flavors like chicken tortilla and broccoli cheddar replicate exactly what you find in the kettles at finer restaurants without requiring you to put your napkin in your lap or wear real shoes instead of flip flops. I'm no soup snob, but I know a decent brew when I taste one. So I scooped up a container of creamy mushroom and herb and dished it up among the other items to complete my suite of pre-made possibilities.

It turns out if you've had one mushroom soup with herbs, you've probably had them all. There's plenty of umami essence here, but nothing beyond that justifies buying a tub you'll have to eat from more than once. You do better to take your chances with a can of mushroom soup from Progresso instead.

You might not expect to find elegant options among the pre-made foods at Walmart, but Marketside flatbread selections are here to open your eyes to the possibilities. While it's true that these upmarket pizzas are a take-and-bake option that require an oven to be fully prepared, they only take about 15 minutes. For anyone who takes pre-made food seriously, this is convenient enough to warrant a spin. I honed in on the artichoke-spinach-tomato combination, which allowed me to stick with a vegetarian mix, though there are plenty of meat lover blends to be had. I envisioned a premium alternative to frozen pizza, but I've been known to fool myself about food in the past.

Who knew a bargain flatbread pizza could be so convincingly gourmet? The perfect upscale Italian mix of chopped artichokes, cherry tomatoes and spinach shreds are perfect for adding depth to the mozzarella and white sauce. I took mine out of the oven before the crust became crispy, which wasn't the smartest move, since I had to sample floppy slices, but that's on me, not Walmart. I'd easily add this to my party menu.

There's no reason dessert can't be part of the pre-made food parade at Walmart. It's a cookies and cream mousse that offers a cupful of lush happiness designed to end your meal on a sweet up note, though there's no guarantee that what Marketside food technicians consider mousse will be tasty enough to do the trick. Since we're giving the idea of pre-made food at Walmart a blank slate to work from, adding a sweet treat to the mix felt like the right thing to do. Plus, it's chocolate mousse and chocolate cookies; how bad could it possibly be?

For a single serving cup of dessert fluff, the mousse does some heavy lifting in the flavor department. With a dusting of cookies on top and a small heap of crushed cookies at the bottom with a generous scoop of whipped deliciousness in between, Marketside makes a pillowy delight that was just about cleared out in a few bites. It's a definite contender for repeat purchases down the road.

There's something delightful about a single-serve egg roll that comes in its own package for only a dollar. It's one of the few Asian dishes that makes the leap to the fast-food world, thanks to eateries like Jack-in-the-Box and Panda Express. Walmart fries up egg rolls and puts them within easy reach for customers with just enough hunger and money to make the purchase. I added one to the list to see how it fared against its better-known counterparts. How wrong could a deli go with an egg roll, right?

Not very wrong at all! Though it's offered in a format closer to a convenience store than a fast-food restaurant, this crispy cylinder filled with chicken, shredded cabbage, and carrots is a three-bite sensation, according to my taste-testing daughter. There's no reason I wouldn't make a run to Walmart just to pick up a few when my guests are feeling peckish for inexpensive Asian snacks. I'd even add them to my homemade stir-fry menu instead of attempting homemade chicken egg rolls.

Thanks to the variety of pre-made foods Walmart has in stock, I was able to plan this taste test as an overarching meal. I looked for foods that would serve as appetizers, mains, sides, and desserts to get an idea of how each course played. Since prepared foods cover a wide range of formats, I chose items that could either be eating straight out of the package or required simple heat-and-eat prep. And with so many possibilities within each category, I zeroed in on items that represented the whole section best, like the All American sub as a representative for the sandwiches, and so on. Choosing pre-made foods from such a huge provider is no quick task.

With my taste test team gathered around the table to help with the meat-based items, we all took samples of what we could eat based on our particular dietary practices. The result was a panel of sorts that provided a clear picture of how the various types of pre-made foods stack up, both on their own and against one another.