Woolworths Pepper Steak Ready Meal
Posted: October 5, 2022 Updated: November 8, 2023
The Woolworths pepper steak ready meal saved me from cooking just for myself this week. About once a month my husband will have an evening work event, usually a dinner, leaving me to figure out what to eat by myself.
Usually it’s a fun time, I go out and buy a fancy steak or cook up a stir-fry with prawns (they aren’t his favourite). But some days you just find yourself exhausted and without the will to cook and that’s where a ready meal is a lifesaver.
Just one of my three local Woolworths stores stocks this ready meal so it can be hard to track down. But as soon as I saw it a few months ago I made a mental note. Gluten free ready meals are hard to come by in Australia!
The taste
This gluten free ready meal comes together really well. The beef is quite tender, naturally it is well-done but that’s to be expected. Despite this the meat is not chewy or stringy.
The potato mash is super smooth creamy, it’s not too salty and it is slightly buttery. Looking at the ingredients it does contain real butter! I added pepper to mine, it does have some in it but I love freshly cracked pepper.
The red wine gravy is tasty, with nice savoury notes. It does have a few tiny onion pieces. If you’ve read enough of my reviews you’ll know I don’t like onion. I was able to fish these out quickly enough and enjoy the gravy.
The mushrooms that sit in the gravy are good too, which is surprising for a ready meal. Often they can be completely obliterated by the cooking process however these were fairly firm and certainly not soggy.
The good
It’s got a four star health rating too! Not sure I’ve seen many of these on ready meals but I’ll try and compare it soon.
Also at 38.4g it’s got a whopping serve of protein for a ready meal. I think this is part of why it was my go-to when I was younger – I was a budding powerlifter back then so protein intake was a priority.
The Upgrade
As always I upgraded my meal with extra vegetables – a side of green beans and mushrooms. I didn’t actually realise mushrooms were included so that was a nice bonus.
When I first bought this years ago I’d buy a little side salad to go with it. You always need fresh greens!
THE VERDICT
I first bought the Woolworths pepper steak ready meal around 2012. Ten years later I’ve come back to it and it’s still a solid meal.
Okay not the greatest meal you’ll ever have, but it’s plain and simple and I think reasonably healthy for a ready meal as well.
I’d certainly buy this again or their other gluten free ready meal, the chicken prosciutto.
PRODUCT DETAILS
Gluten free: Legit GF, nil detected
Vegetarian / vegan: Nope, beef.
Allergens: Milk. May contain: Fish, soy.
Serving size: One serve.
Still looking for quick and easy gluten free meal options on the go? Check out the Hart and Soul chicken and corn soup and Aldi’s instant noodle kits.
See my guide if you’d like to know every hidden gluten free ready meal at Woolies.