A couple of week’s ago at a local supermarket, Heinen’s, I was on my way to look for Beyond burgers (a meatless alternative) that I have had several times in burger form. When I went over to the “Plant-based” section of the meat department, I was pleased and excited to see that they carried Impossible products, which in my humble opinion, are better than beyond burgers when it comes to taste. Not only did they have the pre-made burger patties, there was also burger in a package that could be used in the same way as ground beef in any recipe. I bought one package and used it in a spaghetti sauce recipe and it was good…but kind of hard to tell how close it was to “real meat,” which I haven’t eaten in about 15 years.
This last trip to the supermarket I bought another couple of packages for a meatloaf recipe that called for one pound of ground beef. (Impossible sells in 12 oz packages, so I had to buy 2 and have a 1/2 pound left over). I followed a recipe that I found on-line: https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-meatloaf/. Friday afternoon, the house smelled amazing as I was making this for Shabbat dinner; in large part, I suppose, due to the sweet sauce on top. Even so, the proof is in the taste, and it was AMAZING! The texture and taste closely reseble that of real ground meatloaf (at least from what I remember). Today I had leftovers on a challah roll with some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. Sublime.
I am already thinking of other ways to use the Impossible burgers: tacos, stuffed cabbage, sloppy joe’s, etc. A whole new world has opened up since the product doesn’t require any modifications in recipes. It can be used exactly as ground beef.
As for the nutrition, here is a good article from Harvard Health Publishing: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/impossible-and-beyond-how-healthy-are-these-meatless-burgers-2019081517448. The article compares Impossible, Beyond, turkey, ground beef, and black bean burgers. There are trade-offs with each product–although ground turkey followed by black bean burgers seem to be the healthiest choices. Strictly comparing Impossible with ground beef, Impossible has less cholesterol but more sodium, more carbs but also more fiber. The calorie and fat counts are similar, but Impossible has higher saturated fats.
While Impossible may not be a healthier alternative, it is a meatless alternative. For those of us who do not eat meat, Impossible is an excellent substitute. I cannot wait to try some more recipes!
Kosher Fitness 