My Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
As United Airlines continues to present vegetarian options for its guests onboard, I had the opportunity to try the Impossible Meatball bowl on a recent flight.
Impossible Meatball Bowl On United Airlines
I do a lot of flying that I do not write about, including a trip earlier this week to Pittsburgh. My flight from Los Angeles to Chicago featured dinner onboard. Since it was a widebody plane, pre-orders were not available and I had a choice between chicken za’atar or meatless meatballs.
To great fanfare, United debuted these meatballs in June, describing them in this way:
The Impossible Meatball bowl features three Impossible Meatballs made from plants and broccolini served on a bed of couscous and topped with an herb-infused tomato sauce. Impossible Meatballs are made with a custom mix of Impossible Beef made from plants and Impossible Sausage, seasoned with a savory homestyle spice blend.
I’ll buy Impossible Meat if it is one sale because I find it comparable in taste to lower-grade beef and mixed up in a pasta bake or in chili it really is not bad at all.
I was a bit skeptical about the consistency of the meatballs but actually found them very acceptable for a late-night snack. United has substituted fresh fruit on the side for mozzarella cheese with tomatoes (sometimes sun-dried, sometimes not) on top. I mixed in the cheese with the meatballs and thought it was an even better combo.
Tempted as I was, I left the bread behind but did eat the “pie in the sky” cookie.
We will shortly see these meatballs rotate out of the menu (a new vegetarian dish will be available), but I would order these again…they were not bad at all.
Have you tried United’s Impossible Meatballs?
I really liked the meatball dish! Only downside was that it was offered so long (6 months I think), along with the chicken zaatar, they both became tiresome for frequent meal flight flyers!
It’s now been replaced by a “Harvest Grain Bowl”. I may miss the meatball exit after all!
The Harvest grain bowl will be with us for a while, so let’s hope it is good.
So true! Please let it be good!!
Why do they keep shoving this plant garbage in our faces. And when it’s 50% of the offerings, it’s shoving it in our face. Sorry but 50% of the public isn’t vegan or veggie nuts. I wonder how many companies are getting a kickback to push this?
Seeing their stock down from $85 to $15 seems to prove me right that it isn’t that popular.
Exactly! My dogs wouldn’t even eat any “impossible” dishes for crying out loud. Total unhealthy garbage but Bon Appetit suckers!
I agree. Impossible to eat
These aren’t really for “vegan or veggie nuts.” (Some vegans are actually mad that this is their only option in some flights). They’re trying to push meat eaters into these fake meats.
Maybe they do it to “own the cons”
very true It is the same with Delta esp flight going to west coast only 1 real meat option and it is gone by 2nd row!!
Who is your broker? United at $18? United stock is at $44 and expected to gain further?
I vehemently object to lovely vegetables (and other foods) masquerading as meat, milk, cheese etc. Please. If I want veggies I really don’t want them pretending to be something else. There are plenty of delicious ways to prepare a plant based meal without misrepresentations. So these will never be meatballs. Just call them soy balls And when we get to “cheese” derived from nuts I want to scream. Call it extrude nuts, nut paste whatever. It’s not cheese.
Horrible product. Fake meat that is extremely unhealthy and highly processed. Read the label. Stay away.
Agreed. And haven’t we learned the more possessed,the more unhealthy. Also Impossible uses GMO plants. Myself not interested.. Adults should not need fake meals to transition into a plant based diet. Who are they actually kidding?
They are tailored to snowflakes Gen-Z that knows absolutely nothing about food and think they are saving the planet by eating this crap. Impossible is not public but its main competitor Beyond Meat is. The all-time high Beyond Meat stock closing price was $234.90 on July 26, 2019 and it closed last Friday at $15.22. They are kidding nobody.
Well at least you aren’t blaming millenials for everything anymore
He found a new group of people to whine about and ironically call snowflakes.
I got news for you if you think “real” meatballs served on a plane would be any less processed or any more healthy.
Having tried the chicken za’atar and found it quite inedible, I ordered the Impossible Meatball on my last F experience on UA. Not bad, not bad at all. The mozzarella was a little too sharp for me, but overall, it was one of the better meals I’ve had on UA.
Someday I’ll tell you more about the Pie in the Sky. However, I can’t due to non-disclosure agreements. I can say that it’s safe to eat.
I prefer Impossible Arby’s and Impossible KFC, but it’s only available in Colorado
Or was it beyond Arby’s? Either way, only DEN could cater it, and it would be a long drive down.
What about a big salad with thin slices of tofu sautéed in spicy dressing sauce? Salad cold & warm spicy tofu in dressing on top. Easy to cater. Forgive me I am hungry.
This meal is absolutely terrible… It was Ok the first two or three times but the fact they put this and the horrible Za’atar chicken on every single flight for 6 months is just bad. It’s a slap in the face to the customers flying United every week. Very short sighted when people are paying for First and this is what United serves. Matthew maybe you could call out United for how bad their food service truly has become!
Does it make you fart less? We’re told that is killing the planet too. There’s one born every minute.
This meal or should I say part of this meal was offered on my United flight three nights ago. The broccoli was awful and burnt while the meatballs were tiny and flavorless. What pissed me off is United did not offer any passenger with bread or the mozzarella salad and even when asked for it they claimed we don’t serve it with this meal. Ok then United why serve butter on the tray and when we passed ny the galley to the bathroom we see your flight attendant chowing down two portions of the salad and bread??
The soy is the biggest issue, among others. Soy is not healthy for most. Plus as someone stated they are not ‘non-GMO’. Would avoid. Whole foods in their most natural state are best. From their website:
“Ingredients: Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, 2% Or Less Of: Dried Garlic, Dried Onion, Methylcellulose, Soy Protein Isolate, Natural Flavors, Yeast Extract, Spices, Wheat Flour, Cultured Dextrose, Salt, Potato Protein, Food Starch Modified, Soy Leghemoglobin, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant)
Vitamins and Minerals: Zinc Gluconate, Thiamine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12
Meatballs are set in soybean oil”
had it once by not by choice all all real food options were gone–since delta usually only put on 3 real meat plates
This is absolutely delicious. I was skeptical so I ordered the chicken. BIG MISTAKE! I had a taste (more than a few tastes!) from my husband’s impossible meatballs. OMG! So good. How can we keep this permanently on the menu? Who do I need to talk to? Let’s start a petition!!
Glad you enjoyed it. After six months it is going away. Maybe it will be back.