I Tried Panera's New Menu Items—Here's What I Would Buy Again

When I was a teenager, I would go to my local Panera Bread almost every day after school and order a “Pick 2” for my late lunch. To this day, I’m still a fan of the chain’s soups, salads and sandwiches, often grabbing the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich with a cup of French onion soup when I'm out running errands.

So when Panera reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be one of the first people to try out their new menu items, the answer was nothing short of a “well, duh!” Last week, I trekked up to the Big Apple and taste-tested Panera’s nine new offerings, which includes four sandwiches, four salads and a mac and cheese. I was in my own personal euphoria! But some items were better than others, so here's my honest take on all of the new items, plus find out which I'd order again.

Panera’s New Salads

Let me start by saying that I was a little disappointed that three of the four salads—Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains, Southwest Chicken Ranch and Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains—included Panera’s grilled chicken, which I’m not the biggest fan of. Grilled chicken in general isn’t my favorite, but Panera’s is typically bland, so I was a little hesitant. But I graciously tried more than a forkful of each along with the Ranch Cobb Salad. Here's how they stacked up.

Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains

The bold flavors of the Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains helped mask the typically flavorless chicken, so it was an easy winner. (Are you surprised as I was that one of the grilled chicken ones was my favorite?) The whole-grain blend of farro and red rice as well as the zesty hummus and sweet peppers helped bump up the fiber content to 7 grams per serving. Not to mention these flavors alongside feta cheese made for a perfect bite. Packed with 34 grams of protein, this salad has staying power! (If you're watching your salt intake, it's worth noting that this salad was the highest in sodium of the four, clocking in at 1410 milligrams.) 

Nutritional Info for Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains

670 calories, 40 grams total fat (8 grams saturated fat), 105 milligrams cholesterol, 1410 milligrams sodium, 45 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 7 grams total sugars, 34 grams protein

Ranch Cobb Salad

The Ranch Cobb Salad was the only salad without chicken, and it came in second place for me. The star of the salad was definitely the vibrant pickled red onions, adding color and a tangy, sweet flavor to the bowl. I noticed it being a fan favorite at the taste test, but many attendees noted that the ranch dressing in both the Ranch Cobb Salad and the Southwest Chicken Ranch had more of a Caesar dressing flavor. That’s fine with me since I love Caesar salad, but ranch lovers may be disappointed. The trifecta of bacon, hard-boiled eggs and feta provides a satisfying 16 grams of protein.

Nutritional Info for Ranch Cobb Salad

450 calories, 35 grams total fat (9 grams saturated fat), 235 milligrams cholesterol, 930 milligrams sodium, 20 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 11 grams total sugars, 16 grams protein

Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains

This salad packed a lot of flavor and textures, with pepperoncini peppers, avocado, feta cheese, pumpkin seeds, cucumbers, balsamic vinaigrette and green goddess dressing on a bed of mixed greens and grains—and don’t forget the grilled chicken. Heart-healthy avocado and pumpkin seeds along with the farro and rice blend provide a respectable 9 grams of fiber, The salad came tossed with two dressings that had very different flavor profiles—green goddess and balsamic vinaigrette—which threw me off. Let’s stick to one dressing, maybe? However, everything was so fresh and high quality that I still found myself finishing my sample.

Nutritional Info for Balsamic Chicken Greens with Grains

580 calories, 29 grams total fat (7 grams saturated fat), 105 milligrams cholesterol, 1330 milligrams sodium, 49 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 12 grams total sugars, 36 grams protein

Southwest Chicken Ranch

This salad sure looked pretty, which its colorful combination of blue corn tortilla strips, tomatoes, roasted corn and avocado, but the flavor of the Southwest Chicken Ranch salad fell short. Even with the chipotle aioli, it was surprisingly bland. It might have been better as a side salad without chicken—and that's exactly how I would order it if I were ever to try it again.

Nutritional Info for Southwest Chicken Ranch

650 calories, 45 grams total fat (7 grams saturated fat), 115 milligrams cholesterol, 1040 milligrams sodium, 34 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fiber, 10 grams total sugars, 31 grams protein

Panera’s New Sandwiches

The sandwiches at Panera aren't as nutrient-packed as their leafy salads, but there's no denying that they're delicious. The four new sandwiches include Toasted Italiano, Tomato Basil BLT, Chicken Bacon Rancher and Ciabatta Cheesesteak. And honestly, that’s the order I’d rank these protein-packed lunches, from best to worst. 

Toasted Italiano

The Toasted Italiano sandwich could genuinely compete with my favorite local South Jersey hoagie stops. Packed with Black Forest ham, soppressata and provolone cheese, the sandwich also embraces a fresh crunch of romaine lettuce and red onions. The best part was the surprising kick from the sliced pepperoncini peppers, and I loved the combination of garlic aioli and Greek dressing coating the ingredients. And Panera’s bread is hard to beat—I would definitely order this sandwich again.

It's worth mentioning that one sandwich has a whopping 3,660 milligrams of sodium (the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults limit intake to 2,300 milligrams a day). But this is not something I'm going to order every day, so I'll savor it when I do. Honestly, half of this sandwich would have been just as satisfying, so it may be a part of my next Pick 2 combo.

Nutritional Info for Toasted Italiano

1250 calories, 61 grams total fat (18 grams saturated fat), 125 milligrams cholesterol, 3660 milligrams sodium, 114 carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 5 grams total sugars, 59 grams protein

Tomato Basil BLT

Since I’ve been eating a BLT for lunch at least once a week for the past two months, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the subject. And let me tell you that this one is a winner. Can you go wrong with a BLT? Let’s be real, probably not. But this one, served on Panera's soft, flavorful tomato basil bread and slathered with garlic aioli, is chef's-kiss good. It's still on the high for sodium, so just keep that in mind if you're watching your salt intake.

Nutritional Info for Tomato Basil BLT

790 calories, 47 grams total fat (12 grams saturated fat), 85 milligrams cholesterol, 2060 milligrams sodium, 66 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 7 grams total sugars, 27 grams protein

Chicken Bacon Rancher

I liked that the Chicken Bacon Rancher was a simple 5 ingredients, but I would prefer the BLT if I'm craving simplicity. As I said earlier, Panera’s ranch is for an acquired taste so that made this sandwich less appealing to me. Plus there aren't any vegetables on this one, which made it much less interesting to me. It is packed with 51 grams of protein, though, so if you order it, this sandwich will definitely keep you satisfied for a while.

Nutritional Info for Chicken Bacon Rancher

870 calories, 42 grams total fat (14 grams saturated fat), 160 milligrams cholesterol, 2260 milligrams sodium, 73 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 3 grams total sugars, 51 grams protein

Ciabatta Cheesesteak

Being from the Philly area, the Ciabatta Cheesesteak unfortunately didn’t stand a chance against my taste buds. I liked that this sandwich included caramelized onions and peppadew peppers for added flavor, but I'd rather make Steak Sandwiches at home just the way I like them rather than drop money on Panera's version.

Nutritional Info for Ciabatta Cheesesteak

1120 calories, 59 grams total fat (17 grams saturated fat), 145 milligrams cholesterol, 1610 milligrams sodium, 92 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 13 grams total sugars, 55 grams protein

Bacon Mac & Cheese

While this isn't a sandwich, I'd be remiss not to mention the Bacon Mac & Cheese. Do you like bacon? Do you like mac and cheese? Well, if you answered yes to both, you'll probably like this. I thought it was tasty at the launch event, when everything was freshly made, but I'm curious how it will taste when it's served up at Panera's locations. While the chain's mac and cheese has historically been a favorite of mine, I've found it to be been hit or miss lately—is it just me, or is the thickness of the cheese different every time you order it? I want creamy mac, not a watery mess, please and thank you.

Nutritional Info for Bacon Mac & Cheese (Bowl)

1030 calories, 70 grams total fat (37 grams saturated fat), 180 milligrams cholesterol, 2590 milligrams sodium, 68 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 15 grams total sugars, 36 grams protein

The Bottom Line

At EatingWell, we're fans of Panera for their flavorful meals, nutritious options and their sustainable initiatives. Overall, I’m looking forward to enjoying the new Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains, Toasted Italiano and the Tomato Basil BLT again in the near future. If you don’t have a Panera Bread near you, try out these Panera copycat recipes to re-create the magic at home.