Yeah the powdered stuff I only used to thinken my sauce when making american chop suey. I also used at least on green pepper, onion, and added a bunch of frozen vegitables. Their was more vegitables than sauce and pasta but that makes it tastier and healthier at the same time. I used a tablespoon to eat it since I would chop up everything pretty small so there was a variety in every bite. I just avoided strong tasting stuff like carrots but kept in peas and squash, and zuchini.