Low-cost frozen food -
But the broccoli is slightly soft and the sauce is a bit watery. FLAVOR AND TEXTURE: The veggies in this are a bit soft, and it has a few tough chicken pieces.
The mild soy-ginger sauce improves the flavor. FLAVOR AND TEXTURE: This fresh-tasting dish has white meat chicken and bell peppers in a sweet and sour sauce with pineapple flavor, but it's short on the vegetables.
FLAVOR AND TEXTURE: The dish is mostly white rice with sparse chewy chicken pieces and few veggies. The soy-based sauce is tasty. Package size: 8 oz. FLAVOR AND TEXTURE: This dish is mostly white rice with sparse, slightly crisp veggies and unappetizing-looking dark meat chicken pieces.
Lightly seasoned. Package size: 20 oz. FLAVOR AND TEXTURE: It has peas, carrots, pineapple, white rice, and lots of sweet and sour sauce.
The "chicken" is tasty, but you can tell it's not the real thing. Althea Chang-Cook is the associate director of content at Consumer Reports, covering food and kitchen gear, as well as stories for diverse audiences.
Prior to joining CR in , Althea covered food, health, parenting, product safety, technology, and more for various publications. We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. See All Ratings. Load More. We Used the Suvie Kitchen Robot, and It Has Features We Love and Some We Loathe.
Best Frozen Meals We tested 25 popular options and found a surprising number that taste great and are nutritious, too. By Althea Chang-Cook. Updated by Kala Herh.
Updated July 1, Photo: Aaron Dyer. More on Healthy Eating. Best Pasta Sauces. Best Breakfast Cereals. Bread That's Really Good for You. Best Frozen Pizzas. Best Butters for Everyday Use and Special Occasions. Then we let loose our panel of nutrition and taste experts to evaluate each one.
All About Taste. Our panelists blind-tasted the meals, comparing each with others in their category. The Nutrition Picture. The Calorie Count. How to Read a Frozen Meal Label.
Best and Worst Frozen Meals. Chicken Enchiladas Enchiladas were a mixed bag. Two were good combos of taste and nutrition, with tasty corn tortillas and beans, but the others, not so much.
Evol Chicken Enchilada Bake. Calories Saturated fat g 6 Carbohydrates g 43 Fiber g 6 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 20 Sodium mg Saffron Road Chicken Enchiladas Poblano. Calories Saturated fat g 4 Carbohydrates g 56 Fiber g 4 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 18 Sodium mg El Monterey Chicken Enchiladas 1.
Calories Saturated fat g 12 Carbohydrates g 51 Fiber g 2 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 21 Sodium mg Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Suiza 1. Calories Saturated fat g 2. Real Good Foods Grande Chicken Enchiladas.
Calories Saturated fat g 8 Carbohydrates g 5 Fiber g 2 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 38 Sodium mg 1, Indian-Inspired Meals Indian-inspired meals—rich in ginger, turmeric, and other spices—were winners for taste and nutrition. All those flavors helped keep sodium levels lower, and all the meals had ample amounts of vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
Healthy Choice Power Bowls Cauliflower Curry 2. Calories Saturated fat g 0. Calories Saturated fat g 3. Saffron Road Vegetable Biryani. Calories Saturated fat g 2 Carbohydrates g 67 Fiber g 6 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 10 Sodium mg Sweet Earth Curry Tiger 2.
Calories Saturated fat g 7 Carbohydrates g 40 Fiber g 8 Added sugars g 5 Protein g 19 Sodium mg Calories Saturated fat g 6 Carbohydrates g 39 Fiber g 6 Added sugars g 1 Protein g 15 Sodium mg Lasagnas Lasagnas were nutritional duds, devoid of whole grains and veggies other than tomato sauce , and some were high in sodium.
Calories Saturated fat g 10 Carbohydrates g 36 Fiber g 3 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 27 Sodium mg Calories Saturated fat g 7 Carbohydrates g 26 Fiber g 2 Added sugars g Protein g 21 Sodium mg Calories Saturated fat g 6 Carbohydrates g 42 Fiber g 3 Added sugars g 1 Protein g 22 Sodium mg Calories Saturated fat g 11 Carbohydrates g 27 Fiber g 2 Added sugars g 1 Protein g 16 Sodium mg Calories Saturated fat g 6 Carbohydrates g 51 Fiber g 3 Added sugars g 5 Protein g 26 Sodium mg 1, Riced Cauliflower Meals Riced cauliflower meals fared pretty well.
All had a cup or more of vegetables, and had less than a third of the daily sodium limit. Most also tasted good, especially those with meat, like Healthy Choice Power Bowls Greek-Style Chicken—surprising, because meat in frozen meals can be tough.
Tattooed Chef Buddha Bowl 2. Calories Saturated fat g 1 Carbohydrates g 15 Fiber g 10 Added sugars g 0 Protein g 7 Sodium mg Healthy Choice Power Bowls Greek-Style Chicken 2. Calories Saturated fat g 2 Carbohydrates g 10 Fiber g 3 Added sugars g 1 Protein g 20 Sodium mg Life Cuisine Riced Cauliflower Beef with Broccoli Bowl 2.
Calories Saturated fat g 2 Carbohydrates g 20 Fiber g 5 Added sugars g 5 Protein g 13 Sodium mg Asian-Inspired Chicken Stir-Fries Stir-fries might seem healthy, but not most of the ones we tested.
Many had added sugars. Calories Saturated fat g 1 Carbohydrates g 16 Fiber g 4 Added sugars g 6 Protein g 23 Sodium mg Calories Saturated fat g 1 Carbohydrates g 47 Fiber g 1 Added sugars g 2 Protein g 9 Sodium mg Impossible Teriyaki Chicken Made From Plants 1.
This meal contains more processed ingredients than others in our test. This meal contains more than 1 cup of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, or beans combined. This is a multiserving meal. The nutrition information is for the amount noted on the package as one serving.
Althea Chang-Cook Althea Chang-Cook is the associate director of content at Consumer Reports, covering food and kitchen gear, as well as stories for diverse audiences.
Sharing is Nice. Yes, send me a copy of this email. Oops, we messed up. Try again later. Recently Tested Frozen Foods. Saffron Road Chicken Pad Thai with Rice Noodles. Frontera Chicken Fajita Bowl. Performance Kitchen Orange Mango Chicken. According to Medical News Today the average female needs about calories per day, and the average male needs about 2, The line is rather extensive with frozen pastas, enchiladas, pot roasts, pizzas, and breakfast varieties.
But Smart Ones falls short with its relatively small servings, though that may actually be a good thing. These meals tend to be lackluster — with such a large restriction of calories comes a limit to the amount of flavor these meals can provide, and it's no surprise that the brand fails to deliver in the taste department.
As these healthy snack ideas prove, low calorie doesn't need to equate to dismal dining. Hungry-Man frozen dinners are geared towards those looking for a particularly hearty meal.
The brand focuses on large portions of fairly pedestrian products such as country fried steak, meatloaf, and fried chicken. Because they are larger meals that include side dishes, these may be the perfect solution to what you want when you choose a frozen meal.
They are quick, easy, and filling. You can even opt for bowls that offer double the protein portion. But bigger isn't necessarily better. According to Walmart reviews of the fried chicken, there are some mixed feelings about this meal.
Some note that this meal is tasty, but not very healthy, while others say that this meal isn't tasty at all and has too much breading and salt. One particular reviewer complained that the texture was a bit off.
While Hungry-Man gets high marks for price and portion size, it disappoints in the quality department. Evol Foods is a brand that takes pride in its ingredient sourcing which includes the use of antibiotic free meat and cage free eggs.
it also avoids adding any artificial colors and flavors, according to its website. The brand offer a line of single serve meals including, breakfasts, burritos, pizzas, pastas, and bowls of varying cuisines, such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese.
For those with various dietary concerns, they have product lines that are gluten-free and vegetarian as well.
While we appreciate that the brand offers some unique meals that are acceptable for various dietary preferences, we don't always love the taste. According to reviews on the Evol website of the Portobello Goat Cheese Ravioli, many reviewers love this dish.
However, a few people note that the sauce is rather liquidy and the raviolis themselves are chewy and undercooked when prepared according to the cooking instructions on the package. Due to these inconsistencies, we've placed Evol near the bottom of our ranking.
Tyson is one of those brands that is synonymous with chicken. It carries chicken tenders, chicken fried steak, wings, bacon, pork, popcorn chicken, nuggets, chicken burgers, and more. But, chicken is the brand's primary focus.
While not necessarily a complete meal, we can all agree that these options sure get the job started. Does anyone remember dino nuggets from childhood?
According to Walmart reviews, Tyson's dinosaur-shaped nuggets are beloved by children and adults alike. However, Tyson, unfortunately, has been linked to many different product recalls, most recently due to a listeria outbreak, according to the The New York Times.
Back in , Tyson was associated with a chicken product recall that had to do with rubber contaminated chicken via The Washington Post. This isn't the best news when you consider how much chicken Tyson produces for the country. For this reason, we've placed Tyson near the bottom of our list. Did anyone else grow up with parents who were mega fans of Healthy Choice?
We always had these in our freezers growing up. Healthy Choice now carries a variety of frozen dinners, including Simply Steamers, Cafe Steamers, Power Bowls, Max Bowls, and Zero Bowls, all targeting different health preferences. According to the reviews of the Lemon Pepper Fish frozen meal on the Healthy Choice website , the dish has its fans, but there are some detractors.
One reviewer mentions that the fish gets mushy when cooked and this was unappealing. While it is difficult to add flavor to frozen meals, especially ones aimed as health conscious, there are a few reviews that found this meal to be devoid of taste.
For us, we don't think these stand out among the many new brands offering innovative products. Perhaps it's time for Healthy Choice to consider a refresh of its products. The Whole Foods store brand, Organic, carries many products. Pretty much any item you would find in a grocery store, you can count on Whole Foods to create a Organic version of it.
This includes frozen dinners as well as many types of pizza and ravioli dinners. Per the Amazon reviews of the Four Cheese Ravioli frozen entree, many people complain that this meal is very bland and mediocre in taste.
While there are pretty creative ideas in the reviews about how many people utilize these frozen raviolis, including in a lasagna bake, there are many harsh reviews about how these are not the most tasty. We think that while Organic has its hands full trying to mimic a variety of products in a grocery store, maybe they just let this one slip.
We wouldn't recommend these frozen dinners, unless you absolutely needed to eat them. Otherwise, you deserve better and can absolutely find tastier options. Lean Cuisine is one of the most familiar frozen dinner brands out there. It produces a huge selection of frozen food products including pasta, bowls, pizza, and sandwiches.
These meals are categorized on its website as low calorie less than per package , very low calorie less than calories , gluten-free, meatless, high protein, carb conscious. In other words, the target eaters are those that want a healthier frozen food product. If you are hungry for a decadent comfort food frozen entrée, these won't be for you.
However, if you are looking for frozen meals that will help you stick to your calorie goals, Lean Cuisine is the best out there. According to Walmart reviews for the 5 Cheese Ravioli, while there are a few complaints about a watery sauce, lack of cheese, and recent recipe changes, most people seem to really enjoy these products.
While these meals might not wow your taste buds, they're fine if you want to avoid overindulging. Frontera is known for its gourmet Mexican food, which covers a variety of products, including salsa, tortilla chips, cooking sauces, guacamole, grilling marinades, as well as frozen bowls and skillets.
In terms of its frozen dinners, you can choose among vegetarian and meat-packed taco and fajita bowls. According to Amazon reviews of the Frontera chicken fajita bowl, some people seem to love the nutrition facts and healthy ingredients in this bowl, while others seem to dislike the taste.
Apparently, this bowl can turn out very watery once cooked. One reviewer even mentioned that the bowl was inedible. While we love a health focused product that is aimed at flavor, we don't think these are the best options out there. Set your sights a little higher, because we know you can find a guaranteed slam dunk frozen dinner option on this list.
Keep reading to see our top picks. Caulipower is a brand that carries many gluten-free frozen dinner products, including pizza, chicken tenders, and pasta. True to its name, cauliflower is used instead of wheat as breading or crust in an effort to create gluten-free products.
Per reviews on Walmart of the Caulipower pizza crust, some people note that these are rather tasteless and the texture is too crumbly to stay together during cooking. Others complain that the crusts contain many more carbohydrates than they would expect in a gluten-free product.
However, most people love these crusts. We think that if you are expecting a normal pizza crust, you may be setting yourself up for failure — these are made of cauliflower at the end of the day.
If you have no restrictions on your pie consumption, there are plenty of other brands that offer a tastier product. But if you are on a gluten-free diet, we recommend giving these a shot on your next pizza night.
Restaurant chain Marie Callender's also offers a line of frozen dinners. Within it frozen product line, you'll find plenty of options, including many with family-sized portions.
Some of these products include lasagna, mac and cheese, chicken pot pies, pub pies, pasta bowls, pot roast, and Asian inspired rice bowls. One of the products that appears to be the most well-loved is the chicken pot pie.
Per the reviews on Walmart , there is a lot of love for Marie Callender's signature dish. Many people note that this is the ultimate comfort food and one of their favorite meals. Though it's exactly a healthy food option, one reviewer mentions that this meal is worth the extra calories.
Considering this chicken pot pie is cooked from frozen, it's impressive that reviewers even mention that the crust has a nice texture.
We love Marie Callender's for the most epic comfort meals. Stouffer's is a household name, with frozen options that include lasagna, pizza, bowls, and other entrees. We grew up eating the brand's mac and cheese on busy school nights.
The popular dish is available in many sizes from single serving to a large portion suited for a family. We also love that the brand created spinoffs of the classic mac and cheese through different flavor variations, including Taco Mac and Cheese, Cajun Mac and Cheese, Southwest Mac and Cheese, and even Cacciatore Mac and Cheese.
According to reviews on the Walmart website of their classic single serving mac and cheese , many people still love this product despite the fact that there are some complaints alleging that Stouffer's recently changing the recipe resulting in the cheese sauce being too soupy and watery.
That said, most people seem to love this taste of nostalgia and the Stouffer's brand in general. Michelina's carries the largest variety of frozen dinners we've ever seen. You can practically find any frozen dinner of your dreams in their product line. Meals include macaroni and cheese, many types of pasta, beef and broccoli, pizza snack rolls, Swedish meatballs, popcorn chicken, and so many more.
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