While it’s tough to beat a scratch-made meal, sometimes you need a quick supper solution that is ready in a matter of minutes and requires literally no prep. Enter: frozen dinner. A trip down the grocery store frozen aisle reveals a wide array of filling options that can be prepared quickly in your microwave or oven. Best of all, there is something for everyone. Whether you’re feeding a family of four or simply need a solo meal, there is brand for you. If you crave something global or an American comfort food classic, you’ll be covered. There are even meals that are targeted towards those on various diets, from keto and vegan, to low calorie and gluten free.
Considering there is so much variety, it should come as no surprise that some brands are worth seeking out while other should remain on ice. That’s why we’re here to help make sure your meal isn’t a disappoint. Read below to find out which frozen dinner brands stand out among the rest.
20. Smart Ones
The calorie conscious may be tempted to gravitate towards Smart Ones, but don’t let the numbers fool you. Most of the meals from this Kraft Heinz brand total less than 300 calories which is remarkably low for an entire meal. According to Medical News Today the average female needs about 2000 calories per day, and the average male needs about 2,500.
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.
19. Hungry-Man
Hungry-Man frozen dinner 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.
18. Evol Foods
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.
17. Tyson
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 2019, 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.
16. Healthy Choice
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.
Source: https://www.tastingtable.com/824238/20-frozen-dinner-brands-ranked-from-worst-to-best/
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