27 Frozen Dinners Ranked From "No, Thank You" To "May I Have Some More, Please?"
We'd all love to say we can cook 5-star meals every day — or, let's be real, have them cooked for us — but the convenience of the occasional frozen meal shouldn't be totally overlooked.
So, here's a list of frozen dinners you can find at major supermarkets, ranked from worst to best:
SOME DISCLAIMERS BEFORE YOU START:
-These are meals from national brands that you can find at most major supermarkets. That means no Trader Joe's frozen foods are on here, since they have their own in-store brand.
-I know some of these placements won't be exactly surprising, but I tried to get a variety of brands so that the rankings would be as fair and unbiased as possible.
-Yes, I did try every single one of these meals myself, so these rankings are technically based on my opinion. I was as objective as possible.
27.Hungry-Man Country Fried Chicken
The presence of a dessert made me nervous, but it was ironically the best part of this meal — the bits of apple in a sea of sauce smelled like McDonald's apple pie. The rest was...rough. The skin of the fried chicken was slimy, and the chicken itself was rubbery and VERY salty. The mashed potatoes and green beans weren't atrocious, but others were better. Sorry, Hungry-Man, but something has to go in last place.
26.Smart Ones Homestyle Beef Pot Roast
This is a truly tiny portion, so it's not very filling, and frankly, it's not very good, either. The meat tasted like beef bouillon-flavored tofu, and I could cut it with a spoon. The potatoes and vegetables were fine, but I wouldn't call them particularly good either.
25.Hungry-Man Salisbury Steak
The brownie this came with was actually better than the apple dessert in the other Hungry-Man meal, so that's a plus. However, the steak tasted like a particularly soft hamburger (mushy). On the other hand, the mashed potatoes in this meal were better than the ones in the chicken meal. It wasn't awful, but I wouldn't buy it again.
24.Lean Cuisine Glazed Turkey Tenderloins
I think that the objective of this meal was to imitate that perfect Thanksgiving bite — some turkey and stuffing smothered with gravy on a fork. The problem with the execution was that it's all frozen and cooked in one tray, so the flavors and textures get all mixed together. Stuffing at its best is basically soggy bread, so the addition of steam made this stuffing way too soft. Finally, the mashed sweet potato was just too sweet, and I realize that's like saying water is too wet, but this tasted like sugar had been added to it to make sweet potato pie.
23.Banquet Chicken Strips Meal
The portions look somewhat normal in the picture, but let me assure you: The macaroni and corn portions were small enough that I could have scooped them up in one tablespoon each. But let's talk about the strangest chicken I've ever eaten. The skin actually stayed crispy in the microwave, which I found somewhat miraculous, but the inside of the chicken strip had so much empty space in it that I had to include a picture. The taste wasn't necessarily bad, but the texture was so, so questionable.
22.Smart Ones Slow Roasted Turkey Breast
These was the strangest tasting mashed potatoes I've ever had, but the texture wasn't bad, and it was improved by the gravy, which was good. The turkey wasn't awful, but it wasn't good either — the freezing/microwaving process left it super watery. Would not buy again.
21.Marie Callender's Meat Loaf & Gravy
Let's address the elephant in the room: The difference between the picture on the box and how the meatloaf looks in real life is comical. Other than that, the only discernible taste it had was aggressively salty along with a tofu-life texture. The mashed potatoes had decent taste but were almost too thin to eat with a fork. Finally, the corn was perfectly normal.
20.Banquet Spaghetti & Meatballs
This spaghetti didn't have anything particularly wrong with it — the meatballs were actually pretty good! — but it was astoundingly little quantity, and the sauce had no taste whatsoever. I could see herbs in the sauce, but I don't think they were doing anything.
19.Marie Callender's Fried Chicken Mac & Cheese Bowl
This would be ranked much worse if not for the macaroni, which was great. The chicken, on the other hand, was terrible — rubbery, tough, too salty, and with squishy skin. I'm glad it was easy to remove so that I could enjoy the mac & cheese.
18.Smart Ones Fettuccine Alfredo
This had no questionable textures, and unlike most frozen pasta, the noodles weren't overly soft. Unfortunately, it had no taste. Truly, a glass of milk has more flavor. I'd rather eat something bland over something bad, so this is a perfectly safe option — just a boring one.
17.Banquet Mega Meals Backyard BBQ Combo
I was pretty apprehensive about this, I cannot lie. But it turned out to be pretty good! It's definitely one of the better meals containing large pieces of meat. The "ribs" are actually just pork and chicken patties, so if the shape is unsettling to you — as it was to me — just imagine them as a sort of barbecue sausage. Even though the chicken is clearly not an actual chicken breast, it tastes and feels like one when you bite into it. Along with the mashed potatoes and BBQ sauce (both fine), this was a surprisingly decent entrée.
16.Smart Ones Chicken Parmesan
Another surprise! After the other Smart Ones meals I tried, I was not expecting much from this. But the chicken seems to be the same one from the Banquet BBQ meal, so it wasn't bad. The sauce was also pretty good. The downside was that it's a really small portion.
15.Stouffer's Classic Meatloaf
This meal had by far the best mashed potatoes of the ones I tried and was pretty close to the real thing. This meatloaf is also better than the other one I had because it has a blend of flavors besides simply salt. Most importantly, it has ketchup, that ever-crucial meatloaf ingredient.
14.Marie Callender's Cheesy Chicken & Rice Bowl
Everything other than the chicken in this meal was good! It tasted like a broccoli cheddar soup with rice in it. The chicken was watery and chewy, but the pieces were pretty small, so it didn't ruin the whole meal. If you're picky about your chicken, this might not be for you, but overall, it's okay.
13.Healthy Choice Café Steamers Beef Teriyaki
The beef in this meal is surprisingly good, and the mix of rice and vegetables is great. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the teriyaki sauce, which is too sour for my taste.
12.Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Unwrapped Burrito Bowl
Another win for Healthy Choice! This was a relatively simple meal, but the beans, corn, and other vegetables gave it a nice mix of textures. The sauce was spicy but not too spicy, which was a nice change of flavor profile compared to the other meals.
11.Healthy Choice Café Steamers General Tso's Spicy Chicken
This rice bowl is the perfect mix of spicy, sweet, sour, and savory. It's got a great mix of veggies mixed into the rice, and the chicken tastes like regular chicken (even if it looks a little questionable). Very yummy.
10.Stouffer's Fish Filet
Macaroni and fish filet is not the most obvious combination in my mind, but these individual components were pretty great. The fish was surprisingly good and normal tasting; the breading even held up well in the microwave! Stouffer's mac & cheese is always good, and this was no exception.
9.Lean Cuisine Salisbury Steak with Macaroni & Cheese
The macaroni in this meal wasn't as good as the Stouffer's mac, but the overall meal was a little better. The "steak" is really more of a meatloaf, but the gravy and mushrooms are an excellent dressing.
8.Stouffer's Meat Lovers Lasagna
Going into this ranking, I expected the Stouffer's lasagna to take the top spot. It's iconic, it's legendary, it's the moment! But it's also very salty, and all of the components (noodles, sauce, cheeses) mushed together in the microwave. It's still great, though, and the pepperoni and sausage bits are delicious.
7.Atkins Chicken Margherita
First of all, sorry for not getting a picture of the box, but you can see what it looks like here.
This chicken was good! The sauce and basil were very nice, and the chicken had by far the best texture of the ones I tried. The only negative is that it's literally just the chicken, so you'll need to pair it with something to make a full meal.
6.Lean Cuisine Fettuccine Alfredo
Sometimes, simplicity is best. This fettuccine has a very flavorful, if a little watery, Alfredo sauce. Maybe it's not the most exciting or complicated meal, but I have nothing bad to say about it.
5.Amy's Pesto Tortellini
Apologies again for the lack of a post-microwave pic. I was so excited to eat this I forgot to take one.
In another win for simplicity, Amy's pesto tortellini bowl takes fifth place. I have nothing bad to say about this one, either. Pesto is a bit less basic than Alfredo sauce, which why it's higher than the fettuccine.
4.Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli
This ravioli was pretty excellent. The sauce was creamy and sage-y, the vegetables were crispy, and the ravioli filling tasted like butternut squash soup. One note: The box recommends that you eat this with a side salad, so that should tell you it's a little on the small side.
3.Atkins Meat Lasagna
I would encourage you to overlook how terrible this lasagna looks in the tray because it tastes excellent. The sauce, meat, and cheese stand out on their own AND taste great all together. The sauce doesn't just taste vaguely of tomatoes and salt, but is clearly well seasoned with herbs as well. Don't judge a book by its cover!
2.Stouffer's Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
This spaghetti is pretty damn close to the real thing. If not for the fact that the pasta is shorter than your typical spaghetti, you'd have a hard time telling the difference. I can give no higher praise.
1.Amy's Cheese Enchilada
The winner! Internet, this was so yummy. The beans and corn were perfectly seasoned, and the enchilada was cheesy deliciousness. The tortilla was a bit soggy, but what enchilada isn't? The only thing that could improve this is if there were two enchiladas.
