Best Frozen Meals

In addition to assessing the frozen meals’ flavor, Keating also weighed their nutrition—literally.

She separated and measured the frozen meal ingredients (except for the lasagnas, because the tomato sauce couldn’t be easily isolated) to determine the amount of vegetables, whole grains, and beans in each dish.

Keating also looked to see which of the meals are relatively low in sodium and added sugars, contained few or no processed ingredients, and were high in fiber. Here’s what CR found.

Fiber: The good news is that 10 of the meals we tested contained between 5 and 10 grams of fiber, making them relatively good sources of that key nutrient. According to Roxana Ehsani, RD, a board-certified sports dietitian in Miami, it can be a challenge to get enough fiber every day. Women need about 25 grams of fiber per day while men need 38 grams, yet only 6 percent of Americans get the recommended amounts. Look for a frozen meal with at least 6 grams of fiber. If it doesn’t have 6 grams or more, add some frozen veggies or eat it with a piece of fruit.

Sodium: While frozen meals have a reputation of being packed with sodium, most of the meals we tested didn’t have an excessive amount. The daily limit for sodium is less than 2,300 mg, and Keating recommends looking for a frozen meal that has somewhere between 575 mg and 760 mg, which is 25 to 33 percent of the daily limit. Of the 25 meals we tested, nine contained less than 600 mg. In several cases, the lower-sodium dishes also got high marks for taste, such as the Tattooed Chef Buddha Bowl (Target, Walmart) and the Healthy Choice Power Bowls Cauliflower Curry (Amazon), both of which we found to be nicely spiced. The meal with the most sodium was Marie Callender’s Traditional Lasagna with Meat & Sauce Bowl, which contains 71 percent (1,630 mg) of the recommended daily limit for sodium. Other dishes especially high in sodium were Real Good Foods Grande Chicken Enchiladas (Target), with 1,010 mg, and Stouffer’s Lasagna with Meat & Sauce (Target), with 990 mg.

Added sugars: The American Heart Association says most adult women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugars per day and most men should have no more than 9 teaspoons. Fortunately, 15 of the 25 meals we tested had a gram or less of added sugars. But it’s still worth checking. Two meals had excessive amounts of added sugars: Sweet Earth Korean BBQ-Style Chik’n with Riced Cauliflower (Target), with 13 grams (3 teaspoons), and Impossible Teriyaki Chicken Made From Plants (Walmart), with 30 grams (7½ teaspoons—more than in 8 ounces of cola).

Processed ingredients: Frozen meals have long been thought to be full of processed ingredients such as additives, including protein isolates, preservatives, flavorings, and guar gum, inulin, and other added fibers. But the majority of the 25 meals in our test had few ingredients like these. Only four had a lengthy list. The Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas Suiza, for example, contains isolated soy protein, modified cornstarch, xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, and the generic term “natural flavor,” which companies are permitted to use without disclosing where these flavors come from. Compare that with Saffron Road Chicken Enchiladas Poblano (Amazon), which has primarily whole food ingredients.