Many pasta dishes are very simple to prepare. Yet there are some days when you can't even bring yourself to boil water -- and that's where frozen meals come in handy. You can simply pop a frozen pasta meal in the oven or microwave, wait a little bit of time (often just a few minutes), and as soon as it's ready, go ahead and eat. To help on thosedays when you want all the comfort and heartiness of a warm dish with none of the effort, I sampled -- and ranked -- a number of popular frozen pasta meals.
For this, I selected a variety of frozen pasta dishes (including ravioli, penne, mac & cheese, and spaghetti) from several different brands (Trader Joe's, Rao's, Kraft, and Amy's, among others). After preparing the meals according to the box's instructions, I taste-tested each, then ranked them based on factors such astaste, texture, and appearance.Here are 14 frozen pasta meals ranked from worst to best.
Read more: 44 Types Of Pasta And When You Should Be Using Them
14. Michael Angelo's Baked Ziti
I was really looking forward to Michael Angelo's Frozen Baked Ziti (with meatballs) since baked ziti is an Italian comfort food staple. However, I wasn't exactly impressed after my first bite of this frozen meal. While I could tolerate it, the sauce was too sweet and thin, and there wasn't any noticeable cheese flavor -- merely ribbons of something filmy and cheese-like that provided texture without any real taste. And then ... Ihit a meatball.
Now, meatballs are rather sacred to an Italian like myself. Since I grew up eating exceptional homemade meatballs, it can be hard to settle for anything less than greatness. Unfortunately, these meatballs were inedible. They were mushy, plasticky, and porous, and caused this meal to rank last.
Considering you have to navigate around what's supposed to be the best part of this frozen meal, I wouldn't recommend buying it. More than that, while I don't enjoy saying I really disliked a food after tasting it, it does happen every so often. So sorry to Michael Angelo's (and hopefully its other products are better).
13. Devour White Cheddar Mac & Cheese With Bacon
Devour's Frozen White Cheddar Mac & Cheese With Bacon looked like it had the potential to be the best (if also the most bizarre) meal I tried for this ranking. White cheddar makes for some of the tastiest versions of cheesy snacks, including one of the best Cheez-Its flavors available. Why wouldn't it make for one of the best mac & cheese options, as well? Add in bacon, and it sounded too good to be true -- which it unfortunately was.
While eating this pasta, I kept trying to figure out what it reminded me of. When I realized the meat was more reminiscent of ham than bacon, I got it: This pasta meal tasted like the inside of a ham and cheese Hot Pocket. Now, if that's what you were hoping for, excellent! If not, I advise you to steer clear of this one (or maybe just grab yourself a Hot Pocket instead). It wasn't as bad as the last place frozen pasta meal, but it was certainly among the bottom two.
12. Bertolli Chicken Carbonara
Bertolli Chicken Carbonara came in the form of little bird's nest-like coils of pasta, nuggets of frozen sauce, and little loose chunks of chicken and peas rolling around the bag. It didn't seem like it would come together all that well -- and truthfully, it didn't.The sauce was a little weak, and the chicken was barely distinguishable from the vegetables.
Now, to be fair, though this frozen pasta meal became a warm, soppy mess of stuff jumbled together, it did taste ok (but just ok). In fact, thewhole thing was basically a homey, nourishing sort of stew. Unfortunately, the peas in this meal somewhat overpowered everything else. If you don't like peas, please: Take caution, and don't buy this product, because they really do get everywhere.
Perhaps you can't beat the convenience of this Bertolli meal in the end, but I still wouldn't eat it again. Itwasn't as derivative or artificial-tasting as the two meals ranked below it, but it was undeniably worse than any of the frozen pasta meals ranked higher.
11. Trader Joe's Outside-In Stuffed Gnocchi
Gnocchi are essentially just dumplings. In the Trader Joe's version (well, one of them, anyway), each piece is a pillowy little nugget. The trick is that the grocery chain stuffs each gnocchi with ingredients that would normally go on the outside -- marinara sauce and cheese -- hence it's Outside-In name.
I must admit I expected more from this meal.The frozen pasta was a little too thick and pasty, and they needed more filling to really fulfill their true potential.The sauce was just a tiny dot, in fact, and I couldn't really find the cheese anywhere. I do think the Outside-In gnocchi could make a great alternative to a regular version, as long as you understand you'll still have to add more sauce and cheese on top.
While Iwouldn't buy this frozen pasta meal again (I prefer regular gnocchi), there wasn't anything as glaringly off-putting as there was with the bottom three list items. Still,homemade gnocchi always tastes better, so try something like thesesweet potato gnocchiinstead.
10. Marie Callender's Fettuccini With Chicken & Broccoli
Marie Callender's is mostly known for its pot pies -- at least to me. I had a friend in college who absolutely swore by them, and the brand's pot pies kept them going, which I'm very grateful for. Interestingly enough, Marie Callender's Fettuccine With Chicken & Broccoli tasted just as warm and sturdy as one of those pot pies. This frozen pasta meal has a bit of everything: pasta, sauce, vegetables, and protein. But I was disappointed (if not at all surprised)to find it wasn't really more than the sum of its parts.
The sauce doesn't have much flavor, and is really just ... beige. The chicken wasn't awful, but wasn't savory or hearty, either, and the broccoli was probably the best part.Of course, since we're talking about frozen pasta meals here, that tells you all you need to know. Frankly, it's fine. It's a bit better than the lower-ranked meals, but it's relatively tasteless overall, so it comes in the bottom half.
9. Kraft Mac & Cheese Deluxe Four Cheese
Kraft Mac & Cheese is a classic; I've certainly had some struggle meals sponsored by Kraft. Now, my main source of consumption came via dry shells and a tiny packet of powdered cheese (which magically rehydrated into a gooey mess). But this frozen meal offers an even simpler way to enjoy Kraft: you just pop it in the microwave.
Honestly, this tastes almost exactly the same as the boxed original ... which means it's acceptable. And it gets dull fast.After a few forkfuls of slightly artificial-tasting cheese and plain-shaped pasta, I found myself wishing for a vegetable to break up the excessive richness. If I were to buy this again, I'd likely dress it up into a more nutrient-dense meal by tossing in some frozen broccoli, and maybe some rotisserie chicken.
Frankly, this frozen pasta meal is almost entirely redundant given Kraft offers other mac & cheese options that are nearly as easy (and taste similar), so I can't rank it very high. Of course, while it's pretty bland, that blandness comes with a side of pure nostalgia -- so it gets an extra point or two and comes in the middle of these rankings.
8. Stouffer's Rigatoni With Chicken & Pesto
A confession: I love pesto. Alfredo sauce tends to be too bland (and even a little gummy, at times), while tomato sauce can be overly sweet or salty. But pesto? Pesto is nothing but pure, concentrated flavor. Pesto sauce is made by combining an herb, usually basil, with olive oil and pine nuts. Bright and fresh homemade pesto is actually pretty easy to makeprovided you have the right ingredients, but sometimes you just want a quick frozen meal instead.
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. It tasted fairly bright and fresh, and wasn't too heavy. As good as the pesto was, though, the chicken didn't measure up. The poultry was spongy and tasteless, and undoubtedly lowered the quality of the entire dish. Still, the pesto pasta was the first thing that really stuck out while considering its ranking. As a result, Stouffer's earns a higher score than the preceding entries, which had fewer (if any) standout elements.
7. Amy's Macaroni & Cheese
If there's one thing I discovered about Amy's after trying two of its products, it's that the brand has to be a little better with time management. After all, both frozen pasta meals I tried from Amy's needed to be microwaved longer than the package instructed. Once I got past that minor annoyance, though, I had no more beef with Amy's, and it makes some solid mac & cheese.
Unlike Kraft's version, Amy's Macaroni &Cheese actually tastedlike real cheese. Of course, this makes sense, since this frozen pasta meal is essentially a different type of comfort food than Kraft Mac &Cheese.While Kraft's frozen pasta meal came in the form of childhood nostalgia (think Pop-Tarts or a sugary cereal), Amy's is the perfect single-serve meal for a cold night after a long day.
Now, it was definitely too gooey. The noodles were swimming in cheese, too, so keep this in mind if you prefer a thicker, more substantial macaroni and cheese dish. Still, this frozen pasta meal marks the start of list entries with more advantages than disadvantages. So while it comes right in the middle of the my rankings, I'd also consider buying it again or recommending it to a friend.
6. Evol Portabella & Goat Cheese Ravioli
Frozen meals aren't usually considered wholesome, but Evol aims to change that -- which might be why there's more than simply pasta and cheese in this dish. The Evol Portobella & Goat Cheese Ravioli caught my eye with its promise of colorful and creative additions like peppers and mushrooms, plus a basil sauce that was promoted as "insanely tasty creamy" on the box.
While I was extremely excited about the goat cheese, I didn't really taste anything beyond mushrooms in the filling. In fact, if you don't like mushrooms, or would just prefer your food not have them? You won't want to buy this meal. Additionally, this was by far the least-cheesy pasta dish I tried, so if you like lots of cheese, this frozen meal isn't for you.
However, if you want something a little lighter, the sauce tasted fresh (if a bit more watery than creamy), and the red bell peppers are a great addition. Even if it just misses the top five, there are a lot more flavors and textures going on here than in most other frozen pasta meals.
5. Rao's Caramelized Onion Carbonara
Rao's Caramelized Onion Carbonara is by far the most luxurious-tasting meal on this list. No matter how rich the other entries were, none of them had a thing on this one. The carbonara sauce is incredibly thick, and maybe not so much creamy as just plain cream. Frankly, there's a reason Alfredo sauce is typically on top of broader, thicker fettuccine noodles: they need to stand up to the sauce.
Since the noodles here are flimsier, the sauce seems to soak into every bite, making this frozen past meal pretty heavy. Of course, even though you can't eat too much in one sitting without getting full, those few bites are going to be worth it.The caramelized onion flavor is great, the bacon tastes real and savory, and the sauce is fantastic (though there could be less).
It's a little on the greasy side given the bacon, onion, and cheese, but if you're looking for something indulgent? This will more than satisfy. It's by far the more delicious frozen pasta meal featured so far on this list, and if it weren't so cloying? It might rank higher.
4. Amy's Spinach & Ricotta Cheese Ravioli Bowl
Look, I'm going to be honest. I typically prefer to eat my spinach on the side, as a punishment of sorts, before being rewarded with the good stuff -- like ravioli. In other words, I can't say I've ever wanted a nice ravioli tainted by spinach. However, Amy's Spinach &Ricotta Cheese Ravioli Bowl changed my mind a little about that prospect. While my expectations were low, my opinion of this dish ended up pretty darn high.In fact, it's a deeply warming, comforting kind of dish that would have been a few ranks lower without that spinach.
The spinach -- yes, the vegetable -- really helped make the ravioli more interesting. Plus, on top of the ravioli was a pleasant and light tomato sauce that let the pasta portion shine. It's fairly filling, but also a smaller-seeming portion, so I'd probably prefer to add a side dish like a hearty salad. Some garlic bread would work, too, if I wanted to go in the other direction; I mean, there's some green in the ravioli, so the choice is yours.
Overall, this tastedincredibly cheerful and homestyle, just like Amy's Macaroni & Cheese. But it was more nuanced and tasty than the other Amy's meal I sampled, as well as being a lighter bite, so it nearly cracks the top three.
3. Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti With Pink Sauce
Trader Joe's is everyone's favorite one-stop shop for fun versions of classic foods. The flavor of an everything bagel in a chunk of cheddar cheese? Sign me up. A notable variety ofpickle products from the brand? If you say so. In that sense, its Cheese-Filled Fiocchetti With Pink Sauce isn't quite as flamboyant as all that. But it's still a cheeky sort of take on regular pasta, offering a subtle change of pace without getting too crazy.
This frozen pasta meal features little pouches instead of something more recognizable like ravioli, and a pink sauce rather than a white Alfredo or red marinara.The sauce is actually pretty decent. A nice combination of silky, creamy and zesty, it has much more flavor than I thought it would. Additionally, the pasta isn't too thick or doughy, and the cheese has a bit of herb in it that emphasizes the cheesiness.
It may not be as impressive as the top two frozen pasta meals, but this Trader Joe's product takes everything good about cheesy pasta and makes it just a little better. It earns the bronze medal for being both comforting and slightly luxurious.
2. Tillamook Classic Cheddar Mac & Cheese
As you've probably gathered by now, I made sure to try a small selection of mac & cheeses to round out this list. Pasta is comfort food, after all, especially when it's plain and simple (which mac & cheese often is). Now, Tillamook -- known for its exemplary dairy products -- doesn't cut corners. Unsurprisingly, then, the Tillamook Classic Cheddar Mac & Cheese is simply and plainly fantastic. It's also kind of fancy.
This frozen pasta meal has a lot more flavor and complexity than any of the previous entries. It has a better mouthfeel, too, thanks to large, nicely chewy macaroni noodles and a velveteen cheese sauce. The herb and spice blend really comes through, as well, and makes this taste homemade. It was almost likeI was cooking up a big potful while perusing my spice rack, tossing in dashes of this and that to make it extra flavorful.
The real icing on the cake is the pretzels. Yes: pretzels! The salty, crunchy little bites cut through all that cheese and take it to the next level. What an excellent choice. Realistically, this one only comes in second place because I had a single suggestion -- even more cheese.
1. Rao's Penne Arrabbiata With Spicy Sausage
So often, frozen meals end up tasting a little freezer-burnt and stale, like something you dug up as a last resort (rather than a meal you happily picked out and look forward to). But Rao's Penne Arrabbiata With Spicy Italian Sausage really goes above and beyond those expectations. Every single element in this dish works perfectly, which is why it takes the top spot in these rankings of frozen pasta meals.
In short? I loved this one. The pasta tastes like something you just boiled, and in the right amount of time, too. The sauce is vibrant, spicy but not hot, and good enough to prompt me to look into buying a fewjars of pasta sauce sold by Rao'sformy own pantry shelf. Plus, the sausage is meaty and tender, with zero taste of filler. Basically, if you're willing to scour grocery stores for this slightly rare find, or just want to order it online from the Rao's website, you'll be greatly rewarded.
Methodology
To prepare for this ranking,I went grocery shopping and perused the various frozen pasta meals available at different grocery chains, including Trader Joe's, Target, Publix, and Harris Teeter (among others). As a result, most of the products featured on this list are widely available.
When assigning a higher or lower ranking, I mainly considered the taste, texture, appearance, and freshness of each frozen pasta meal after cooking it. I made each meal in the microwave to keep the comparison fair between entries. Additionally, I took into account how well each frozen meal matched up to a homemade version and whether it delivered on the package's promise.
On the other hand, I did not take the price into consideration when determining the rankings order. This was largely because the difference in package and serving sizes between certain meals drastically affected the price.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
