Gwynedd Stuart
I taste test a lot of frozen meals. Too many maybe—but we’ll let my doctor discuss that privately with the hunk of microplastics in my brain. The point is, I’m seldom excited to sit down to a frozen food taste test because I know by now what to expect: Meals that are loaded with sodium but are still a little bit bland. Mushy pastas. Weird, chewy meats. But when we set out to find the best Stouffer’s frozen dinners by trying ten of them at once, I gotta say—it’s one of the first frozen food taste tests I was actually really excited about. Stouffer’s frozen meals just look and smell better than the rest (with the exception of their tuna noodle casserole—that thing REEKS). And a lot of them taste better, too.
How we shopped for the Stouffer’s frozen dinners for our taste test
Well, if you’ve been in the frozen aisle recently, you’re aware that Stouffer’s makes a lot of frozen meals—big ones for families, small ones for individuals, and even some sides, too. For this taste test we focused on their single-serving frozen meals, and I specifically sought out classics like lasagna, turkey and stuffing, and turkey tetrazzini. We cooked them all in the microwave according to the directions on their respective boxes, and then we judged them on their textures, flavors, and overall deliciousness.
These are the six best Stouffer’s entrees of the ten we tried.
- Stouffer’s Creamed Chipped Beef
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My entire life led up to the moment I tried Stouffer’s Creamed Chipped Beef. I’d always been aware of its existence and I’d always wanted to try it, but could never quite justify buying a frozen tray of white gravy studded with bits of salty dried beef. I finally had an excuse—and I loved it. The creamy sauce plentiful and bland in the best way, and the beef adds bursts of salt and flavor. I grew up on those little packets of Buddig beef and that’s what the beef in this Stouffer’s frozen meal reminded me of. Calling this a frozen “meal” is a little generous—you still need to make a slice of toast for the full shit-on-a-shingle experience, but the extra effort is worth it. (We used our top ranked white bread and it was great.)
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Stouffer’s Escalloped Chicken & Noodles Casserole
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No, this doesn’t involve scallops—this frozen Stouffer’s casserole is escalloped, meaning it’s saucy and has breadcrumbs on top. You get chicken, mushrooms, carrots, and crunchy bits of celery, all in a creamy sauce with fettuccine. What’s not to like? Literally nothing. The sauce is a little bit bland, but the mushrooms are seriously umami and elevate the flavor a lot. All in all, it’s not as good as the turkey tetrazzini (a similar casserole you’ll find in the #2 spot), but like many of the best Stouffer’s frozen dinners, this is pure cheesy comfort food.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Stouffer’s Meat Lovers Lasagna
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I’ve had Stouffer’s lasagna a number of times in my life (including in our frozen lasagna taste test), but I’m not sure I’ve ever had the individually portioned “meat lovers” lasagna. I didn’t see the pepperoni coming! In addition to Italian sausage, this individually portioned frozen lasagna is studded with salty bits of pepperoni and it’s really indulgent and delicious. I’ll also say that we overcooked the SHIT out of this and it was still good. Who can resist some burnt cheese around the edges of their tray of lasagna?
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Stouffer’s Swedish Meatballs
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More comfort food, coming in hot (literally). The meatballs are tender and flavorful, and the sauce has the perfect blend of savory flavor and sour creamy tang, along with just a little bit of herbaceousness for depth. The only thing that’s not good about this Stouffer’s frozen meal is that the noodles are a little bloated, but if you eat microwave pasta with any frequency, you’re used to it.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Stouffer’s Turkey Tetrazzini
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Stouffer’s Turkey Tetrazzini is turkey, mushrooms, celery, and spaghetti, all in a creamy sauce topped with toasty breadcrumbs. The spaghetti is perfect and there’s so much sauce. The breadcrumbs actually brown up a little bit. And the real secret to its success is that the sauce tastes like sherry! It’s just that little bit of something that makes it sing. This was a fave of mine when I was a kid and my mom would let me pick out a frozen dinner, and it’s still one of the best Stouffer’s frozen meals.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Stouffer’s Roast Turkey-
This might be a slightly boring pick to place in the #1 spot, but there’s something so wonderful about the gravy-drenched simplicity of this Stouffer’s frozen entree. The turkey medallions are tender and actually taste like poultry, and they’re served on a bed of stuffing that’s little more than gravy-sopped croutons—but who cares? It’s delicious! The mashed potatoes in this meal are outstanding, too. We’ve consumed so many bland, horrible helpings of frozen dinner mashed potatoes and these are in a completely different league—creamy, buttery, and tasty. The meal is satisfying and it’s relatively low cal. It’s our favorite microwave turkey dinner by a mile and it’s also the best Stouffer’s frozen meal of them all.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Stouffer’s!
Stouffer’s!
Stouffer’s!
Stouffer’s
Stouffer’s
Best of the Best!
Other Stouffer’s frozen dinners we tried
Stouffer’s Cheddar Bacon Potato Bake, Stouffer’s Chicken a la King, Stouffer’s Chicken Alfredo, Stouffer’s Tuna Noodle Casserole
Tyler Bowers
Vinz Karl
Justine Sterling
