I’m a big fan of fresh foods. My grocery bill can attest to that! But there is a time and place for frozen foods in my life. Definitely. Partly because I am really into plan-ahead food storage including keeping the pantry stocked and having freezer meals handy.
Sometimes, it’s hard to do all the prep to keep the freezer fully stocked. And that’s when on occassion I’ll go for a ready-made freezer meal, like pizza or maybe… Lasagna.
Interesting fact – according to research from the NPD Group, people are eating more frozen lasagna than homemade these days. I found that so intersting, but definitely understandable, as making lasagna can be a little time intensive.
This week, I was busy with my bathroom makeover, my birthday, and impending camping trip-that-might-end-in-disaster (we’re heading to Vermont, need I say more?). I was thankful for the chance to fall back on a frozen meal one night this week as I scrambled to keep up with it all!
We tested out Marie Callender’s frozen multi-serve Lasagna. It has a unique baking tray that minimizes burnt edges and cold spots. You can cook the meal in the microwave (19 minutes) or oven (1 hour). We are not huge microwave fans, so we put ours in the oven!
At just $5.49 and one hour of cook time, this certainly was a time-saver for me this week! I would never have been able to throw together a lasagna with what I have going on!
The overall appearance of the lasagna is not quite what is shown on the box. However, presentation aside, the lasagna had a great cheesy texture, and somewhat al dente lasagna noodle feel. The bits of meat and vegetable were tasty as well. I really liked how they include enough sauce so the dish doesn’t dry out – I love a lot of sauce. The sauce flavor was good, if a little on the sweet side. It’s not fair really to compare sauces though: as someone who cans my own sauce each year, I tend to have a bias towards my more tart/garlicky tomato sauce.
Overall, a great quick meal that will satisfy a small family; my husband and I ate almost the entire tray in one dinner. Okay, we had a little help. My 18-month-old absolutely LOVED it and kept asking for “Pasta!” over and over. He downed several pieces of lasagna noodle! Ah, I have a true 1/4 Italian boy!
Marie Callender’s can be found in the freezer multi-serve section – they are so confident you’ll like their entrees that they put a money-back guarantee right on their box! Now that’s money RIGHT where your mouth is!
Do you eat frozen meals? What do you like/not like about them?
DISCLOSURE: This post was compensated by Marie Callender’s and TheMotherhood. All opinions are 100% my own based on my experiences.
I’ve been making freezer meals ahead of time and using these for my clinic days. I learned this trip from my days of having newborns.
I’ve been making freezer meals ahead of time and using these for my clinic days. I learned this trip from my days of having newborns.