Get Quartz in your inbox

Free daily briefing on global business news.

The best healthy frozen dinners, according to Consumer Reports

Frozen meals can put a healthy dinner on the table fast. Consumer Reports tasted 30 entrées for flavor and nutrition to find 16 winners

Loren Castillo / Pexels

Frozen meals have moved well past Salisbury steak, and grain bowls and plant-based dishes now crowd the freezer case. That variety makes label reading essential, since two dishes that look alike can differ sharply in sodium, fiber, and added sugar.

Consumer Reports reviewed the nutrition of more than 250 frozen meals and blind-tasted 30 of them, so read on for the 16 dishes that earned its recommendation.

Amy's Bowls Brown Rice Black-Eyed Peas and Veggies

Credit: Amy's Kitchen

Consumer Reports gave this vegetarian bowl outstanding marks for nutrition and solid marks for taste. CR's testers picked up savory mushroom notes and a hint of ginger in the mix of brown rice, broccoli, carrots, and black-eyed peas. Priced at $7.50 for 9 ounces, the bowl has 300 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and no added sugars. CR also found the portion generous by frozen-meal standards.

Amy's Cheese Enchilada Dinner

Credit: Amy's Kitchen

Shave a little time off the package directions for this one, because Consumer Reports found that the enchilada tasted better slightly undercooked. CR's testers said the corn tortilla, cheese filling, and sides of black beans and corn came across as fresher than typical freezer fare. At $7.50 for 9 ounces, the dinner has 16 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. Sodium is the tradeoff, with 770 milligrams per dinner against CR's recommended ceiling of 700.

Amy's Bowls Spaghetti Italiano with Veggie Meatballs

Credit: Amy's Kitchen

Despite crumbling easily, the grain-based meatballs in this vegetarian spaghetti bowl won over Consumer Reports' testers. The sauce is a thick tomato-basil blend........

© Quartz