I Tried 4 Frozen Meatloaf Dinners & One Tastes Like Sunday Supper
Can any frozen meatloaf live up to those made from scratch? Maybe not exactly, but some come impressively close as I discovered whilst doing a frozen meatloaf taste-test. Meatloaf is a favorite comfort food in our home, and for good reason: This simple dish is made with ground meat mixed with breadcrumbs, onions, seasonings and more, baked to tender perfection and coated in a sweet tomato glaze (ketchup, basically). I wanted to see if any frozen option could get that taste, texture, and overall quality right, and was pleasantly surprised at some of the options available. All of these frozen meatloaf meals are microwaveable, and one was so good it easily wins top spot—read on to find out which one was the winner.
Boston Market Meatloaf
The Boston Market Meatloaf meal had a nice texture on the meat but it didn’t feel like meatloaf, more like burger patties. It would work for Salisbury steak, not so much for meatloaf. The gravy had a slightly sour taste to it and the potatoes were too dry for mashed potatoes. This could definitely be dressed up with butter but overall I wasn’t impressed.
Marie Callendar’s Meat Loaf & Gravy
Marie Callendar’s Meat Loaf & Gravy was very good. The seasoning on the meat was great, and the texture was tender and juicy. The addition of corn was nice, with the corn tasting sweet and firm, and the mashed potatoes were flavorful but lacked texture—they were just too thin and runny. The gravy was rich and flavorful and overall this was a solid option.
Stouffer’s Classic Meatloaf
I was surprised by how good the Stouffer’s Classic Meatloaf was. The meat was nice and thick with great texture and perfect seasoning, very tender and flavorful. The mashed potatoes were creamy, thick, and flavorful, and the gravy was rich and perfectly complemented the potatoes and meat. You could add butter to the mash to make it a little creamier but I thought it was great as-is.
Lean Cuisine Signature Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes
The Lean Cuisine Signature Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes was one of the most authentic frozen meatloaves I tried: The meat itself was nice and tender with the correct loose texture of good meatloaf, seasoned just right. The tomato-based gravy gave the dish that much-needed sweet tomato glaze flavor you expect, and was rich enough to add juiciness to the meat and mashed potatoes. The potatoes were creamy and delicious, and rounded out a very impressive frozen meal.