To help you avoid the worst of the bunch, we've ranked Lean Cuisine frozen dinners -- with
the best ones at the end of the ranking. While there are a few really good Lean Cuisine frozen
dinners, there's several you'll want to avoid -- because if you don't, you'll be totally
disappointed.
The bad taste of Lean Cuisine's Macaroni & Cheese is impossible to overstate. This stuff is
simply wretched and is a total waste of money. It's not only the worst mac and cheese frozen
dinner, it's the worst store-bought mac and cheese that you will find anywhere.
This disaster begins with the texture of the macaroni. Once you heat up the frozen dinner,
you'll be met with macaroni that is so soft and mushy that you'll want to spit it out.
To make matters worse, the cheese doesn't taste like cheese at all. Instead, it has
the initial flavor of plastic and a chemical aftertaste.
"If you start to feel sick, then I'll start to feel…"
"Surely, I must be done."
"Yes."
Combine the texture and the taste, and that's a combination that only deserves a ride to
the nearest garbage can.
If you really want a mac and cheese product made by Lean Cuisine, go with their Vermont
White Cheddar version. The cheese is actually tasty, and the texture is much improved.
Even if you adore Pad Thai, don't make the mistake of buying Lean Cuisine's Chicken Pad
Thai.
While it's heating up in the microwave, the smell of dead fish will invade your kitchen.
Why does it smell like fish? Although fish isn't listed on the front of the box, anchovies
are on the ingredient list.
If you put a clothespin on your nose and take a bite, you'll be sorry you did. The noodles
are too limp, the carrots are too hard, the snap peas are too chewy, and the chicken is
too sparse. Do yourself a favor, and pass on Lean Cuisine's Chicken Pad Thai.
The picture on the box makes Lean Cuisine's Buffalo Style Chicken look like heaven. It
will give you hope that it will taste like the buffalo wings you know and love but without
as much fat or calories. Unfortunately, the reality won't match your expectations, as
this meal doesn't look anything like it does on the box.
Beyond its disappointing appearance, this frozen dinner is also a struggle to eat due
to its spiciness. Even if you like spicy food, the spiciness of Lean Cuisine's Buffalo Style
Chicken is so extreme that it ruins the experience.
You'll need a lot of milk to handle eating all of the chicken that has been drenched
with an ocean of hot sauce.
While Lean Cuisine's Chicken Fried Rice isn't as horrendous as the three frozen dinners
listed above, it's still a major letdown. If you're hoping that this fried rice tastes
like that yummy fried rice at your favorite Chinese restaurant, you're in for a rude awakening.
The best fried rice is popping with flavor and has a texture that titillates your mouth.
Lean Cuisine's Chicken Fried Rice is basically the opposite of that. The texture is too squishy
and spongy. Even worse, the flavor is nonexistent. It'd be an understatement to call this fried
rice bland.
This fried rice is supposed to have chicken, scrambled eggs, peas, and carrots in it, but
it somehow manages to taste like nothingness.
"I don't want to be critical, but this is very chewy."
"You're eating a hand towel."
You had to know you were taking a risk when you bought a Lean Cuisine with fish as the
star of the show. Sadly, your gamble didn't pay off. Lean Cuisine's Parmesan Crusted Fish
is edible — but that's about as glowing of a review as it deserves.
The main issue with this meal is the fish. You won't be thrilled that the breading lacks
any crunchiness and that there is only a limited amount of Parmesan cheese on the fish. Hiding
beneath the fish is some pasta that is covered with a tomato sauce. The pasta is actually
pretty tasty, but there's just not enough of it to help you forget about the fish failure.
Enchiladas of all shapes and sizes are reliably scrumptious. If you go to a Mexican restaurant
and order the enchiladas, you are almost guaranteed to be happy with your selection. That said,
Lean Cuisine's Chicken Enchilada Suiza will leave you feeling unfulfilled. You won't hate
it, but you also won't be too impressed with this frozen dinner.
The first problem with this meal is the fact that it doesn't have very much chicken in
it. The picture on the box makes it look like the enchilada is overflowing with shredded
chicken. But if you open the tortilla and take a look for yourself, you'll see that
it's an underwhelming amount of poultry.
The second problem is the white sour cream sauce that's on top of the enchilada. Considering
that this frozen meal needs to be put in the microwave for nine minutes, the fact that
the sour cream sauce loses its flavor shouldn't be too much of a shock.
When it comes to frozen dinners, lasagna is typically a safe choice. For example, Stouffer's
lasagna is legitimately one of the best frozen dinners on the market. Since Stouffer's and
Lean Cuisine are owned by the same parent company, that means Lean Cuisine's Lasagna
with Meat Sauce has to be just as good, right? That's not the case, unfortunately.
Lasagna made by Stouffer's is a lot more flavorful, and each layer brings its own deliciousness
to the table. Conversely, Lean Cuisine's Lasagna with Meat Sauce has a mild taste, and it's
impossible to differentiate between the layers when you're eating it.
The good news is that Lean Cuisine uses enough yummy ingredients to salvage this frozen dinner.
In the lasagna, you'll find seasoned beef, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and tomato
sauce. As long as you don't compare it to the lasagna that Stouffer's makes, you'll
be content with this Lean Cuisine pick.
Flavor-wise, Lean Cuisine's Chicken Marsala is nothing to write home about. The flavor
is best described as unimaginative. What makes this frozen dinner a better than average selection
is the fact that it's extremely hearty and yet it only has 200 calories. If you're looking
for a filling dinner that is low in calories, high in protein, and will fill you to the
brim, you can't do much better.
Lean Cuisine's Chicken Marsala features strips of white chicken, hunks of roasted potatoes,
a generous amount of mushrooms, and plenty of green beans.
Generally speaking, Lean Cuisine doesn't have a good reputation when it comes to steak.
The one exception to that rule is Lean Cuisine's Steak Portabella. This option is genuinely
quite tasty.
As the name suggests, the two main attractions are the strips of steak and the portabello
mushrooms. The steak is extra tender. Without much effort, the beef will seemingly melt
in your mouth. The portabello mushroom pieces are just as big as the steak strips and just
as tender. There's also a healthy amount of broccoli in this frozen dinner.
What really makes Lean Cuisine's Steak Portabella stand out from the pack is the brown beef
sauce that is liberally applied on top of everything. The sauce is amazingly savory.
You'll be using your fingers to scoop it up and make sure that every last drop of it is
gone.
"How are you cutting carbs?"
"Last night I had beef with a side of beef."
"I licked the butter off a piece of toast."
If you want to wake up your taste buds and give them a roller coaster ride to remember,
consider Lean Cuisine's Apple Cranberry Chicken. This frozen dinner isn't the best of the best,
but it has so many competing flavors that it's a journey you will remember.
First of all, this might be the sweetest meal that Lean Cuisine produces. Everything has
an apple-flavored sweetness that is sure to make your sweet tooth applaud with joy.
When you're shopping for spaghetti made by Lean Cuisine, you need to be careful. They
have two very different offerings that are easy to confuse. Lean Cuisine's Spaghetti
with Meat Sauce is the one that should be avoided. The spaghetti is gooey, the meat
is oily, and the acidic tomato sauce dominates the flavor. Don't purchase this version.
On the other hand, there's Lean Cuisine's Spaghetti with Meatballs. It has a similar
name, but the difference between the two is night and day. This version has spaghetti
that is much superior due to its firmer texture.
The meatballs are big and so flavorful that you'll be convinced that they came from the
kitchen of an Italian restaurant. Even the tomato sauce is better, as it isn't as acidic
and doesn't rely so heavily on basil for its flavor.
As long as you know which one to buy, purchasing spaghetti made by Lean Cuisine is a fine idea.
Put in an effort to find Lean Cuisine's Glazed Turkey Tenderloins, and you'll be handsomely
rewarded.
The praise for this meal should begin with the turkey. While turkey can get dry easily,
especially when it's microwaved, this turkey is surprisingly juicy. The sweet potatoes
in this frozen dinner will also win you over.
They're whipped to give them an optimal texture, and each spoonful is packed with flavor. Last
but certainly not least is the stuffing. Loaded with dried cranberries, celery, onion, and
honey, this stuffing is not for the faint of heart and refuses to take a back seat.
Though it may sound like the stuffing is too rich, once you give it a try, you're sure
to love it.
If you want a light but immensely flavorful frozen dinner, you can't beat Lean Cuisine's
Alfredo Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli. While many frozen dinners taste like they were just
thrown together at the last second, this Lean Cuisine favorite tastes like it was expertly
crafted by hand.
All the flavors and textures are perfectly balanced, which makes this a meal that any
person of any age will enjoy.
The two main aspects of this frozen dinner are the rigatoni and the chicken. The rigatoni
has the perfect level of firmness, while the chicken is perfectly tender. Each meal also
features the perfect amount of broccoli, as it's enough to add diversity but not so much
that it overwhelms the rigatoni and the chicken.
While all that is good, your favorite part of this frozen dinner will be the Alfredo
sauce. It's extra creamy, extra scrumptious, and makes everything it touches so much better.
When it comes to naming the best meatless frozen dinner that Lean Cuisine sells, there
is one meal that rises above them all. Lean Cuisine's Cheese Ravioli is the runaway meatless
winner. It's so delicious that it could win over a self-avowed carnivore.
The key to culinary victory for this frozen meal is, you guessed it, the cheese. To the
surprise of no one, it contains ricotta cheese. The ricotta is both plentiful and delectable.
But what is a bit surprising is that Lean Cuisine's Cheese Ravioli also has Romano cheese
in it that's made from authentic sheep's milk. That's the type of cheese you'd expect to
find at an expensive Italian restaurant, not inside of an inexpensive frozen dinner.
The tomato sauce on this ravioli is another reason you'll adore this meal. It's chunky
and adds just the right amount of acidic kick to each bite to perfectly complement the cheese
and the pasta.
If you want to taste the best option of them all, try Lean Cuisine's Mango Chicken with
Coconut Rice. This frozen dinner is an absolute treat. You will cherish every last morsel,
and you'll make it a habit to keep a box of this stuff in your freezer at all times.
Narrowing down the best part of this Lean Cuisine masterpiece is difficult to do because
it all just tastes so wonderful. From the coconut rice to the juicy strips of white
meat chicken and from the mangos to the edamame, you'll be hard-pressed to pick your favorite.
There's also a yummy sauce at play that is simultaneously spicy and sweet. Instead of
spending time trying to select your favorite part, your best bet is to mix it all together,
dig in, and prepare for your taste buds to experience magnificence.
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