Conagra Brands is debuting more than 50 new frozen food products this June, including single-serve and multi-serve meals, vegetable side dishes and gluten-free and plant-based meals. They are now rolling out in stores and e-commerce outlets now.
“Our culinary team has crafted many recipes that we are proud to bring to the frozen foods category,” said Burke Raine,who heads up the Chicago, Illinois-headquarted company’s refrigerated and frozen business. “As a leader in frozen foods, we recognize that consumers turn to our brands for great taste, convenience and value.
Single-serve frozen meals offer convenience at home or away, and Conagra’s top brands continue to showcase the talents of innovative chefs and exciting partners. Descriptions of some of the new offerings follow.
Dolly Parton’s Southern-inspired Recipes
Last year Dolly the popular country music singer and actress debuted frozen desserts. Building on that success she’s serving up four new single-serve frozen meals inspired by Southern comfort food classics. The quartet includes a Beef Pot Roast, featuring tender beef, hearty thick-cut vegetables and Southern-style gravy; Chicken & Dumplings, covered with a smooth, creamy sauce seasoned with pepper and thyme; Country Fried Steak, served with mashed potatoes and seasoned green beans with smoky bacon; and Shrimp & Grits, tender shrimp with creamy white cheddar grits and juicy cherry tomatoes, topped with a spicy butter sauce. Each meal has a suggested retail price of $4.49.
Banquet
Inspired by top quick service restaurant menu offerings, Mike’s Hot Honey has teamed up with Banquet on new MEGA Bowls Mike’s Hot Honey Chicken Mac ‘N Cheese. This hot, sweet and savory single-serve meal features white meat chicken patties with a hot honey glaze, and macaroni & cheese. The 13.8 oz. meal delivers 23 grams of protein with a suggested retail price of $3.49.
Other Banquet debuts include MEGA Bowls Sweet & Sour Chicken; and two new MEGA Meats dishes: Carved Turkey and Spicy Crispy Chicken.
Healthy Choice
The sales leader in the $2.1 billion better-for-you single-serve meals category, Healthy Choice has six new meals that bring globally inspired recipes to the frozen aisles. Among the offerings are a Café Steamers Chicken Lo Mein; the Simply Steamers Three Cheese Tortellini; the new Power Bowls® Vodka Chicken Pasta; and a Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes meal served with seasoned corn. Suggested prices ranged from $3.49 to $4.99.
Marie Callender’s
Delivering on a tradition of hearty comfort food meals, Marie Callender’s is introducing four new meals featuring contemporary ingredients and sauces made from scratch. The Fried Chicken & Mashed Potato Bowl and the Creamy Garlic & Herb Chicken & Rice Bowl serve up rich flavor and all white meat chicken. Savory plated options include the Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauced Chicken and Garlic Butter Steak Bites. Prices range between $3.49 and $3.99.
P.F. Chang’s Home Menu
Mongolian-style Beef is an Asian-inspired restaurant classic, and now this dish joins the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu collection of single-serve meals. Tender beef and succulent vegetables are served over white rice, with a retail price of $4.99.
Evol:
Indian-inspired recipes are the fastest growing segment in single-serve frozen meals with 18% sales growth over the past three years3. Evol enters the space with Butter Chicken – tender chicken breast in a rich, masala-spiced sauce and served over fluffy jasmine rice. This flavorful new option reflects the brand’s focus on quality ingredients and satisfying, modern meals. The Suggested retail price is $4.49.
Frontera Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce
Frontera brings authentic Mexican flavors to the frozen aisle with chef-inspired meals that deliver restaurant quality taste. The newest addition – Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce – features hand-rolled corn tortillas filled with beef, tomatoes, and onions, topped with a red enchilada sauce and cheese. The suggested retail price is $4.99.
Hungry-Man
The new Chicken Fried Steak meal is another satisfying dish from Hungry-Man. This 16 oz. meal, 44% larger than the category average, delivers 20 grams of protein, with fried beef patties topped in a creamy gravy and served with mashed potatoes and a rich chocolate fudge brownie. The suggested retail price of $3.99.
Family Size Meals Bursting with Flavor
Several of Conagra’s top brands are serving delicious meals for the whole family. As consumers look to enjoy their favorite dishes at home, these easy-to-prepare meals showcase trending recipes and comfort classics. For example:
Marie Callender’s Family Size Meals
The $1.4 billion oven bakes category5 is particularly appealing to the multi-serve audience, with nearly 80% of buyers in households with two or more people6. Building off Marie Callender’s strength in single-serve meals, the brand is introducing three new Family Size meals that offer classic comfort food recipes in a larger size. Each is easy to prepare in conventional and microwave ovens, with 36-40 ounces of food that serves four to five people for a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Chicken Alfredo features savory chicken breast pieces and tender penne pasta, covered in a creamy, cheesy parmesan alfredo sauce.
Cheesy Chicken & Rice is made with savory pieces of chicken breast, rice and broccoli, covered in a rich and creamy cheese sauce.
Chicken Parmesan includes four breaded white meat chicken patties, placed over a bed of tender penne pasta, and topped with crushed tomato marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bertolli
Italian-style meals are the top-selling cuisine in the retail frozen food sector. Bertolli offers two skillet meals that pair high-quality ingredients with tasty sauces: the Chicken Pesto & Penne, and the Chicken Penna Alla Vodka. Both recipes are made with white meat chicken, quality ingredients like basil, parmesan cheese and tomatoes, and no artificial flavors or colors to deliver an authentic Italian-style recipe. Both 22 oz. products sell for $7.99.
New Bertolli Meatballs and Marinara Sauce are a delicious addition to any pasta meal or on their own as an appetizer or side dish. Made with beef and pork and smothered in marinara sauce, these meatballs are nearly 2.5 times the average size of cocktail meatballs, offering value at $8.49 for a 24 oz. pack.
P.F. Chang’s Home Menu
Authentic Asian cuisine continues to be one of the fastest-growing cuisines in frozen, with P.F. Chang’s Home Menu delivering the authentic taste of the Bistro into one’s home. This year’s arrivals include a 22 oz. Shrimp Fried Rice skillet meal, with tender shrimp, fluffy jasmine rice, and vibrant vegetables; and a family-size offering of Chicken Dumplings, with approximately 16 dumplings made with chicken. Both retail for $7.99.
Birds Eye Voila!
The Birds Eye Voila! brand is bringing another American comfort food favorite to fast skillet prep with Cheesy Buffalo Chicken. Menu pairings of Buffalo sauce and pasta have grown 45% over the last four years as America’s love of spicy foods continues to surge. Available in 42 oz. or 60 oz. varieties, this dish includes chicken paired with pasta, red bell peppers, celery and green onions in a cheesy, Buffalo-style sauce. The two sizes retail for $8.99 and $11.99, respectively.
Blake’s
Rooted in a family tradition of farm-to-table, all-natural cooking, Blake’s® is introducing its first multi-serve frozen meals. The Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole and Classic Beef Pot Roast are made with wholesome ingredients and crafted for homemade taste. Each 25 oz. dish serves three to four people and sells for $9.99.
Chef Boyardee
This popular Italian-inspired brand debuted in frozen meals last year with skillet prep dishes. Now tthe Chef Boyardee menu is adding two new creamy chicken and pasta meals. Chicken Carbonara and Chicken Primavera are available as 40 oz. meals, which serve for to five people and and retail for $8.99.
Convenient Vegetables, Bursting with Flavor
New offerings from Birds Eye and Alexia are available in convenient and tasty new recipes.
Birds Eye
Butter is the No. 1 at-home sauce addition to frozen veggies, and on restaurant menus vegetables are paired with cheese 40% of the time, according to Circana/NPD National Eating Trends data. This inspired the new line of Birds Eye Ultimate Cheesy & Buttery Vegetables, a collection of four popular veggetables smothered in flavorful and indulgent sauces.
Butter lovers can enjoy Ultimate Butter Sauced Corn and Ultimate Butter Sauced Green Beans, made with two times more butter than Birds Eye’s current sauced items. Broccoli Florets and a California Blend of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots gets the Ultimate Cheesy treatment, covered with 50% more cheese than current Birds Eye offerings. Each 11-12 oz. vegetable side dish comes in a convenient microwaveable tray and retails for $3.49.
In plain vegetables, Birds Eye is also pairing globally inspired vegetable medleys with the convenience of microwave Steamfresh prep to deliver versatile blends. International cuisines can be found in the freezer of nearly 70% of American homes, with Mediterranean and Italian-inspired frozen items driving $2.8 billion in annual sales. New Steamfresh vegetable medleys include a Mediterranean-style Blend; a Tuscan-style Blend; and an Antioxidant Blend, with broccoli florets, julienne carrots, and sweet yellow and red bell peppers. A convenient Steamfresh offering of Birds Eye’s popular Normandy Blend is also new to the collection. These 10-10.8 oz. bags, with a suggested retail price of $2.49, are ready in minutes from the freezer.
Alexia
A brand rooted in all natural, chef-inspired veggie sides, Alexia is offering an elegant take on the USA’s most popular frozen vegetable. Alexia Broccoli & Aged Cheddar features broccoli florets covered with a creamy aged white cheddar cheese sauce. A 14 oz. bag retails for $4.49.
Gluten-Free and Plant-Based Foods Full of Flavor
As consumers look for foods to satisfy their gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian needs, Conagra brands are delivering.
Udi’s
While one in four consumers in the United States seek gluten-free meals, finding an offering the whole family can enjoy together can be challenging. Udi’s is debuting the first multi-serve chicken enchilada dish that is certified gluten-free, and made with antibiotic-free chicken. The family-size serving includes six enchiladas with corn tortillas wrapped and filled with white meat chicken and covered with a mild red sauce and cheese. The dish retails for $14.99.
Gardein
The Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based meat alternative line is expanding with offerings including the new Ultimate Plant-Based Ste’k Tips and Ultimate Plant-Based Spicy Saus’ge Crumbles. The faux meat options work well as ingredients in stir fries, tacos, pasta dishes, and more. Each 14–15 oz. pack retails for $8.99.
Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Breakfast Saus’ge patties have a new recipe, featuring a wider patty designed to fit perfectly on breakfast sandwiches. Available in Original and Spicy, each 10-pack retails for $8.99.
For a quick and satisfying lunch or dinner option, Gardein’s new Ultimate Plant-Based frozen single serve meal – a Fried Chick’n Mac & Cheeze Bowl—delivers bold flavor in minutes. Featuring crispy plant-based chick’n and creamy vegan cheeze sauce, the 9 oz. meal is 100% vegan and packs 15 grams of plant-based protein. The suggested retail price is $4.99.
Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot frozen single serve meals serve up 100% vegan flavor from vegetable and legume ingredients. The latest variety – Portobello Mushroom Ravioli – features tender pasta stuffed with portobello mushrooms and is paired with a medley of kidney beans, tomatoes, lentils and spinach. With 13 grams of plant-based protein, its suggested retail price is $4.49.
Sweet Start to the Day
Conagra’s Odom’s Tennessee Pride sausage brand offers two new items that feature the sweet taste of real maple syrup and 100% pork. A 12-pack of Snack Size Maple Sausage Buttermilk Biscuit Sandwiches, promoted as “perfect for breakfast or as a snack,” is priced at $6.99. Also launching is an 18-pack of Ready-to-Cook Maple Sausage Patties priced at $7.49.
Reported by John Saulnier
