Here's The Absolute Best Frozen Meal To Feed Your Whole Family

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Whether you are not a fan of cooking or simply don't have the time, frozen dinners have been a beacon of modern convenience since the 1950s. While TV dinners were originally single servings, many long-standing frozen dinner producers now offer frozen meals to feed your whole family. To find the best of the bunch, we tasted and ranked 14 different family-sized frozen meal brands, and our favorite is Zatarain's Frozen Blackened Chicken Alfredo.

Along with taste and texture, we ranked a diversity of different frozen meals according to ease of preparation, cost, and nutrition. Zatarain's Blackened Chicken Alfredo was on the expensive side of our frozen dinners, but well worth the extra dollar or two. Not only was this meal large enough to feed six people, but the whole dish was ready after a mere five minutes in the microwave. It also has a well-rounded nutrition profile, with plenty of protein from the chicken, carbs from the pasta, and a calorie-per-portion ratio that won't leave anyone hungry.

Of course, the most important factor is how this meal tasted, which you can probably guess was delicious enough to merit a first-place ranking. The penne pasta was perfectly tender and al dente, its cylindrical shape catching all that rich, creamy, and cheesy Alfredo sauce. But what really stood out was the blackened chicken, seasoned with Zatarain's characteristic Creole and Cajun spice blend. The smoky, spicy, and zesty chicken breast was the perfect complement to the richness of the Alfredo sauce.

We weren't the only ones going back for seconds of Zatarain's Blackened Chicken Alfredo. Customer reviews from Walmart, Amazon, and Sam's Club all gave their seal of approval as well. One review proclaimed that Zatarain's was the best frozen pasta you can buy in stores, with a creamy and delicious flavor that doesn't skimp on the meat. The format and ease of assembly also received compliments, as customers liked that the sauce came separately and allowed them more control over how much to add. Many customers recommended swapping the microwave with the oven or air fryer; it'll tack on some time, but the textural and flavor upgrade is worth the wait.

Simple ingredient additions may help to bring freshness to Zatarain's Blackened Chicken Alfredo, including adding even more protein with crispy bacon. We have a recipe for blackened shrimp and steak Alfredo, so you can always supplement the blackened chicken by stirring in some frozen shrimp seasoned with Zatarain's Big & Zesty Blackened Seasoning. We have another recipe for creamy Cajun pasta that contains bell peppers and a can of chopped tomatoes, which would likewise complement the spicy, creamy pasta dish with a pop of colorful freshness. While garlic bread is a classic Alfredo dinner pairing, cornbread might be a better accompaniment for a Cajun Alfredo. That said, we hold Zatarain's Honey Butter Cornbread Mix in high esteem, based on our ranking of boxed cornbread mixes.