I Tried 7 Frozen Meatloaf Dinners And Ranked Them Worst To Best

Frozen meals may not make for the most gourmet dinner option, but they are always readily available in a pinch, and that convenience keeps many shoppers coming back for more. Of course, it's not always easy picking out the right frozen meal, as there are dozens of frozen dinner brands to choose from as you stroll down the aisle. Moreover, there are seemingly hundreds of entrees to choose from amidst those brands, so it's a good idea to have a go-to entree of choice in mind for those nights when you want a simple, hot meal and you want it fast.

If meatloaf is that frozen meal of choice, then you're probably aware that most popular frozen meal brands have some sort of variation of a meatloaf meal. To make your decision a little easier, I tried seven frozen meatloaf dinners and ranked them worst to best. I'd already tried several of these meatloaf meals in other frozen meal rankings, but when trying them this time around, I did so in the specific context of how they fared against other meatloaf entrees. 

Obviously, the flavor of the meatloaf itself was a key factor in determining the ranking of these meals. However, none of the meals came with just meatloaf alone, so the flavors and textures of the sides — whether they be mashed potatoes, corn, or some sort of dessert — also played a role. 

When I conducted a ranking of Boston Market frozen meals, the meatloaf didn't just fare poorly ... it came in dead last place. And, tragically but unsurprisingly, it's coming in last place on this ranking as well. The cold, hard truth here is that there's just about no redeeming factor at play in this meatloaf entree. There are essentially three core components to the meal — meatloaf, gravy, and mashed potatoes — and all of them are either simply bad or extremely forgettable.

When I tried this meal for the Boston Market meal ranking, I particularly despised the mashed potatoes, and they certainly weren't any better this time around. Dry, overly starchy, and almost tasting like cardboard, the mashed potatoes in this meal are downright bad. The meatloaf itself almost seems inoffensive compared to such terrible potatoes, but that doesn't exactly mean that it's any good. It doesn't taste much like meatloaf but rather like a slab of beef, one slathered in a lackluster gravy to try to mask an overwhelming lack of flavor. Between the terrible potatoes and the unappetizing meatloaf and gravy, it's pretty easy to see how this Boston Market meatloaf meal might come in last place in any ranking that it's a part of.

One meatloaf meal that I've likely tried in my lifetime but haven't specifically tried for a previous ranking is Banquet's meatloaf meal. Unlike other meatloaf entrees on this list that only come with a single side, this frozen entree boasts a full meal, one including the meatloaf itself, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and spiced apples for dessert. It's worth noting that this was the cheapest meal on the list, coming in at $2.29 (whereas the other meals ranged from $3.48 to $4.99). Could it be possible that this Banquet meatloaf offers a true bang-for-your-buck, or does the price reflect a lack of quality?

Unfortunately, I think the latter statement proved itself to be true. The first thing I noticed was how thin and bland the meatloaf was. It didn't necessarily taste bad, but it was lacking in the flavor department, and the equally lackluster gravy wasn't doing it any favors. Then there were the nearly inedible, incredibly watery mashed potatoes. The apples offered a nice pop of spiced sweetness, but they, too, were incredibly watery. As sad as it is to say, I'd argue that the corn was the most successful aspect of this meal, which goes to show how disappointing the other components truly were. Overall, it's easy to see why this meal sits at such a low price point, and I think it's worth it to shell out a couple of bucks for something a little higher in quality. 

Though I have previously done a ranking of Healthy Choice frozen meals, the meatloaf and mashed potatoes meal is not one I had previously tried. But I gave it a swing this time around, and I can safely say that I wasn't missing much. Between a strangely dry meatloaf, watery mashed potatoes, and overly peppery corn, this meal felt disjointed and sort of thrown together.

Let's start with specifics on the meatloaf. Again, like every meatloaf on this list, I didn't despise the flavor, but this had a general lack of flavor or complexity that made me feel ambivalent towards it. Texture-wise, the meatloaf was quite dry, which was strange considering that it was drenched in a watery gravy and paired with watery mashed potatoes. The wateriness of the potatoes certainly didn't do them any favors in the flavor department either, and they almost didn't even taste like mashed potatoes at all, but instead tasted like a sad, powdery, starchy mess. Finally, I disliked how there was a sprinkling of pepper over everything, but especially the corn. It felt lazy and like a cop-out to provide real seasoning or flavor.

In my ranking of Stouffer's frozen dinners, the meatloaf came in 10th place out of 12, so needless to say, it didn't fare incredibly well. And, in this ranking, it faces a similar fate of being disappointing all-around, though I would argue it fares better here than compared to other Stouffer's meals. I wasn't a fan of the meager portion size when I ranked this meal the first time, and that portion is still an issue compared to other meatloafs, as the tiny meatloaf log really didn't offer anything substantial. 

For this meatloaf ranking, I was less concerned with the portion size and more concerned with the flavors. And, yeah, the flavors didn't stand up too well when compared to other options. Though the meatloaf wasn't bad, it didn't have anything to offer other than a general meaty, savory flavor, with no added complexity of herbs, spices, or tanginess. The gravy was very watery, and though it did have a savory flavor, it wasn't something that I was exactly excited about. It was a bit easier to appreciate the mashed potatoes in this meal when comparing them to other meatloaf meals with mashed potatoes, because these actually had a decent texture and fluffiness compared to some of the other options on this list. That said, decent mashed potatoes can only get a meatloaf meal so far, so this isn't one that I'd return to.

Though I'd argue that Marie Callender's meatloaf and gravy meal had perhaps the most questionable-looking meatloaf out of them all, the flavors were telling a different story. Once again, this meal featured a familiar formula of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. I think that the formula worked a little more successfully here than with other meals. I'd previously tried this meal for my Marie Callender's frozen meal ranking, and it's one that I felt mostly fondly about then, and fortunately, still do now.

For starters, the meatloaf managed to transcend that standard beefy, meaty, savory flavor profile, tasting a little more like actual meatloaf thanks to notes of Rochester sauce. I was dubious of the mashed potatoes, largely because they were a bit liquidy for my taste. Fortunately, however, the mashed potatoes weren't actually watery, but they definitely became liquidy because of all that gravy mixed in. They still tasted good, so I could give a less-than-desirable consistency a pass this time. Finally, the corn was perfectly sweet and even a bit crisp, and unlike in some of the other meals that featured corn, it actually felt complementary to the meal as opposed to something that was just sort of tacked on.

I was immediately impressed by the sheer amount of food packed into the tray of Hungry-Man's homestyle meatloaf meal: two meatloaf patties, mashed potatoes and gravy, mixed vegetables, and even a brownie for dessert. There was only one other meal on this list that tacked on a dessert, and it wasn't a super successful one. So, I had high hopes — not only for the dessert (though that did end up being one of my favorite parts), but for the meal as a whole to deliver on heartiness if nothing else.

Hungry-Man's meatloaf dinner did indeed deliver on the hearty front, and for the most part, it also delivered on the flavors. I was impressed by the meatloaf itself, which boasted a more meatloaf-like flavor with a slight tanginess and super savory depth. The mixed vegetables were nothing fancy or amazing, but they were bright and crisp and a nice contrast against the rich meatloaf. I enjoyed the brownie a lot, as it was rich, chocolatey, and dense (in a good way). The mashed potatoes were the weak point here. They were watery yet dry at the same time, tasting overly starchy and not very appetizing. Nonetheless, I felt that the other elements of this meal shone so brightly that even less-than-appetizing mashed potatoes couldn't stop it from earning the second-place spot on this list.

Rounding out this frozen meatloaf meal ranking and earning the top spot is none other than Lean Cuisine with its meatloaf and mashed potatoes meal. I've ranked this before in my Lean Cuisine frozen meals ranking, and it came in fifth place out of 16 total meals. Here, though, it fared as well as it possibly could, proving Lean Cuisine to have the superior meatloaf of all the frozen meal brands.

What makes Lean Cuisine's meatloaf so successful, you may ask? It comes down to the meal being tasty from start to finish. There's the meatloaf, the most crucial part, which hit those quintessential savory, rich, beefy, Worcestershire-y, slightly tangy notes. The gravy was more successful here than in other meals because it actually attempted to be closer to what many homemade meatloaves boast: a tomato or ketchup glaze. Though the gravy was mostly beefy and savory, it had those familiar acidic, tomatoey notes that stood out against the competition. 

Then there's the mashed potatoes, which were without a doubt the best out of any on this list, both texturally and flavor-wise. The flavor ultimately stood out to me because the potatoes had herbs mixed in, which went a long way in boosting the flavor. Overall, though this may be a simple frozen meal, it's executed well and hits on all of those cozy, comforting, savory meatloaf notes about as well as a frozen meal could. 

When ranking these seven frozen meatloaf meals, the meatloaf was the essential factor. I focused on paying attention to the meatloaf to see if any had particularly good flavors or textures (or, on the contrary, particularly bad ones). Truthfully, most of the meatloafs on this list tasted similar, so those that had something extra to offer (a whisper of Worcestershire, some tomatoey goodness) fared better. 

Since none of these meals featured just meatloaf alone, however, I considered the other elements of the meal in my ranking. Mashed potatoes were a common contender, and some were more successful than others. For the most part, texture was a big issue, so that helped guide the placement of the meals, where the meatloaves themselves were similar to one another. Other elements like corn and desserts helped influence the ranking as well, though it was definitely the meatloaf and mashed potatoes that were the most important factors. 

Though I do mention price in one of the slides, this ultimately wasn't a factor in the ranking, as the meals all fell into a generally similar price range (all under $5). I also didn't consider ease of cooking/heating up the meals to be a factor since they all called for a similar heating method (microwave) and took about the same amount of time to heat.