Guide to Vegetarian Frozen Entrees

What will it be tonight? Italian? Mexican? Chinese? Indian? Thai? Dinner is only a quick spin in the microwave away if you buy vegetarian frozen entrées. Yes, they're convenient, and for many of us convenience is very important. Many of these meals provide generous amounts of vitamin A and vitamin C as well as fiber – all good things. On the down side, they're often quite high in sodium and sometimes are as fatty as a fast food burger. We'll help you choose the best of the bunch and give you some ideas for evaluating vegetarian frozen entrées.

Looking for a vegetarian frozen entrée? We've had good luck finding them in natural foods stores and in the natural foods sections of supermarkets. Check the ingredient listing to see if the ingredients are vegetarian or vegan. We did find one seemingly vegetarian product that contained oyster sauce. Products made for the natural foods market are more likely to omit artificial colors and flavors and to use cheese made without animal rennet. Many companies are using organically produced ingredients, something many of us support. Look for brands like Amy's, Celentano, Cedarlane, 3 Square, Chef Ahaska's, Cascadian Farm, and Imagine if you want to buy products containing mostly organically produced ingredients.

If vegetarian frozen entrées are a very occasional treat (a couple of times a month or less) and you're not on any special diet, buy whatever looks good to you. However, if frozen entrées are something you choose often, it pays to look for those that are not too high in sodium and fat and that have generous amounts of vegetables. The table accompanying this article can help you choose. We've highlighted some of the top choices, but you can find other acceptable ones. Identify products that meet your standards. Let companies know that you're looking for products without so much sodium and fat. Does a product really have to have close to half the sodium that you should eat for a day to taste good?

Vegetarian teens may turn to frozen entrées for meals when the rest of the family is eating meat. Since teens need generous amounts of iron and calcium, it's wise to identify products that have significant amounts of these nutrients. Most products that contain cheese will supply calcium; vegan products providing calcium and iron are listed in the sidebar accompanying this article.

Cooking times for frozen entrées vary. Generally, with a microwave, they can be ready in two to 10 minutes. Heating them in the oven can take as much as an hour, depending on the product.

You do pay for convenience. Many meals cost $3-$4 per serving, which is still cheaper than eating at a restaurant. If you're trying to save money, buy entrées on sale or make your own frozen entrées.

Which of these products sounds more appetizing?

A) Skim milk, cooked enriched macaroni, pasteurized processed American cheese (whey, sodium phosphate, whey protein concentrate, skim milk, milkfat, salt, annatto color), bleached wheat flour, cheddar cheese, soybean oil, salt, modified cornstarch, cheddar cheese flavor, sugar, whey, dried onions, butter flavor, annatto coloring  – Stouffer's Pasta Shells with American Cheese

or

B) Organic enriched penne pasta, organic tomatoes, eggplant, organic zucchini, squash, organic onions, organic canola oil, red bell peppers, salt, garlic, spices  – Celentano Penne with Roasted Vegetables

If you picked B, maybe you should consider trying a vegetarian frozen entrée.

Vegetarian Frozen Entrées

Products are categorized by the percent of calories from fat. Within each category, products are ranked according to the amount of sodium in a serving. Products identified as having no more than 30% of calories from fat, no more than 120 milligrams of sodium per 100 calories, and some organic ingredients, are listed in blue.