My Night with a Frozen Italian Meal
So, the other day, I was just plain tired. You know those days, right? Got home, and the thought of actually cooking, like, chopping stuff and all that, just wasn’t gonna happen. I remembered I had a few of those frozen Italian dinners stashed in the freezer for exactly this kind of emergency. So, I figured, why not give one a go?
I poked around in the freezer, past the ice cream and some frozen veggies, and found a chicken parmesan thing. The picture on the box looked pretty decent, but they always do, don’t they? Checked the back for instructions. It said I could microwave it or bake it in the oven. I usually find things turn out a bit better in the oven, less soggy, so I decided to go that route even if it took longer.
Getting it Ready
First things first, I cranked up the oven to preheat. While that was happening, I peeled off the plastic film from the tray, or maybe I just vented it, can’t quite recall, but I definitely followed what the box said. Then, once the oven was hot, I slid the tray in there. The box said something like 40 minutes, so I set a timer on my phone and pretty much forgot about it. Went and sat down for a bit, tried to unwind.
After a while, I started to smell something cooking. It wasn’t like, you know, a fancy Italian restaurant smell, but it was definitely food. Tomato sauce and cheese, mostly. Not bad, actually made me a bit hungrier.
The Moment of Truth
Timer went off, so I grabbed my oven mitts and pulled the tray out. It was sizzling a bit, cheese all melted and bubbly on top. Looked pretty good, honestly, for something that came out of a box and my freezer. The box said to let it stand for a few minutes, probably so you don’t melt your face off with molten cheese. Good advice, that.
I scooped it onto a plate. The chicken patty looked like a chicken patty, breading was a bit dark in spots but mostly okay. The pasta on the side was, well, pasta with red sauce. Nothing too surprising there.
So, How Did It Taste?
I took a bite of the chicken. You know what? It was alright! The chicken was cooked through, the breading wasn’t super crispy like fresh-fried, but it wasn’t a complete mush-fest either, thanks to the oven. The sauce was okay, a bit sweet maybe, but decent. The cheese on top was definitely the best part – gooey and browned a bit.
Then I tried the pasta. Standard stuff, really. The sauce was the same as on the chicken. It filled a spot, let’s put it that way. Overall, the meal wasn’t going to win any awards, but for a night when I had zero energy to cook, it absolutely hit the spot. It was hot, it was filling, and it saved me from just eating a bowl of cereal for dinner.
I’ve learned a few things from my occasional frozen dinner nights:
- Oven is often your friend: If you have the time, many things are better from the oven than the microwave, especially if you want any kind of crispiness.
- Manage expectations: It’s a frozen dinner. It’s about convenience. It’s not going to be like your nonna used to make, or even like a decent local Italian place.
- Add a little something: Sometimes a dash of extra parmesan from the fridge, or some red pepper flakes, can perk these things up a bit. I didn’t this time, but I have before.
So, that’s my little story about my recent frozen Italian dinner experience. I’ll keep stashing a few in the freezer. They’re not for every day, at least not for me, but for those moments when you just can’t be bothered, they’re a pretty solid backup plan. Definitely better than skipping a meal or spending a ton on takeout.
