10 Wegmans Prepared Foods, Ranked Worst To Best

Wegmans is the grocery store I trust most for consistent, reliable, and high-quality food. I love Trader Joe's, Aldi, and Target as much as anyone else, but in my opinion, nothing can beat Wegmans. The Wegmans bakery section is one of the best out of any grocery store, the cheese section is practically overflowing, and all of its store-brand products challenge name-brand for best in class. I had the opportunity to taste and review several of the items from its well-stocked prepared foods section to decide which were worth purchasing.

I prepared each of the options on this list as instructed to determine which were the best and worst. To do this, I considered a variety of factors, including freshness, value, and, of course, taste. There are Asian, Latin-American, Italian, and American-inspired choices, from kung pao chicken to pulled pork and mac and cheese. My hope is that after this review, you'll know which products to buy or avoid on that next grocery store trip when you really don't feel like cooking.

As I found out very quickly, Wegmans loves its green beans. As you continue along this list, you will see that green beans are a common side for various entrées — including its roasted turkey meal, which is served with a smudge of gravy, mashed potatoes, and the green beans (which are apparently seasoned, but I couldn't tell). 

The turkey is plain and simple. It's thickness is between that of Thanksgiving carvings and deli turkey lunch meat. It has a bit of a clinical flavor. In fact, this whole plate reminded me of a hospital or airplane meal. Everything was plain and simple — harmless and flavorless. But, there were too many chewy, fatty bits on the turkey, and some parts were hard to eat. Unfortunately, the gravy didn't help matters, since it was as gelatinous as anything poured out of a jar and heated up in the microwave. 

The mashed — or whipped — potatoes were the best part. Even though they had a watery consistency, there was a nice, buttery taste. Overall, I would not recommend this meal because it lacked flavor and novelty. 

Spaghetti and meatballs is a classic comfort food. It can be found on kid's menus, at high-end Italian spots, or in your home kitchen — all with varying degrees of quality. It can also be found in the Wegmans prepared food section. Since I was raised on Sunday dinners, complete with huge pots of homemade tomato sauce over endless pasta and hand-made meatballs, I came prepared to provide an expert opinion on this particular meal.

First, the positives: The sauce is surprisingly good. I'd say that it's a little too sweet and too salty, and it doesn't have quite enough savory herbs, like oregano and parsley. But, it does taste like it was simmered in a big pot for hours on end. The texture is lovely and homestyle; it's neither diluted nor heavy. Another positive is that this meal has tons of noodles. As far as portions go, you'll be wading through spaghetti all night.

Now for the less-than-positives. The meatballs are springy and spongy rather than meaty and complex, which makes them only barely acceptable by my standards. They don't taste like much of anything, either. Still, if your standards for Italian food aren't as high as mine are, you might be satisfied. But, it's expensive for what you're getting, considering that pasta is typically an affordable homemade meal. I wouldn't pay this much for a bowl of spaghetti with marinara and so-so meatballs. 

This meal looked to be one of the more fun options that Wegmans offers. Pulled pork, mac and cheese, and ... yeah, green beans ... clearly, I'm not a big fan of green beans, and I can't say that these converted me. Like the ones in the roasted turkey meal, the beans are plain and uneventful. At least you can dip them in barbecue sauce. On to what we're all here for: the pulled pork. 

The meat itself might taste nice, for all I know, but it's almost drowning in the cloyingly sweet sauce. The ratio is all off, because there's far too much sauce for each serving of pork. Plus, the meat was shredded so thinly that there was no way to get around that sauce. A sweet and tangy barbecue sauce is heavenly, but this was so sweet that I had to eat some of those dreaded green beans in between bites to cleanse my palate. 

The mac and cheese is nothing special, but it's certainly better than Kraft and Velveeta. Overall, the meal gets a low ranking because it's too saucy and sweet, lacking savoriness, and is in need of more spice. Some cracked black pepper alone would really help. In that sense, it has the complete opposite problem of the spaghetti and meatballs because it has a bad sauce, but good meat. The meal might be worth the price if the meat was allowed to hold its own against that barbecue sauce.

This is one of the simplest and most unassuming meals I tried from Wegmans' prepared foods section. It had a chicken breast, a few broccoli florets, and a few little potatoes. Everything seems direct, orderly, and tidy. Unfortunately, it was also dry, bland, and boring. This first-glance assessment was correct in some regards; the meal was in desperate need for some sort of sauce. It would have been so much better if I could have dipped those simple roasted potatoes into a vinaigrette, or if it had some garlicky aioli to go with it. Even though the chicken, vegetables, and potatoes weren't exactly dry, the lack of sauce certainly made them seem so. 

But, the chicken was not in the least bit dry, or bland, or boring — like I predicted it would be. Actually, the chicken is fantastic. It's incredibly succulent, fresh, juicy poultry that deserves better than under-seasoned, underserved broccoli and potatoes. The chicken also sports a delicious, blackened char that isn't just for show. If you're a meat and potatoes person, I might recommend this meal to you. But I personally need something a little more.

The name of this meal says it all: cheese manicotti. Manicotti is made from a crepe-like dough rolled around a cheesy, seasoned ricotta filling and coated with marinara sauce. This manicotti, however, is extra cheesy, thanks to the thick layer of melted cheese on top. Now, I love cheese, but honestly, this is too much. Since the meal is already stuffed with cheese, it really doesn't need so much additional cheese on top. A little would be decadent, but this much is just too heavy. And since the cheese is melted into the marinara, the sauce ends up tasting like cheesy tomato soup. 

The inside is lovely, soft, and ricotta-y, almost like a cloud. Though, it does need more flavor. Altogether, the meal pretty much just ends up tasting like cheese with a little bit of sauce on top. Overall, the texture too soft and heavy throughout. Manicotti can be delicious, but this isn't the best I've tried. It would have been so much better with less cheese and some greens on the side. Overall, I ranked it higher than the lemon garlic chicken meal because I would rather have mushy food than dry food. 

Wegmans offers an array of meal bowls, some of which are much better than others. This Latin chicken bowl with quinoa and brown rice wasn't my favorite, but it could have been worse. The meal includes cubed chicken, black beans, and corn over a bed of quinoa and brown rice, with a cup of salsa on the side. The chicken was soft — almost too tender — and it had the texture of a chicken nugget, rather than grilled chicken. It also didn't have much flavor. The beans, corn, chicken, and grains all mush together without much textural contrast. If you do decide to pick this up at Wegmans, grab tortilla chips to dip into it.

I was pretty bored after just a few bites, even though all the ingredients and elements are perfectly fine on their own. The meal would be much more satisfying and interesting with a bit of cheese and vegetables, like crisp lettuce or bright bell peppers. The salsa isn't great, and it could have been spooned out of any Pace or Tostitos jar. The best salsas are fresh-tasting and electric, and if the salsa in this bowl tasted more like some of the better brands I've tried, the meal might have risen a slot on this ranking. Chipotle is better and offers burrito bowls that are just about the same price as this one. 

Chicken Parmesan is an Italian specialty. The chicken breasts are traditionally lightly-breaded in seasoned, herbed breadcrumbs and fried until golden, then covered with a layer of cheese and tomato sauce and baked. I've had plenty of mid and low-quality chicken Parm in my time, but when it's good, it's really good. This meal was a lot better than I thought it would be.

Alright, let's get this out of the way first ... if by some fluke you have to eat Wegmans meals every day for an extended span of time, I guarantee that you're going to be tired of green beans by the end of it. How about some peppers and onions, zucchini, or Brussels sprouts? At least these green beans had better seasoning than the lower-ranked selections that I tried. Even so, I knew right away that this would be a bland take on chicken Parm, since the meat and pasta were both fairly beige. Although the chicken was under-seasoned and lacking that crispy, bronzed crust, the chicken was pleasantly tender and moist, and the breadcrumbs were nice and light. It's neither greasy, nor dry. 

The spaghetti sauce is nearly the same as the one in the spaghetti and meatballs meal, and it's nothing special. My low expectations of the meal as a whole were exceeded, and it's the first one I'd consider buying again when the craving hits.

The sesame chicken with vegetable lo mein bowl took the bronze medal in this ranking. It's a nicely balanced meal with a lot going for it, including silky noodles, various vegetables, chicken, and a cup of savory sauce. Speaking of sauce, this is one of those meals you need to cover with a damp paper towel when you heat it up. Try not to let the paper towel touch too much of the saucy chicken — otherwise it will stick and make a bit of a mess.

The noodles were substantial, hearty, and chewy, and they didn't taste like fast food noodles. The chicken was a little bland and dry before I added the sauce, and I did run out of it towards the end. The meal wasn't perfect, and I felt like it was missing a little extra something. But altogether, it wasn't bad at all, so long as you get a saucy bite. The chunks of bright red pepper help with both texture and taste. And surprisingly, the ribbons of bok choy were my favorite because they lifted the dish up with fresh flavor.

This shawarma bowl reminds me a lot of the offerings at Cava, a Mediterranean fast-casual chain. The bowl includes grilled chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, pickled red onions, feta, and rice mixed with quinoa. It comes with a delicious, fresh, and pickle-y sauce that's brimming with briny and vinegary flavors.

The grilled chicken in this bowl tastes better than the stuff in the Latin chicken bowl; I felt it was less processed and more hearty. The rice and quinoa mixture is a little dull and pellet-like, especially since the bowl is supposed to be eaten cold and the ingredients aren't softened and warmed up. Honestly, I thought that the bowl didn't really need the rice, as the other fresh ingredients are enough. I would even suggest picking up a container of Wegmans hummus to add on top of the bowl to improve its flavor. You'd even extra money to spend here, considering the meal was on the lower-end of the price spectrum compared to other prepared meals. When you get a well-proportioned bite with chicken, tomato, onion, feta, cucumber, and sauce, it is definitely delicious — but it wasn't as good as my top-ranked offering. 

The best meal of the day, and the one that surprised me the most, was this kung pao chicken with vegetable udon. The bowl has plenty of different flavors and textures, including chicken, noodles, vegetables, peanuts, and an excellent spicy sauce. As soon as I took I bite, I was instantly met with a warm, savory flavor that just melted in my mouth. This sauce is wonderfully spicy, sweet, and complex. It really elevates the whole dish, and I'd gladly buy a bottle of it to add to meals on my own time.

The chicken is fine, and I would even call it "excellent" when it's combined with all the other elements of the dish. If you like peanuts (and aren't allergic to them), you'll love this bowl. The nuts are more than just a garnish; they offer an interesting consistency and burst of savoriness. In fact, this whole meal is full of umami. There's so much going on in this bowl and it's great fun to combine the meat, noodles, and veggies with the sauce and peanuts to create a diverse, tasty bite. It's just as good as your typical takeout — if not better — and I was very impressed. Besides, it seemed to be the Wegmans meal most worthy of the price.

I prepared all of the meals according to the instructions on the package. For most, this meant taking off the lid and microwaving it in the packaging. Only one of the meals was designed to be eaten cold: the shawarma chicken bowl. From there, I ranked each meal based on factors like taste, texture, freshness, and price. Above all, I wanted a fresh-tasting meal with a solid, non-mushy texture at a decent price. 

I tried a bite of every meal on the same day as it was purchased, so none of them had to be reheated twice. With all this in mind, I kept the ranking as fair and objective as possible, while also calling myself out when my personal preferences might have led to biases (Ahem, green beans).