12 Stouffer's Frozen Side Dishes, Ranked

Imagine picking up a rotisserie chicken and realizing you have nothing to serve with it. Rather than toiling away in the kitchen with a recipe and having to clean up a mess, you might grab a frozen side from a reputable brand like Stouffer's, out of your freezer. The prep time for these ready-made sides is usually way less than cooking something yourself, and they're usually cheaper than getting a similar takeout dish. Even better, the only effort it requires is flexing the muscles in your index finger hard enough to press a button or two on your microwave. Then, you can collapse into a chair, scroll, and wait for the beep. That's a relief after a rough day or if you're feeling under the weather. Even better, you can buy these items and keep them for months until those days when cooking is impossible — a can't, not a won't. 

Of course, if you're feeling stressed, busy, tired, sad, or sick, you still shouldn't have to sacrifice taste in the name of convenience. You need to know which Stouffer's side is tastiest. Not all of them were created equal; some have way better flavor than others. So, I taste-tested some of the brand's most popular frozen side dishes. I found out there are a few you won't even want to touch with a stick, while a couple are surprisingly delicious. This article ranks the sides from worst to best, based on taste, texture, and convenience — so you'll know which will pair most delightfully with your rotisserie chicken, or whatever entrée you plan on making.

Stouffer's green bean casserole is the worst product in the company's lineup of signature sides. The funky smell may even discourage you from trying this product altogether. After all, your senses are there to protect you, and this is a clear example of your nose doing its job. 

A few seconds after I put the tray in the microwave, an unpleasant odor started to invade my home. It did not diminish after the product came out. This unappetizing side dish contains green beans, mushroom sauce, and breaded onions. The slightly-off onion smell and flavor overwhelm everything else in this meal. 

The texture is gag-worthy, too. Somehow, the green beans are mushy and stringy at the same time. After all, some veggies, like corn and peas, freeze better than others, like green beans. That's okay — every vegetable has its strengths and weaknesses. 

Although the packaging says the casserole contains crispy fried onions, there is no crunch — just a mushy, breaded, and pungent topping. Microwaveable convenience can't justify purchasing a product with this poor of a taste, especially when there are other frozen sides with much better flavor and texture. All of Stouffer's sides smell better than this one. Do your family a favor and buy a side they'll eat willingly.

Mashed potatoes are usually a welcomed addition to any meal, but Stouffer's garlic version doesn't live up to those expectations. First, there's the unpleasant texture. These potatoes have a consistency that's more paste-like than food-like, which is evidenced by the fact that the potatoes stick easily to the roof of your mouth. Then, there's the taste. At first, the garlic flavor is attractive, but it gets to be too much by the third bite. The scent of it becomes completely overwhelming by the time you finish your portion and then persists as an aftertaste for hours. The package will stink up your whole house if you throw it out in your kitchen trash without rinsing it. In other words, the amount of garlic is excessive.

Price and convenience are other reasons you might want to stay away from these garlic mashed potatoes. Most people purchase frozen meals or sides because they're faster to prepare and require less work, but that's not the case with these. Instant mashed potatoes, which have a similar texture and taste compared to Stouffer's product, takes less time to prepare and cost less. You can buy instant garlic mashed potatoes for around half the price of this Stouffer's box. All you need to do is add boiling water and then whip it until it's perfectly textured. The Stouffer's product requires more time, and all you need to do is heat it up in the microwave.

The texture of Stouffer's homestyle mashed potatoes leaves something to be desired. If you're looking for something quick, easy, and potatoey to serve with steaks, try almost anything else — like a higher-ranked  Stouffer's side. If you don't mind turning on the oven, pick up some frozen french fries instead, since they'll add more texture to your meal than this potato product can. Any of these options will feel far better in your mouth than mashed potatoes. These homestyle potatoes have a more preferable taste compared to the garlic-flavored variety, but they're still a gluey mess. Like the garlic potatoes, they take longer to prepare and cost more than instant mashed potatoes.

This dish has two upsides. First, it's are wheat-free –as are the garlic mashed potatoes. Second, it has a lower calorie count than many of Stouffer's other sides– and it's vegetarian. Therefore, this side is more accessible to people with specific dietary needs than many of the other sides Stouffer's offers. 

The Stouffer's vegetable fried rice side won't satisfy the itch for restaurant takeout. The flavor is off and the product costs more than tastier alternatives. I found it tasted too sweet, too sour, and too spicy all at once. That might be because the ingredients list includes lime juice and sriracha. Most recipes for homemade fried rice only suggest adding soy sauce, not these other ingredients, which results in a very different flavor. It doesn't taste like restaurant fried rice, either. Plus, the rice grains in this product demonstrate the worst qualities rice can have; they're a bit hard in the center, yet are mushy on the outside.

The price is another strike against Stouffer's vegetable fried rice. You can head to fast-food Chinese restaurants and purchase a side of fried rice for less. Alternatively, several other brands of frozen fried rice taste far better than Stouffer's, and they have a far superior texture with a lower price tag. If your heart is set on a Stouffer's rice dish, though, buy Southwestern cheesy rice and bean one instead of this vegetable fried rice.

Stouffer's scalloped potatoes have a pleasant taste, but a serious texture issue. When the Parmesan cheese on top of the dish is cooked in the microwave, it hardens into an indestructible shell and turns brown. This happened even though I only microwaved the tray for three minutes — which is less than the suggested time listed on the box. In theory, you could just peel the cheesy scab off and eat the potatoes below. 

Be forewarned, the potatoes are slightly rubbery and a bit grainy, but the sauce on top of them is creamy enough that you can overlook the texture. In fact, the potatoes taste pretty good. So, the former may not seem like a serious problem, but missing out on the cheesy topping is disappointing. If you're going to buy a side, you probably want to be able to eat the whole thing without having to alter it or pick parts off of it. You'll likely be happier buying Stouffer's cheddar bacon potatoes instead of these scalloped potatoes. 

There are several reasons why you shouldn't buy Stouffer's macaroni and cheese, even though it has better taste than some of the company's other products. First, it has one of the longest cook times of any of the Stouffer's sides. It took me around 12 minutes to make mine, though the instructions suggested even longer. I could have boiled a batch of noodles, added American cheese, butter, and milk, and gotten homemade mac and cheese on the table in less time. If time is of the essence, there are many other Stouffer's sides that cook comparatively faster — like the creamed spinach. 

This side tastes a lot like instant mac and cheese, but the frozen noodles turn out mushy. Neither of those qualities are inherently negative, but some people prefer al dente noodles and a more natural cheese flavor. If that describes you, skip this dish. Then, this dish has the most calories of all the Stouffer's sides. Several of the company's products taste better with far less calories — like the street corn. Finally, it's easy to find other mac and cheese products, including a box of Kraft or a large, pre-made serving from KFC, that cost less than this product.

If you like macaroni and cheese and broccoli, you'll also enjoy Stouffer's broccoli cheddar pasta bake. The best things about this side dish are the steaming chunks of broccoli, cheesy sauce, and crunchy breadcrumb topping. These textures make it far superior to Stouffer's plain mac and cheese. Your family will make the three abundant servings in this box disappear quickly, although picky eaters may take issue with the broccoli. Best of all, this side dish is filling. It would be the perfect companion for a microwaved roast or a spiral ham and will ensure that everyone at your dinner table feels stuffed. This may also be a way to make broccoli seem more approachable for your kiddos. 

This side dish shares a few drawbacks with Stouffer's mac and cheese, though. The noodles are still mushy, even though the crisp broccoli helps cover for it. This dish also has a longer cook time than many of the other products listed in this article. If you're planning on complementing a meal with cheesy noodles, this side is a better choice than the plain mac and cheese.

Stouffer's creamy street corn is tasty, quick to make, and cheap. The kernels are sweet and the sauce is spicy with limey zing. Mexican street corn recipes like elote and esquites likely inspired this side dish. Elote is corn on the cob with toppings, while esquites are the kernels served in a cup or a bowl with similar toppings. Drier versions of esquites are closer to corn salad while other types are almost stew-like. Stouffer's lands somewhere in the middle of that spectrum; it has quite a bit of sauce, but it's not nearly as creamy, cheesy, and spicy as what you could purchase from a street vendor.

You could always add a spoonful of mayonnaise and some grated cotija cheese to compensate, though. Stouffer's version of this Mexican dish is palatable and you don't have to be on the street to find it — all you need is a microwave and a few minutes. This is the perfect side to add to a taco bar or to serve alongside burritos, enchiladas, or quesadillas. 

The best thing about Stouffer's creamed spinach is the pleasant taste. It's so creamy and cheesy that it effectively masks the bitter taste of the greens without completely covering it up. Vegetarians and gluten-free eaters can enjoy this side — and it's a safe bet if you have dinner guests over and aren't sure what to make. Meanwhile, the worst aspect is the slimy, gooey texture, but that's to be expected with most cooked spinach dishes. Then, there's a high sodium content of 480 milligrams per serving. It's not surprising, then, that salty is the overwhelming first impression you get when you put a spoonful of this spinach in your mouth.

This side could accompany grilled chicken breast and taste delicious. It would also go great with a slice of spiral ham. On the other hand, you could get creative with this dish and use it as an ingredient in other recipes. Mix it with a few eggs and some cheese, and then bake it in a pie crust for a spinach quiche. Alternatively, mix it with ricotta and stuff some pasta tubes, crepes, or lasagna noodles with it. It would even taste great spread on a pizza crust, in lieu of sauce, topped off with shredded mozzarella.

There's not a big difference between Stouffer's cheesy broccoli with bacon and a bag of frozen broccoli florets cooked with some cheese and bacon bits. It tastes simple and delicious at the same time. The steaming chunks of broccoli, covered in melted cheese and bits of bacon, will delight your taste buds. Broccoli fans will love this side since the florets cook perfectly in the microwave tray; they're tender, but retain a bit of crunch. It would be tough to achieve as good of a texture if you boiled or steamed the veggies on the stovetop, since broccoli often turns out mushy or underdone. 

This dish gets bonus points for having one of the lowest calorie counts of all of Stouffer's sides and being gluten-free. The only con of this Stouffer's side is that it looks a little sparse in the tray. Perhaps that's so the broccoli can cook evenly in the microwave. The box says there are three servings, but dividing the contents in two portions seems more reasonable. This side would go perfectly with chicken drumsticks or some steaks.

Stouffer's Southwestern cheesy rice and beans side has the perfect flavor and texture to warm you up on a chilly fall or winter day. The spicy taste and melty cheese are delicious and the stew-like texture makes it perfect for spooning onto a chunk of French baguette, homemade bread, or corn tortilla. There are bits of corn, green onion, and black beans mixed into rice and covered with a sauce, which makes for a particularly filling side. Those ingredients also make this dish accessible to vegetarians and people adhering to a gluten-free diet.

Frozen rice often has an unpleasant mushy texture, but that doesn't happen with this dish because of the sauce and liquid consistency. The only drawback I found was an unpleasant aftertaste left by the green onions — but quickly brushing your teeth after eating this dish should take care of that. Stouffer's may have labeled this product as a side, but it seems more like an entrée that could be shared by two and served in soup cups.

Stouffer's cheddar bacon potatoes are scrumptious. They come out of the microwave steaming hot with crispy edges and a breadcrumb topping. Creamy cheese sauce drips off the potatoes when you lift up a forkful, and you can see the bacon bits nestled between the potatoes. 

Here, the texture of the potatoes isn't an issue — they're neither gluey like the mashed ones, nor grainy like the scalloped ones. The sauce and crispy breadcrumb topping effectively hide all rubberiness caused by freezing. It's simple to cut this side into squares that you can easily transfer to plates, which is not possible with goopier sides like creamed spinach, street corn, or Southwestern rice and beans — all of which have to be served in little bowls. 

Since the box contains more than four servings, it's a great deal. Even better, this side is picky-eater-friendly and even kids who have a hard time eating anything will like it. It's the perfect, agreeable side to go with a rotisserie chicken or a steak.

I purchased the Stouffer's side dishes from a local grocery store and followed the directions to prepare each one. For example, some needed stirring and vent holes to be pressed in the plastic film, while others had longer cook times and had to rest for a minute or two when they came out. 

The only thing I altered was the amount of time I cooked each one in the microwave, since mine tends to heat food quickly. In most cases, it took me two to three minutes less than the time suggested on the boxes. My ranking system was based on taste, texture, and cook time.