What’s different about today meals and entrées? They come in all different shapes and sizes.

Spicy burritos
Red’s Natural Foods, Franklin, Tenn., spiced up things in grocers’ freezers with its newest 5-ounce burritos. Available in Bean & Cheese and Chipotle Beef & Bean varieties, these burritos are high in protein and under 300 calories per serving.

Gluten-free offerings
Ian’s Natural Foods, Framingham, Mass., unveiled new allergy-friendly, gluten-free products such as Smokin’ Sweet Nuggets and Southwest Tenders. Both contain 8 grams of whole grains per serving and are compliant with the Whole Grain Council.

Boulder Brands, Inc., Boulder, Colo., expanded its Udi’s gluten-free brand to include Broccoli & Kale Lasagna, Italian Sausage Lasagna, Penne & Cheese and Penne & Cheese with Bacon.

Skillet meals offer more than single-serve
EVOL Foods, Boulder, Colo., announced the addition of two new innovative product lines to its portfolio of frozen meals, snacks and burritos. The MultiServe Skillet Meals mark the first time EVOL has moved beyond the singe-serve market with meals meant to be cooked on the stovetop and served for two. The entrées are ready in just 10 minutes and combine the convenience of frozen food with simple clean ingredients. They come in Uncured Bacon Mac & Cheese, Thai Style Curry Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Grilled Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Tikka Masala and Butternut Squash and Sage Ravioli.  

EVOL’s new all-natural Lean & Fit 300-calorie, single-serve meals come in Teriyaki Chicken, Lemongrass Chicken, Chicken Tandoori and Chicken Penne Pomodoro.

Latin American-inspired
Buen Sabor, Newburyport, Mass., introduced a line of all-natural, Latin American-inspired frozen ready-made meals, available in the frozen food aisle of major retail locations nationwide. Each new entrée leverages traditional dishes, but infuses new flavors and culinary techniques to offer something entirely innovative. The line includes Spicy Turkey and Lentil Pastelon, Savory Chorizo Seasoned Rice with Cheese, Savory Rice with Squash and Poblano Peppers, Savory Rice with Chipotle Chicken and Beans, Beef Picadillo Empanadas, Plantain and Cheese Empanadas, Chickpea and Sweet Potato Picadillo and Baked Tamal with Chicken and Pipian Sauce.

Smokin’ BBQ
Farm Rich, St. Simon’s Island, Ga., joined the BBQ craze with the debut of Farm Rich Smokehouse BBQ meals. Hickory smoked for hours but ready in minutes, the Smokehouse BBQ meals have no artificial ingredients and are made of high-quality pork, beef and chicken—packing a protein punch. The meal varieties include Pulled Pork BBQ, Pulled Beef Brisket, Pulled Chicken BBQ, Dry Rub Smoked Chicken and Dry Rub Smoked Pork.

Chili’s-inspired
Minneapolis-based Bellisio Foods partnered with Chili’s Grill & Bar, a Dallas, Texas-based division of Brinker International, Inc., to introduce a new line of licensed Chili’s-inspired frozen meals for consumers to serve at home. The new line of single-serve entrées includes Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese, Cajun-Style Chicken Alfredo, Cheesy Chicken Pasta Florentine, Chicken Bacon Ranch, Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl, Island Chicken & Rice, Mango Chicken with Rice and Pepper Jack Mac ‘N’ Cheese, while the multi-serve meals include Bacon Mac ‘N’ Cheese, Chicken Bacon Ranch, Chicken Fajita Rice, Nacho Potatoes with Beef & Bacon and Seasoned Chicken Bites with Honey Chipotle Sauce.

Authentic Southeast Asian
InnovAsian Cuisine, Seattle, Wash., expanded its line of ethnic foods to include Southeast Asian frozen dishes that can be made in a matter of minutes. To create a truly authentic Southeast Asian line, InnovAsian Cuisine partnered with chef Mai Pham, an Asian cuisine expert. The rice noodles, crisp vegetables and lightly seasoned, all-white chicken breast are roasted to the perfect level of tenderness and naturally blended with sauces to deliver a complete meal. The line entails Beef & Broccoli Noodles, Chicken Pad Thai, Chicken Red Curry, Lemongrass Chicken Stir Fry, Shrimp Pad Thai and Thai-Style Chicken Fried Rice.

Bite-sized meals for pint-sized consumers
Mom Made Foods, Alexandria, Va., introduced bite-sized turkey and Italian beef meatballs. Made from USDA-certified organic and antibiotic-free ingredients, these meatballs offer a low-sodium option for kid-friendly meals. The products are flash frozen to preserve flavor, nutrients, color and texture.

Comfort foods to the rescue
Blake’s All Natural Foods, Concord, N.H., debuted a new line of unique, savory comfort food meals. This new line of made-from-scratch frozen meals consists of Meatloaf Dinner Casserole, Chicken Dinner Casserole, Chicken & Dumplings, Chicken Noodle Casserole and Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Vegetarian options
Dominex, St. Augustine, Fla., introduced AngelBowls frozen meals, made with the highest-quality vegetables and made-from-scratch sauces. The lineup includes Mediterranean Eggplant Parmesan, Roasted Vegetable & Goat Cheese Gratin, Vegetable Bruschetta & Mozzarella, Penne Pasta in Parma Rosa Sauce and Corkscrew Pasta & Creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce. Plus, they come packaged in an eco-friendly bowl inside a recyclable outer carton.

Seafood to go
Phillips Foods, Inc., Baltimore, Md., developed a line of easy-to-prepare seafood meals. The Phillips To Go line provides consumers with a convenient heat-and-eat meal option. The new products include Lobster Cakes. Lobster Mac & Cheese and Tuna Burgers. All were inspired by successful menu items at Phillips Seafood Restaurants and are sealed with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) technology to provide a 40-day extended shelf life. An encrusted fish selection is also available using sole filets and includes Tri-Color Tortilla, Lime & Cilantro Chimichurri and Spicy Sriracha.

Meal kits for kids
Revolution Foods, Oakland, Calif., introduced Revolution Foods Meal Kits, created specifically for kids. They come in Turkey & Cheddar,Ham & Cheddar,Cheese Pizza and Peanut Butter & Jelly varieties. These meal kits boast natural, high-quality ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Customization for the every consumer
Create a way to feed a family of four starting at $10 in 15 minutes or less. That was the challenge Wal-mart gave Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark. Enter Mix & Match Creations meal options, which allow consumers to create customized meals made by combining one of five premium Tyson proteins, one of eight family-sized servings of frozen Birds Eye vegetables and/or starch and one of six Tyson Bistro Flavors complementing sauces. Seventy-six unique meal combinations are possible meet changing appetites and keep dinner interesting for the entire family.

White tablecloth seafood in the comfort of your own home
Blue Horizon Wild, Framingham, Mass., launched its first line of seafood entrées, made using the classic French cooking method of steaming recipes in a sealed wrapper, or en papillote, to seal in the natural juices and nutrients typically lost with other cooking methods such as baking, sautéing and broiling. The line comes in Seafood Cioppino, Sweet & Spicy Sole, Mediterranean Salmon and Seafood Enchiladas. Each is prepared in small batches and features all-natural ingredients and responsibly sourced sustainable seafood from artisan fishing communities.

To learn more about these and other new retail meals and entrées, go to http://bit.ly/19VCNBi.