These old-school delights — main course, a side or two, and sometimes dessert (or even soup) — came in compartmented aluminum trays and were cooked in the oven, which somehow gave the retro dinners a charm that you don’t quite get from today’s microwave meals.
For some families, TV dinners were a special treat, but for many, it seems the trend represented a decline in the quality of dinnertime fare.
As you’ll see below, at least one newspaper retrospective (published in the 1970s, on the 25th anniversary of the TV dinner phenomenon) was less than glowing.
It’s kind of amusing that the writer alluded to the likely demise of frozen dinners, given that our current-day frozen food aisles are stuffed with a huge variety of frozen meal options — even if we don’t call them TV dinners anymore.
In fact, in some places you can still get frozen Salisbury steak, turkey dinner, fried chicken or meatloaf meals for as low as $1.99 (!), as remarkable as that is.
But before you hurry off to enjoy (or not) the modern-day versions of these classics, let’s take a moment to drool over these oh-so-tempting retro advertisements for TV dinners from back when they were a post-war novelty.
And tell us in the comments how you remember the TV dinners of your childhood? Were they a dreaded part of your dinner routine, or an occasional treat that you remember with delight?
The history of TV dinners, 25 years on (1976)
By Paul Weingarten, The Chicago Tribune – November 25, 1976
TV dinners serve up traditional turkey, too
The final Thanksgiving before the coming of TV dinners was Nov. 22, 1951 — a brisk, gray day. Chicagoans expected rain, perhaps snow, by morning.
Families gathered for the traditional repast of turkey, stuffing, cranberries, and hot pumpkin pie. Those without families had the choice of a dole at a local mission, or yesterday’s reheated meatloaf.
Meanwhile, the first great assault on American cooking and eating habits was waiting in the wings. Within months, thawing would come to mean more than just warming yourself after a wintry stroll. It would become an essential preliminary to cooking dinner in many homes.
TURKEY DINNER, THEN considered a special “holiday only” treat, would be knocked from its perch to become routine weekly fare in middle-class homes nationwide.
It began in January, 1952, when the first 25 cases of frozen turkey dinners were shipped to stores in Omaha. It had turkey with cornbread stuffing, gravy, buttered peas, and sweet potatoes in butter and orange sauce.
The dinner weighed 12 ounces and sold for $1.09. On the package, the dinner was pictured on the screen of a miniature television, complete with tuning dials.
The nation’s first frozen dinner was dubbed “TV dinner” by Gilbert Swanson, chairman of the board of the family’s poultry business, C. A. Swanson & Sons.
One night at a party, Swanson and a few guests watched Ted Mack’s “Family Hour,” sponsored by the company, while other guests made merry. One guest commented that it looked odd for Swanson and the others to be balancing trays on their laps so they could eat dinner while watching television.
IT REMINDED SWANSON of the frozen prepared dinner his company soon would market. Why not, he wondered aloud, call it a “TV dinner?” He was politely ignored. His guests continued watching television.
But the TV dinner was to become synonymous with frozen prepared dinners, as Kleenex has come to mean tissue, and Jello, gelatin.
The initial $1.09 price was too high for the middle class. But soon it settled to 59 cents, and the frozen dinner was welcomed by middle-class homemakers as the first blow for their emancipation from the kitchen.
Thanksgiving TV dinners
While television has become a Thanksgiving staple, especially for football fans, the dinner it inspired has developed a curious image.
For some, the frozen dinner signaled a family quarrel, or Mom’s late return home. They remember choking down strangely metallic-tasting peas, grayish, crusty mashed potatoes, and limp slivers of soggy turkey.
MORE: Serve a ’70s style retro Cranberry Wobbler gelatin mold this Thanksgiving
They gag at the memory of a gimmicky and tasteless substitute for home cooking, and they wince at the thought of thousands of lonely Americans who will pull a TV dinner, preferably turkey, from the freezer on Thanksgiving afternoon, heat it, and give thanks in solitude.
TV dinner history & the joy of frozen meals
FOR OTHERS, the frozen dinner was a mysterious and different treat, perhaps saved for a time when otherwise strict parents would allow children to eat dinner while watching television.
They recall the dinners as a culinary delight — something Mom could never match. The sizzling foil, neat compartments of food, and bold new tastes stick in their minds.
The recession, combined with changing attitudes about cooking and convenience foods, has taken a bite out of the $600 million a year industry. Last year, Americans ate 557 million pounds of frozen dinners, compared with 590 million pounds in 1974. Few are indifferent about frozen dinners.
ALSO SEE: Old-fashioned Tastee-Freez ice cream shops: Remember these treats?
Some call the dinner the precursor of the fast-food revolution, the progenitor of the “junk food” habit. Even for many convenience food junkies, the dinners carry the stigma of being “artificial.” Moreover, many now see cooking as a leisure pastime rather than a chore.
In addition, there has been a dramatic shift in the statistical profile of frozen-dinner eaters. An industry study shows frozen dinners now are eaten most frequently by those 65 or over and 18 to 25 years old, blacks or nonwhites, those with an annual income of less than $5,000, and families where the homemaker is employed part-time or full-time.
Looking back on a quarter century of vintage TV dinners
ON THE EVE OF ITS 25th anniversary, the original TV dinner no longer has that name, or the miniature television screen on the package. It weighs a half-ounce less, and inflation has pushed the price to 79 cents.
The dinner has lost ground over the last few years, partly because the portions aren’t large enough for most adult appetites.
Although the new larger-portion dinners have picked up some of the slack, it is questionable that the dinner will ever regain its former stature.
Most stores report negligible increases in turkey TV dinner sales near Thanksgiving, but Dominick’s Finer Foods stores maintain a larger stock of the dinners, and a wider shelf display.
The prospect of eating a TV dinner on Thanksgiving is again split. For those who detest TV dinners, the prospect of having one on Thanksgiving is only slightly better than fasting.
For loyalists, a Thanksgiving TV dinner could mean no noisy relatives and children, no arguments about whether to watch football games, and no frazzled nerves or piles of dirty dishes afterward.
Turkey with all the trimmings, ready in 25 minutes (1955)
No thawing necessary with scrumptious Swanson individual TV dinners.
Beef pot roast (1955)
A frozen beef pot roast dinner complete, with little brown potatoes. No cooking for you! No dishes to do! The whole delicious dinner, gravy and all, comes deep-frozen in individual foil-covered trays.
Just pop them in the oven (no thawing needed), heat for 25 minutes, and dinner’s ready! … What a meal! Perfect for sudden guests. Keep several in your freezer. You’ll find them at frozen food counters now.
Vintage Morton TV dinners and freezer meals (1959)
Morton “Old Kentucky Recipes” demand prize, premium fixin’s… just as you do. Thick, juicy slices of turkey cooked to a tender turn… heaped high over a moist and savory dressing… with “Old Kentucky” giblet gravy over all. Buttered peas and whipped potatoes round it out… just heat and serve them proudly!
Vintage 1950s Rosarita Mexican food TV dinners
A Mexican meal in minutes! …the cooking is done for you by Rosarita!
HERE IS MEXICAN-STYLE MAGIC! Complete dinners with no preparation, no mixing, no pots and pans, not even a dish to wash! Rosarita does the cooking!
These wonderful, economical frozen dinners are cooked in our spotless kitchens under U. S. Government supervision, expertly seasoned, ready to heat and serve in individual, disposable aluminum trays.
Try the Mexican Style Dinner or the Enchilada Dinner shown above. Enchiladas filled to bursting with creamy, melted cheddar cheese, a touch of onions and our famous Enchilada Sauce. Tamale with the full, sunny flavor of Mexican cooking. Refried Beans, seasoned to the peak of goodness. Plump, fluffy Spanish Rice with our own tantalizing seasonings and sauce.
Made in the U. S. A. for American tastes, Rosarita frozen or canned foods are not too hot — not too bland — just right with a true Mexican flavor your whole family will enjoy.
ALSO SEE: Remember when Mexican food seemed new and exotic in the US?
Vintage TV dinners: Fried chicken (1961)
Trust Swanson… they know the special secret of tender-crisp fried chicken.
You get back to real fried chicken in Swanson TV Brand Dinners… juicy, tender chicken, fried golden brown, and frozen by experts. Three preferred pieces, potatoes whipped with milk and butter, and tender mixed vegetables.
ALSO TRY: 5 classic oven-fried chicken recipes from the ’30s
Old Swanson brand TV dinners: Hash, hot dogs & spaghetti (1960s)
Good news! 3 all-new Swanson dinners. Imagine getting these three wonderful family favorites served up so conveniently: Beans & Franks, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Corned Beef Hash.
NEW! CORNED BEEF HASH DINNER with apple slices and peas in butter sauce
NEW! BEANS & FRANKS DINNER with apple slices, old-fashioned dinner roll
NEW! SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS DINNER with apple slices and peas in butter some
Folks have liked them so well — for so long — that we just naturally decided to bring them to you as Swanson Dinners.
MORE: See retro Chef Boy-Ar-Dee SpaghettiOs, meatballs, ravioli, spaghetti, & sauces from the 60s
Now Swanson sweetens up this famous fried chicken dinner with apple & peach slices (1968)
Only the best parts of the chicken, tender and crispy brown. Creamy whipped potatoes. Mixed vegetables in butter sauce for extra flavor.
And for an extra homey touch, sweet apple and peach slices. No wonder there’s always a full house on Swanson Night.
Who else gives you all-beef sirloin in a frozen dinner?
There’s no comparison! Only a Swanson TV Brand Dinner boasts a tender, juicy all-beef sirloin like this! Tender peas, too, and French fries that set a new high in crispy good flavor.
MORE: Remember these vintage Hamburger Helper flavors we thought were so delicious in the 70s, 80s & 90s?
Vintage TV dinners with chicken noodle soup (1965)
Everything from soup to dessert in a 3 course frozen dinner from Swanson
Only Swanson gives you a complete Salisbury Steak Dinner like this. Just look at all the good things you get. Whet your appetite with Campbell’s famous Chicken Noodle Soup. Tender chicken and melt-in-your-mouth egg noodles abound in the rich, golden broth.
The entree is savory Salisbury Steak with a delicately flavored mushroom gravy. Green peas in seasoned butter sauce. Whole potatoes whipped with fresh milk and creamery butter. Apple-Apricot Crisp is the dessert. A delightful dish of spicy fruit with a crunchy topping.
It’s a complete dinner with everything from soup to dessert. Enjoy all five 3 Course Dinners: Salisbury Steak, Beef, Turkey, Fried Chicken, and New Mixed Seafood Grill.
MORE: 20 recipes from Campbell’s emergency dinner cookbook (1968)
Swanson TV Brand Fried Shrimp Dinner (1960s)
Trust Swanson for the best shrimp money can buy — fried crisp and tender
Now you can enjoy the delicate flavor of ocean shrimp,butterfly-cut, in a Swanson TV Brand Fried Shrimp Dinner. Swanson selects only the fanciest shrimp, then captures their ocean-fresh flavor through quick freezing. Enriched breading and careful deep frying give the shrimp that light, golden crispness.
To round out the treat: special cocktail sauce, tangy and subtly spiced. Crispy French fries. Peas in butter sauce.
Vintage TV dinner from 1965 with turkey, peas & mashed potatoes (1965)
You get going fast with a good hot meal (like this tender turkey with all the trimmings) and spend the free time as you please.
ALSO SEE: 14 retro hamburger recipes for some differently delicious dinners
Frozen International vintage TV dinners (1967)
A world away from the everyday… Italian (lasagna with meat and ricotta cheese), Chinese (chicken chow mein and fried rice with egg), Mexican (a beef enchilada and two beef tamales) & German (sauerbraten and spaetzle) dinners
How do you like your meatloaf? (1968)
Topped with tomato sauce…or lavished with brown gravy? Only Swanson gives you a choice! Trust Swanson for two deliciously different meat loaf dinners. Choose your favorite for tonight.
With tomato sauce: A savory meatloaf dinner with tender green beans, golden hashed brown potato nuggets, and a Swanson exclusive — a chocolate nut brownie as an added sweet touch.
With brown gravy: A complete 3-course meatloaf dinner with Campbell’s Chicken with Rice soup, whipped potatoes, fancy mixed vegetables in seasoned sauce, and the perfect dessert for a delightful meal — apple cake cobbler.
ALSO SEE: Make a classic cheese-sauced meatloaf with this retro recipe from the ’70s
Classic Swanson TV dinners from 1968
Now Swanson brightens up this chopped sirloin dinner with a fluffy blueberry muffin. (Almost makes a party out of “Swanson Night”)
MORE: Stove-top meatloaf recipe from the sixties
Morton vintage TV dinners: Chicken & dumplings (1969)
What a great, cool way to start the meal! A frosty fruit salad with bite-size marshmallows. So easy to thaw and serve. Ready to eat by the time you take the rest of the meal out of the oven!
The complete meal includes: tender chunks of chicken, light, airy dumplings in rich gravy, garden peas, buttery whipped potatoes, and dessert… a luscious walnut brownie. Prepared with great time and care.
ALSO SEE: Have some fabulous fifties-style fun with these weird vintage fruit cocktail recipes
Now Swanson cheers up this tender Turkey Dinner with cranberry sauce. (Let’s hear it for “Swanson Night”)
Tender, moist white and dark meat, gravy and Pepperidge Farm dressing. Creamy whipped potatoes. Peas in butter sauce for extra flavor. A little something extra to cheer about — tangy cranberry sauce. Hooray! It’s almost dinnertime.
Banquet fried chicken frozen dinner (1972)
For these vintage TV dinners: “Heat and serve” isn’t the best part (eating is)
The first time you bought a Banquet dinner you were looking for something quick and easy. Right? Then you discovered (surprise!) that it was good too.
Maybe it is surprising that something as quick and easy as a frozen dinner can taste so good. Until you know the philosophy at Banquet: we think good food is more important than quick food. Or easy food.
And we think you think so too. Convenience and goodness make a great combination. But if we ever had to sacrifice one of them now you know which it would be.
Banquet brand Salisbury steak TV dinner (1971)
Chun King Chinatown-style frozen dinners with two entrees (1975)
You’ll be delighted by the complementary tastes of two entrees, new Shrimp Chow Mein & Pepper Oriental Dinner (8 full ounces of entree in all). Delicious and distinctively different Shrimp Chow Mein with succulent whole shrimp, PLUS a brand new entree, Pepper Oriental (juicy tender beef, crisp vegetables, cooked in Chun King’s exclusive sauce).
To complete this meal we’ve included our own specially prepared fried rice, and two crunchy Chun King Egg Rolls. And for even more variety, try our other Chinatown Style Dinner-Chicken Chow Mein & Sweet and Sour Pork, too.
Swanson frozen breakfast in aluminum TV dinner trays (1971)
Swanson makes it easy to send him off with a good hot breakfast. Send everybody out happy and satisfied. It’s easy with Swanson Frozen Breakfasts. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Don’t even pre-heat.
Pancakes and sausage patties. French toast and sausage patties. Scrambled eggs, sausage patty and country-style fried potatoes. Add juice and milk and you’ve got a hot nourishing breakfast! Thanks to Swanson.
Libbyland Adventure Dinners with the foods kids like (1971)
The Capital Journal (Salem, Oregon) December 15, 1971, Wed
Libbyland Adventure Dinners are the first frozen dinners just for kids. Each one has its own adventure carton filled with the foods kids are reported to like best.
These unusual dinners are designed to make mealtime more fun for children and mothers by offering portions of foods kids will eat and seasoned especial-ly to their tastes. Plus a clever puzzle-game on the folding carton, which opens to form a clever serving tray.
Libbyland adventures begin with a Sundown Supper of a hamburger on a bun, beans and franks in tomato sauce, buttered corn, French fries and chocolate pudding for dessert. Also included in each dinner is a surprise flavor of Milk Magic flavoring mix to turn milk into fun flavors that cows never dreamed of.
For lunch, there’s a Libbyland Pirate Picnic, a hot dog, macaroni shells and meatballs in tomato sauce, corn, potato puffs and chocolate pudding. Each 11-ounce square meal for kids takes about 25 minutes in the oven to heat and serve. Libbyland Adventure Dinners cost 69 cents each.
Libbyland Adventure dinners with the kids food like… and the convenience busy mothers look for
Vintage old-fashioned fried chicken TV dinner (1955)
Remember how Mom used to get up early every Sunday to fix a scrumptious chicken dinner? We do… so we’ve patterned our newest TV dinner after that good, old-fashioned feast.
MODERN-DAY IDEAS: Top 10 budget-friendly freezer meals you can make
Vintage Swanson brand TV dinners/pie (1957)
Try the oven-quick beef dinner that tastes home-cooked. Tender, lean slices of beef… savory beef gravy…3, not 2, vegetables: buttered peas, corn sauteed in butter, and little new potatoes… never was there so much good eating in a frozen dinner!
Swanson frozen beef dinner (1962)
Specially selected cuts of lean beef in natural gravy. Only a Swanson TV Brand Beef Dinner could taste this good!
Why? Because one of the cooking secrets Swanson knows is how to prepare beef so that it’s really juicy and tender.
Trust Swanson… They know the secret of juicy, tender beef (1961)
… Special for flavory beef, made even better by skillful Swanson cookery. Special for three garden vegetables… sweet golden corn, tender peas, little browned potatoes.
MORE: 26 ways to serve an old favorite: Hot dogs
12 kinds of vintage TV dinners (1961)
There’s no comparison! Only Swanson brings you such a tempting array of your favorite dishes… all generous hearty helpings… all cooked the way you like them best.
- Fried chicken
- Beef
- Turkey
- Loin of pork
- Chopped sirloin beef
- Macaroni and cheese
- Sugar-cured ham
- Fried shrimp
- Filet of haddock
- Swiss steak
- Meat loaf
- Creamed chicken
ALSO SEE: Vintage McDonald’s: See 5 decades of the famous fast food chain’s retro restaurants, menus & history
Vintage Chun King Chinese food TV dinner (1957)
New hit for busy holiday time… Chun King Frozen Cantonese Dinner. A complete oriental meal all ready to pop in the oven
IT’S A HOLIDAY IN ITSELF — this a delightfully different, no-work dinner. Three of those wonderful Chun King American-Oriental foods all dished up for you on a shiny serving tray.
And look at all you get: Two Cantonese egg rolls made from delicate little fresh shrimp, meat, vegetables and fresh eggs wrapped in crispy-thin posh, Famous Chicken Chop Suey with the big pieces of tender chicken and almonds. Fluffy Oriental white rice. Sound good for tonight. . . and for those holiday busy-times?
This Cantonese Dinner is only one of many Chun King frozen delicacies — everything from chicken chow mein to egg rolls. Chun King is the name that’s bringing new excitement to frozen food cabinets. Look for it when you shop. The Royalty of American-Oriental Foods.
Swanson frozen TV dinner with turkey, apples & fries (1963)
Enjoy the many different kinds of Swanson TV Brand Dinners… for the finest meats and poultry and seafood found in any frozen dinners.
ALSO SEE: The Impossible Pie recipe book: 12 easy dinner recipes & desserts from 1982
Frozen Swiss steak dinner with gravy, green beans & potatoes (1960)
Trust Swanson – Their Swiss steak is the kind you can cut with a fork
There’s no comparison … and no mistaking a Swanson TV Brand Swiss Steak Dinner! The lean, juicy beef is so tender and flavorful.
Served up with rich brown gravy, green beans, and buttered whipped potatoes. For good frozen dinners, trust Swanson!
NOW SEE THIS: 100 vintage 1960s supermarkets & old-fashioned grocery stores
41 Responses
Wow, talk about your lonely bachelor/divorcee meal potential here! You’ve got your turkey dinner with cranberry sauce (basically Thanksgiving dinner for one) and a blueberry muffin with a birthday candle sticking out of it (birthday party for one).
On a more humorous note, I remember an “Odd Couple” episode where Felix scolds Oscar for taking a Mexican TV dinner and a Chinese TV dinner (both presumably Swanson) and mixing them together by plopping one on top of the other and then shaking them up.
Me too. Remember that episode. It when they Move to a secure apartment The Security Arms. The manager is played John Fiedler who play Mr Peterson on Bob newhart. The guard dogs name was Peaches. They were kick out because they had to break down the door
How well I remember these! My mother absolutely would not buy them because she was a crazy person who insisted on making everything from scratch. My grandmother (my mom’s mom) was a working woman. She was widowed early in life so she had to go to work. She waitressed from her late 40’s into her mid 70’s at the same restaurant. I used to love to stay with my grandma and I understood she didn’t have time to make home cooked meals so she would feed me Swanson T.V. dinners. We would eat them off floral patterned T.V. trays in her living room while watching The Muppet Show, Carol Burnet and Little House on the Prairie. Maybe they weren’t the tastiest things on the planet–or that nutritious but I have fond childhood memories of them and my grandma.
My experience with frozen dinners was similar to yours. My mother was a big believer in home-cooked meals, so we almost never ate frozen dinners, fast food, pizza or any other type of takeout. So when we did have frozen dinners, they seemed very special to me (like you, I sometimes ate the m with my grandmother, who lived about a mile from our house). Plus, this was the era before microwaves, so frozen dinners had to be cooked in a conventional oven “just so” — too little time and they’d still be frozen, and too much time and they’d dry out or burn. Cooking them properly took skill! Even so, I was fascinated with the idea of an entire dinner in one package; at the time, it seemed to me like that was how people in the future would eat.
We had these when our parents went out to parties. Who cared about the fat, greasy stuff that was in it. I would give anything to have a dozen in our freezer. The best was pulling off the greasy chicken skin. To me, it was bliss.
I feel exactly the same as you. That Swanson fried chicken in the foil pan was the best!
This website is definitely a national treasure!
Wish they bring these back in the aluminum pans n tops ..to me was fresher n taste better than what’s there today…reminds me of our childhood ..every Thursday we had these in the oven n would watch the Waltons
agree
WOW !…A fried-shrimp TV dinner from Swanson (1966) ? This one I do not recall. However,I do remember the “Fish & Chips” one “English-Style” in the late 70’s from their int’l dinners selection.I also do not recall the “Chopped Sirloin” dinner (1968). However,I was just a kid. However,I do recall the TV dinners today just do not tastes as good as they did way back in the 1960’s and 70’s. The classic 3-piece fried chicken as “Hungry-Man” dinners by Swanson are still made,but very hard to find. In the old days,they were made in foil pans and cooked to perfection in conventional ovens,before home microwaves existed. Today,the trays are plastic and many dinners are microwavable,…and taste horrible !
There are several of these TV dinner articles around, all sharing the same pictures and much of the same content. And all of them making some level of fun about these dinners, by people who have obviously never had one. Nice to see at least this article is a little different then those cut and paste for click jobs.
I grew up and we regularly had TV dinners at likely the height of their popularity, 1966 to 1974 as a family. One has to bear in mind three things. The first, is that food was shot differently back then, and not as appetizingly perhaps as it is shot today. Second, we all have filters of endless blathering on what is “bad” to eat, from meat to anything deep fried to everything that is not raw vegetables and fruits, and we even have some people beating up on fruit today!
Sure, in the Swanson line, there were some that I did not care for…the Swiss Steak was not a favorite, nor the “International” line. However, the tomato sauce Meat Loaf was a favorite of mine. Along with the Chicken, which my dad loved as well. The Turkey with Stuffing was great. Some of these meals, such as the Chicken and Turkey, survive today under the Hungry Man brand.
Eventually, I opted out of the Dinners and went for the big pot pies as I started getting a “teen appetite”. Very good, and still made today by a lot of folks, from Banquet to Marie Calendars. They may not be the healthiest thing around, but they are filling and not going to hurt you. There are worse things you can have for dinner, such as Brussles sprouts!
“There are worse things you can have for dinner, such as Brussles sprouts!”
Thanks for the laugh. Those little green things should be outlawed from the plaent. LOL
When we were little, me & my brother liked Morten Brand the best.
My mom cooked, but on Saturday’s we had TV Dinners to give her a break.
They sure had a lot of good choices back then. I never got to try the Glazed Ham or Haddock but it looks delish!
I LOVE this website! I’ve made some of those old timey Christmas Cookies & they were a hit!
Thank you so much for sharing, and I’m so glad you love the site – and that the cookies were a hit! :-) That is so good to hear.
I never saw so much variety before. It was always roast beef, fried chicken, swiss steak, fried fish and little else. With so many restaurants closed, it would be dreamy to have all these choices available, especially if they didn’t overdo the salt and fat.
My brother and I have fond memories of eating the t.v. dinners. My dad was blind and when my mom was at work, that’s one of the things he would give us for dinner, easy to prepare!
I think it’s weird and interesting how many people actually have fond memories of t.v. dinners. It’s like it’s more than food, it was comforting somehow. Maybe we are recalling the novelty of it and how cool it seemed to get a meal just out of the freezer, into the oven. As a bonus, you could eat it on a metal folding t.v. tray/table!
Thanks so much posting this. It’s a much needed memory lane type thing for me!
Does anyone remember a Veal Parmesan frozen dinner? I used to have them for lunch when I was a kid. I thought they were Swanson but can not find anything about them online. It came in a small container that only had the veal parmesan in a metal tray.
I also remember “Veal Parmesan” frozen dinner. But I can’t quite remember the details of packaging as well as you do, you young whipper-snapper! I remember asking mom to buy Swanson and Banquet brands. So the Veal Parm should be there… I find Banquet currently offers frozen meat strips Parmesan with mashed potato on the side. Stouffers currently offers a Veal Parmigiana frozen entree. But I’m not able to locate the exact one you call out. Good Eating!
Yes I remember the Swanson veal parm. It came with spaghetti on the side. That was always one of my faves growing up in the 70s!
OMG, I remember those. They were delish. I don’t recall who made them but maybe it wasn’t Swanson. I bought them even in college in the 80s.
My favorite was when Banquet graduated into selling large boxes of just several pieces of many different cuts of frozen chicken–either fried, or battered! I thought they were the bomb! When I was a kid and my parents went out on a Saturday night, that’s when I’d get to haul out a bunch of pieces and have ’em on a dish with a big dollop side of ketchup. And a Coke or iced tea. Tasted soooo awesome. Ahhh, to be 12 again and heating up a “Banquet” of delicious fried chicken! ;)
I remember quite a few of these dinners.
Sometime between 1960 and 1970 there was a Mexican style TV dinner that had two or three tiny tacos in it. I believe that was what introduced my German immigrant parents to Mexican food which became a favorite cuisine In their home. Every so often I look online for the dinner with the tacos but have never found it.
It was my favorite! It had cheese enchiladas as the main dish and retried beans as the other side dish, along with the 3 little tacos. What I would give to have those again!!!!
I remember those! I was looking for that particular one in the article. I loved those little tacos, maybe it was just the novelty of it. They had a tasty filling, and the little corn tortillas were a little bit limp, tough, and chewy (like some upscale street tacos I’ve had in recent years!) What else was in that dinner? Enchilada and refried beans in the main compartment, and Mexican rice in the other one?
I sometimes buy the Jose Ole brand frozen mini tacos and they remind me of that frozen Mexican dinner from so long ago.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jos-Ol-Beef-Cheese-Mini-Tacos-16-2-Oz-Frozen/719983894
I thought these were the best thing ever! I could make my own dinner (big boy time!) and I could choose from the chicken, meatloaf, shrimp, beef and potatoes, and a few others my neighborhood market kept in stock. I wasn’t aware of many shown here, but I didn’t care either. Cooking one of the aluminum trays in the oven was a test of patience. But when I opened the oven and pulled out that hot, crunchy, crispy chicken: heaven! I didn’t even notice that the chicken was stringy, the extra chewing made it last longer. And it was good down to the very bones. The memories last forever.
Part of the nostalgia of TV dinners is that it recalls a time when you could eat what tasted good without having a breakdown worrying about if it was good for you. My father wouldn’t eat them on a bet, but in the fall and early winter he would go on hunting trips and when he was gone, we had a ball eating hot dogs, TV dinners, English muffin pizzas…everything we couldn’t eat when he was around. It was fun and I wish that I go back just for a while and eat without worrying about salt content.
Totally! 😜 The number of folks who natter on about Transfats and lord knows what else drives me nuts! Fondly recall Swanson TV Dinners – particularily – Fried Chicken and Turkey Dinners. When my parents would go out for dinner or to a social event, these were a yum treat! And Momma was an excellent cook, as were both my Grandmom’s, and if I do say so myself, am I. 😀 I use butter (not margarine) and heavy cream, rich yummy foods of all kinds. Lots of fresh locally grown FarmersMarket produce from Spring thru Fall and am now buying pasture grown beef and pork. All 90#’s of me loves my food!
Does anyone recall Stouffers Potato Puff Balls?Thinking late 60’s/Early 70’s? Loved those too!
Thanks for sharing all the memories!
i remember the morton tv dinners on sale for 4 for a dollar in the early 70’s at krogers, EXCEPT beef dinner was excluded. that made my mom so mad! but, heck a fried chicken tv dinner for 25 cents, you couldnt beat that! also liked the libbyland tv dinners with the “milk magic”
My mom was all about a hearty dinner seven nights a week … I asked “why can’t we have TV dinners sometimes?” So she was finally convinced to give herself a break, got herself, my father and me TV dinners to try them. After that we had them once a month … Mom’s concession. They had the Swanson meal, the salisbury steak, but I had either Swanson or Banquet (thinking Swanson) of wieners and beans, apple slices and corn bread. Loved it!
Oh gee, the memories this article brought back! Coming from an Italian family, I was used to huge dinners made from scratch, but when I persuaded my Mom to buy me a Swanson’s fried chicken dinner, it was pure bliss! From then on, when my folks would have one of their old-country meals that I wouldn’t dare eat (tripe, lamb kidneys, liver, etc.) I would get to pick my Swanson dinner. I have to admit that even my Dad enjoyed the turkey dinner with stuffing and gravy! I’m thinking that the usual corporate cost-cutting is to blame, because these dinners do not taste anywhere near as good as they did back in the 60’s and 70’s. I wish I could turn back time for one night and have my favorite Swanson fried chicken dinner again…Colonel Sanders just couldn’t compete!
YEES !!! I SO AGREE,I miss all our good food back in those days
what about all the good mexican tv dinners,especially Patio tamales with refried beans & rice or The El Charrito Beef Enchilada dinners with refried beans & rice and there wasd about one with a mexican name i forgot what is was called had enchiladas with beans & rice too !!! I also miss Tuna twist,it is the only way i liked tuna AND Chef BoyR Dee box dinners with a can of real tasty meat sauce and parmesan cheese packet AND Those little boiling bags of chipped cream beef or Chicken Ala King otr Roast beef n gravy or turkey & gravy an=nd i think meatloaf in a tomato sauce too,why did they stop selling those good foods AND Ralston hot cereal and other good stuff,now no moire good mexican tv dinners at all just crappy tasting on with no refried beans or rice even,and it has black beans that are not done or tender in them and corn in the enchilada it taste horrible,this world is on as health kick and no good food,idk why they thinkl beef enchiladas with rtefried beans and rich ..could hurt occassionally !!!
When I was a lieutenant (with college debt), I bought those boil-in-a-bag entrees at the commissary! They were just the right size for one person and didn’t take up much space in the freezer. I’d add a vegetable and starch, and dinner was served. I know I paid less than $1 for them–maybe even 50 cents? You’re the first person I’ve ever seen mention them.
I remember those. I think Banquet made them. I only had the turkey or the beef but they were really good.
I grew up in the 70’s my mother didn’t cook tv dinners but my grandma would every Saturday night the oven would be full on them for me and my siblings my favorite was the fried chicken second would be the turkey i miss them it brings back good childhood memories i wish they would bring back the metal trays the tv dinners of today are not that good i love this website just good memories
You can blame microwave ovens for the disappearance of metal TV dinner trays. I suppose they could make dinners for use exclusively in conventional ovens, but most people would rather zap something for 5 minutes instead of baking it for 30-40 minutes.
My fave TV dinner was a Swanson chicken noodles dinner. It had 2 tiny sweet biscuits, apple slices and peas for sides. It was heavenly. I’ve never seen it in the old vintage ads and wonder if anyone else recalls it. I believe the Swanson co could make a lot of money bringing back the old dinners but in a healthier way.
We had an individual spaghetti that my Mom baked and it got a crust on the edge. It was in an aluminum tin. We loved it….was it Banquet or Swanson….I wish I could have one now….
Like may people I have fond memories of these TV Dinners, Only got them when my parents were out for a social evening/dinner dance or if my mom had to work late at the bank (usually once per month for that).
The memory that I will carry to my grave is that the mashed/creamed potato would never get as hot as the rest of the meal! I think the ones we used to get were Swanson`s but it was a long long time ago.
I usually had the Salisbury steak one as it was the best. The other memory was you always seemed to get either peas and sweetcorn or peas and diced carrots.
Yes T.V. Dinners, on a T.V. Tray, in front of the T.V. Not all the time , but…