Whole Grains in Frozen Entrées

“8 g whole grains per serving,” says the Smart Ones Pasta with Ricotta and Spinach box, but in a 9 oz. (255-gram) tray of mostly pasta, 8 grams ain’t much. The pasta is mostly white flour.

[WE]

Why bother? Artisan Bistro, Kashi, Lean Cuisine’s Honestly Good and Spa Collection, Luvo, Michael Angelo’s Natural, and Tai Pei Asian Garden use whole-grain pasta or brown rice in all (or nearly all) of their dishes.

With other brands—like Amy’s, Evol, Healthy Choice, and Helen’s Kitchen—the rice and pasta could be white, whole grain, or a mix. We only recommend entrées in which the grains are 100 percent whole.

Pilafs from Kashi and Luvo go way beyond brown rice. Kashi’s signature pilaf blends whole oats, brown rice, rye, hard red wheat, triticale, buckwheat, and barley with sesame seeds. Luvo has grains like quinoa, wheat berries, brown basmati rice, bulgur, and buckwheat groats in its Nine Grain Pilaf. Nice.