CHICAGO — Conagra Brands, Inc. is going against the grain in favor of vegetables and lentils in new product lines launching under the Healthy Choice and Birds Eye brands.
From Healthy Choice comes a new line of grain-free Power Bowls featuring combinations of greens, vegetables, lean proteins and riced cauliflower. Each bowl boasts 18 to 20 grams of protein and 5 to 7 grams of fiber and is gluten-free.
The Spicy Beef Teriyaki Power Bowl combines braised beef with carrots, broccoli, red bell peppers, chard, kale, spinach and scallions served atop a bed of riced cauliflower in a sweet and spicy teriyaki sauce.
The Basil Pesto Chicken Power Bowl contains pulled chicken breast with white kidney beans, yellow squash, tomatoes, chard, kale, spinach, riced cauliflower and a basil pesto sauce.
The Spicy Black Bean & Chicken Power Bowl mixes pulled chicken breast with black beans, red bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, onions, chard, kale and spinach served atop riced cauliflower with a spicy chili sauce and cotija cheese.
The Chicken Marinara Power Bowl includes pulled chicken breast with broccoli, red bell peppers, chard, kale, spinach, riced cauliflower, marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese.
“We’re excited to launch new Healthy Choice Power Bowls for people looking to power through their days while avoiding or limiting their gluten and grain intake,” said Alan Brooks, senior brand manager for Healthy Choice. “People are looking for delicious meals with key nutrients to help with their overall wellness and provide a good source of protein to stay fuller longer.”
Under the Birds Eye brand, Conagra is introducing Family Favorite Meals with vegetable swaps. The four new multi-serve freezer meals substitute traditional pasta for pasta made from zucchini and lentil and swap out rice for riced cauliflower. While three of the recipes include bread crumbs, the Three Cheese Ziti is completely grain-free. Each dish may be cooked in the microwave and is ready in fewer than 15 minutes.
The Chicken Alfredo Pasta features zucchini lentil penne pasta, grilled white meat chicken, broccoli and carrots in alfredo sauce with a bread crumb topping.
The Three Cheese Ziti includes zucchini lentil ziti pasta paired with marinara sauce and topped with a three-cheese blend.
The Cheddar Mac & Cheese combines zucchini lentil cavatappi pasta with a cheddar cheese sauce and a bread crumb topping.
The Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli contains riced cauliflower, grilled white meat chicken, broccoli florets, cheddar cheese sauce and a bread crumb topping.
“Today’s families have busy schedules that often demand quick meal solutions, and sometimes those easy solutions are not inherently nutritious,” said Anne Murphy, senior brand manager for Birds Eye. “Plus, there’s always the struggle to get picky eaters to eat. These new Birds Eye meals deliver popular family favorite dishes in under 15 minutes, while also making it easy and enjoyable for families to eat more vegetables by swapping in pasta made from vegetables and riced cauliflower rather than traditional carbs.”
