We Tried the Pioneer Woman’s New Frozen Food Line — And You’re Gonna Want to Get Some ASAP

Ree Drummond’s newest frontier? The freezer aisle. While it may seem a little counterintuitive for a home-cooking advocate and best-selling cookbook author to create a prepared food line (Ree readily admits this), the goal of her latest venture is as pure as they come. Ree wants to “save the day when you haven’t had time to plan.”

The down-to-earth Food Network star recently released a new line of heat-and-eat frozen breakfasts, sides, and appetizers (in collaboration with Kraft Heinz) — and everything can be found in select grocery stores nationwide. The line includes Chorizo Egg Bites, Roasted Vegetable Egg Bites, Cowgirl Quiche, Green Bean Casserole, Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole, Fancy Mac and Cheese, Sweet Potato and Kale Casserole, Goat Cheese Bites with Marinara, Zucchini Chips with Sweet & Sour Sauce, and Toasted Sausage Ravioli with Marinara. And everything costs $5.99.

And I got a chance to try them all with Ree — in the flesh! Here are a few of my favorites.

When I first popped one of these chorizo egg bites in my mouth, I asked the nearest person if this was a recipe from Ree’s new cookbook, coming out on October 22. They laughed and told me that they were from the frozen line we were about to try. It was then that I knew I was in for a real treat.

Hello, frozen quiche of my dreams. This personal-sized quiche filled with melty Swiss, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and chives is a replica of Ree’s homemade version. Ree said that when they were developing the frozen version, her only request was that they add more butter to the crust. The result is a flaky, melt-in-your-mouth piece of heaven.

Ree chose to serve these pretzel-crusted goat cheese bites over a yummy arugula salad, but they’re also pop-able apps meant for dipping in marinara sauce. Honestly, I’ll take them any way you give them to me. Think of them as the frozen version of Ree’s Fried Goat Cheese.

Leave it to the casserole queen to create a frozen dupe of her Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole. It’s a veggie-loaded side dish that everyone will be fighting over.

Out of all the recipes in her new line, the Green Bean Casserole is Ree’s favorite. “There’s no shame in bringing this to Thanksgiving. You can throw two of these in a 9×13-inch pan and no one will know the difference,” she says. I know exactly what I’m contributing to Friendsgiving!

My favorite? The Fancy Mac & Cheese, which is loaded with bacon, onions, mushrooms, blue cheese, and the creamiest cheese sauce imaginable. (Sorry I ate it so fast that you can only see a little bit on my plate above.) You guys, I will never forgo this for another frozen mac and cheese again.

Try these — and all the other dishes in the line — for yourself. If you don’t trust me, you can trust Ree!