Can you guess what the heck is in these old frozen TV dinners?

Is that a vegetable or dessert?

Here's a generational divide — people who have had to cook a TV dinner in the oven versus people who have only ever used a microwave.

It's just not the same without delicately peeling back the foil around the specific little compartments, as per the instructions on the box. 

Yes, kids, frozen dinners were once wrapped in metal. Do not attempt to microwave that!

Whatever your age, you can try to guess what's in these (relatively) quick meals from the packaging and ads. See if you can identify the mystery foods in these vintage TV dinners!

  1. What's the red stuff in the middle of this of 1966 Swanson frozen dinner?
  2. What's this stuff in a tray from a 1969 Swanson frozen dinner?
  3. What's this brown stuff in the upper left of the same meal?
  4. What's the main course in this same meal?
  5. What's this orange rectangle in a 1967 Swanson dinner?
  6. What's in the upper left of that same meal?
  7. What this stuff in the upper right of a Swanson Polynesian Style frozen dinner?
  8. What are these golden-brown globules in a Swanson Beef Dinner frozen meal?
  9. What is this mess in the top middle of a Swanson German Style frozen dinner?
  10. Finally, what is this purple stuff in the same meal?

Can you guess what the heck is in these old frozen TV dinners?

Your Result...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque nec ante ipsum. Mauris viverra, urna et porta sagittis, lorem diam dapibus diam, et lacinia libero quam id risus.
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315 Comments

tbrian 1 month ago
You got 9 out of 10

Brings back memories.
italianrose74 1 month ago
I would love to find an empty tv dinner container to just have.
LynCarrigan 2 months ago
Less hungry for the rest of my life.
ThomasPotter 7 months ago
tomato soup with turkey? I think not
RobChapman 8 months ago
Fun fact: Swanson tv dinners were discontinued around 2010, except for the Hungry-Man product line (Note: In Canada, Hungry-Man is sold under the Swanson name due to trademark issues).
ColleneGandy RobChapman 6 months ago
Banquet is actually Freezer Queen. Freezer Queen (yuck) was made here in Buffalo, NY. Banquet took over.
Lynn 9 months ago
10 out of 10, and I 'm not sure I should admit it!😎
JayBurd 12 months ago
10 in of 10.
It's been decades since I had one of these delicious meals.
They were a real treat in the 60s and we only got them when my mom didn't feel like cooking.......and we only got McDonald's burgers when we had a baby sitter..
JohnAustin79 12 months ago
I wound up getting two wrong. This is definitely a head scratcher 🤔 of a quiz, especially if you've never seen TV dinners like these before. I love learning new things and all of the dinners shown in this quiz I have never come across or seen before. I was born in 1979 so the majority of the meals on this quiz I've never come across.

I never even knew that Swanson made international TV dinner meals in the past. I would not like to come across that German Swanson TV dinner, I'll tell you that. That thing looks like it would be rough on your tummy 😄! Fun quiz, MeTV 👍🙂!
francolaguna1 12 months ago
I LOVED these meals as a kid! Crazy because my mom was the best cook 😋
JeffPaul76 12 months ago
"You got 10 out of 10" ---------"How did you do? More importantly- are you more or less hungry now?" Less hungry. Some of the stuff in those dinners I wouldn't eat.
Lacey 12 months ago
9 out of 10.
I ate WAY too many TV Dinners growing up.
gockionni 12 months ago
7/10 - and there was a time when this stuff looked appetizing LOL
TijuanaSlim 12 months ago
I missed Bavarian Cabbage... shoulda looked at the texture... lol
LisaS 12 months ago
I got them all right! Identifying mystery food is a unique skill! We were always excited to have tv dinners when I was growing up. They were a novelty!
Hollie 12 months ago
we only had home cooked meals growing up but every once in awhile mom tupper ware party bingo etc dad made these only time we ever had back then they tasted much better than today
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