R&D Inspiration: 5 Healthy Savory Meal Recipes

October 2020

Convenience is key for the savory meal solutions market, but so are taste, texture, nutrition and a clean-label. While consumers love the simplicity of instant mixes and ready meals, they tend to avoid those that contain highly processed ingredients or excessive amounts of salt and sugar.

Natural, recognizable ingredients are becoming more important as consumers prioritize healthy eating habits. At the same time, flavor preferences are evolving, becoming more diverse and adventurous, as consumers expand their familiarity with global cuisines and ingredients.

Our baked crumbs, coatings and toppings are a quick and easy way to add value, texture, and interest to a variety of meal solutions, from instant pastas and prepared meals, to salads, wraps and cereal bars. Our baked croutons are the perfect topping for soup, salad and noodles. Choose from a range of bakes and flavors, like herb, garlic, and black pepper.

Freeze-dried vegetables add natural flavor and color in marinade kits and pasta mixes, and work well as a healthy, crunchy topping for salads. With a long, ambient shelf life, freeze-dried ingredients stay fresh month-after-month.

Curious how these ingredients could fit into an existing recipe, or looking for some NPD inspiration? Check out some of our innovative ideas for the meal solutions market:

Lemon, Ginger and Black Pepper Marinade Kit

Lemon, Ginger and Black Pepper Marinade Kit

Freeze-dried lemon and ginger add extra zest to this flavorful chicken marinade kit. Replace lemon and ginger with red pepper, orange and cranberry for a festive, holiday-inspired variety, or make your own recipe using any of our other freeze-dried fruit and vegetable ingredients.

Portobello Mushrooms, filled with Ricotta, Chive and Spinach

Stuffed mushrooms are both easy and delicious. We found that a crunchy crumb topping pairs perfectly with the creaminess of the ricotta filling in this recipe, adding extra texture and a pop of flavor. Customize your applications with our baked sprinkles in garlic and herb, sundried tomato, sage and thyme, salsa, or pesto varieties.t

Sizzling Moroccan Style Shrimp Scampi Meal Kit

Freeze-dried vegetables add diverse flavors and color to the cous cous mix in this recipe for Moroccan-style shrimp scampi. Pour the mix into a pot, bring to a boil and there you have it! An easy, flavorful side to compliment any meal kit recipe. For an Indian-inspired take, replace the cous cous mix with freeze-dried lentils, ginger, spinach, lemon powder and spice it up with chili peppers, curry powder and cardamom.

Instant Pasta Pot – Chicken, Porcini Mushroom, Spinach, Leek & Sweetcorn

When it comes to convenient and delicious comfort foods, instant pastas are a consumer favorite. Put a new spin on an old classic with a flavorful veggie mix of spinach, leek and sweetcorn, paired with chicken and porcini mushroom. Our other favorite combos include a vegetarian red basil sauce with freeze-dried courgette, leek and red peppers.

Strawberry, Spinach & Feta Salad with Black Pepper Croutons

Consumers love the convenience of salad kits. Going beyond traditional toppings is one way to stand out from the crowd of grab-and-go options. Create a memorable flavor and texture experience by combining crisp freeze-dried fruit and vegetable toppings with crunchy and savory croutons. Freeze-dried strawberries, feta and black pepper croutons offer a range of textures and an appealing sweet-savory-tangy flavor combination. For a fall-inspired harvest salad, try pomegranate arils or green fig slices with sourdough dippers as croutons.

Want more ideas? Visit our savory meals applications page.

Whether you’re working on something new, or adjusting to new trends, our R&D team is constantly developing new application ideas and creating ingredient solutions that add real value for our customers. Learn more about our savory baked and freeze-dried ingredients, or contact us at customerservice@chaucerfoods.com to speak with a member of our team.

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