We recently received a hot tip from a Freezer Meal Frenzy reader (we do read fan emails, though sometimes we’re slow to respond), which sent us down the rabbit hole of the long history of the Jimmy Dean brand. The brand, which we’ve been enjoying quite a bit, was founded by the actor and country singer Jimmy Dean, and seems to have been primarily known for its sausage in the early days. We also learned that Jimmy Dean’s television series, The Jimmy Dean Show, was a stepping stone for the beloved puppetry of Jim Henson. There’s a lot more to it, but we’re not going to get into it here. But let’s just say our appreciation for the brand has only grown in learning these things.
Anyway, we’re going into our review of the Jimmy Dean Chorizo Breakfast Bowl with a fresh understanding of the brand’s history. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to get all gooey-eyed over this. Our readers deserve objectivity, and if this meal is downright awful, we’re going to say something about it (no matter how much we love The Muppet Christmas Carol!)
Cooking this is quite easy. Peel back the film, pop this into the microwave for two minutes, give it a stir, then pop it back in for another minute. We were initially skeptical of the three-minute cook time, but this came out of the microwave sizzling. It also smelled amazing.
That delicious smell is largely a product of the spices used in the chorizo. The food wizards at Jimmy Dean really show their expertise at crafting fine breakfast meats with this chorizo — it’s undoubtedly the best part of this meal. The pork itself is rich and juicy, and the spices really take it to the next level. This is some good stuff.
The rest of the meal is only so-so. The eggs are a bit bland and soggy on their own, though the chorizo makes up for any blandness and the surprisingly stretchy cheddar cheese makes the sogginess more forgivable.
We feel the same way about the potatoes. They’re soggy and bland on their own, but the chorizo spices get into the potatoes as well, not merely salvaging them but elevating them.
There are onions and bell peppers in this mix as well, but they sort of feel like afterthoughts. They don’t affect the quality of this meal one way or the other, but we do appreciate that they’re here.
We were surprised to learn that this bowl contains 380 calories (240 from fat), which seems kind of high considering that this isn’t super filling. We’d consider this a light breakfast rather than a hearty one, and adding a cup of coffee and some toast might be in order. The sodium is about average for a frozen meal, at 730 mg.
The Jimmy Dean Chorizo Breakfast Bowl shows how much impact a really good chorizo can have on a breakfast scramble. This is an otherwise mediocre breakfast bowl with an absolutely fantastic chorizo that elevates the quality of the entire dish. We definitely think this is the best of Jimmy Dean’s breakfast bowls (and we’ve reviewed almost all of them!)
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this frozen breakfast bowl, check out our package scans below.
