Marie Callender's New Easy Sides® Pasta Side Dishes Help Lose The Fuss At Dinner

OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On average, Americans spend 30 minutes each day preparing meals, frequently with recipes that require eight different ingredients.^{[1], [2]} Those 30 minutes are typically focused on main dishes with sides often left unconsidered until dinner is nearly on the table. To help consumers solve the side dish dilemma, Marie Callender's^®, a brand of ConAgra Foods, has introduced Easy Sides, a new line of delicious pasta side dishes. Easy Sides live up to their name with cook time taking four minutes in the microwave and eliminating the hassle of multiple ingredients or pots and pans. Cooks simply open the package, add water and microwave for a savory side dish that complements any meal.

"In the hustle and bustle of preparing dinner, often it's not until we are setting the table that we realize we don't have a side dish to accompany our main course," says Brooke Draper, Brand Director for Easy Sides. "The great taste and easy preparation make Easy Sides a simple choice for consumers. Pick some up from the pasta aisle and pair with your favorite entree to limit the fuss, prep time and mess at mealtime."

Try new Marie Callender's Easy Sides, available in five flavor varieties, including:

• Alfredo, fettuccini pasta in a creamy Parmesan and Romano flavored Alfredo sauce;
• Chicken, fettuccini pasta in a savory chicken flavored sauce;
• Mini Shells & Cheese, pasta shells in a butter and cheese flavored sauce;
• Parmesan, fettuccini pasta with parsley flakes in a creamy Parmesan cheese flavored sauce; and
• Stroganoff, fettuccini pasta in a sour cream and mushroom flavored stroganoff sauce.

Marie Callender's new Easy Sides pasta side dishes are available at retailers nationwide and can be found in the soup and pasta aisle retailing for approximately $1.25-$1.69 each.

ABOUT MARIE CALLENDER'S
For more than 65 years, Marie Callender's has provided homemade taste through comforting meals, pot pies, desserts and more. From the time she was a young girl, Marie Callender believed that the simple act of slowing down to savor and share a good meal made from wholesome ingredients and special touches could strengthen the bonds between friends and family. Today, Marie's philosophy of taking time to savor can be seen in all of the special touches to Marie Callender's desserts and meals. For more information on Marie Callender's, visit www.mariecallendersmeals.com.

ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS
ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies with branded and private branded food found in 99 percent of America's households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hebrew National®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®, Orville Redenbacher's®, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally, ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

[1] FoodService Solutions, 2013
[2] Nature.com Scientific Report, 2011

SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.

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