From Kid Favorite to Star Ingredient, Chef Boyardee® Serves Up New Family-Friendly Dinner Recipes

OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Chef Boyardee®, a brand of ConAgra Foods, is putting an unexpected twist on its iconic pasta creations – a new series of simple and creative recipes that feature Chef Boyardee as the main ingredient. The five quick and easy dinner dishes can each be prepared in 35 minutes or less and feature Chef Boyardee favorites, such as Chef Boyardee® Beefaroni®, Chef Boyardee® Spaghetti & Meatballs, and Chef Boyardee® Beef Ravioli. Available to view and print at the Chef Boyardee® website, the great tasting recipes that the entire family can enjoy include Ravioli Lasagna, Taco-roni, Chili-roni, Pepperoni Spaghetti Bake and Cheeseburger-roni.

To introduce the recipes to moms and families, Chef Boyardee partnered with House Party™ to enlist 10,000 Chef Boyardee enthusiasts across the country to host parties in their homes and share the new recipes with their friends and family. The "Be the Chef with Chef Boyardee" parties, held on Saturday, Sept. 24, provided the hosts with party kits that included the recipes, product coupons and Chef Boyardee-themed gifts for guests, reaching more than 100,000 people with the new dinnertime meals. By engaging Latina women as hosts, the parties also reached Hispanic consumers.

"In creating these recipes, we wanted to continue the tradition that Chef Hector Boiardi began 85 years ago – sharing wholesome, affordable meals," said Jeff Caswell, vice president and general manager, Shelf Stable Convenient Meals, ConAgra Foods. "With comments such as 'This recipe was a hit!' and 'very easy to make!,' we're pleased that initial online reviews of the recipes show that they are meeting families' needs for quick meals that deliver the great taste they know and love."

While Chef Boyardee has been a pantry staple for decades, many don't know that there's a real chef behind it all. Hector Boiardi, who was born in Italy in 1897, created the now-famous spaghetti dish in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1928, and an empire was born. Today, the new recipes take Hector Boiardi's classic pasta creations and use them as main ingredients in new delicious dinner recipes. Made with real ingredients such as seasoned ground beef, a full serving of vegetables in certain varieties, and no preservatives, Chef Boyardee can create a satisfying meal for the whole family.

Chef Boyardee is providing fans with the opportunity to host their own house party using the recipes and a downloadable party kit that can be found online at www.chefboyardee.com. To join the House Party conversation, visit www.houseparty.com/event/chefboyardee and www.Facebook.com/Chefboyardee.

ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America's households. Consumers find 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 in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.