Once defined by convenience rather than quality, the frozen food category is now at a crossroads. While the sector has long been home to some of the most processed food in the supermarket, consumer preferences have shifted in recent years, with more shoppers seeking out clean, healthy meals.
The caveat, though, is that they still want them with the same speed and substance long promised in microwaveable frozen meals. It’s a tall order, especially when the freezers are home to some of the priciest real estate in the supermarket. Competition is tough, especially in the plant-based sector where frozen meals are growing faster than their conventional counterparts, with sales expected to surpass $9 billion within the next decade.
Sunday Supper
Making headway, though, is Sunday Supper, the Los Angeles-based frozen vegan Italian food brand staking out that coveted freezer space with its high-quality ingredients, chef-driven development, and an unapologetically flavorful spin on Italian comfort food. The brand, which made a name for itself with whole trays of frozen vegan lasagnas, is now setting its sights on the single-serve frozen category with the launch of Sunday Supper Singles.
Sunday Supper Singles
Tailoring meals to single servings supports how more Americans dine today, which is to say, alone. According to the US Census Bureau, single-person households now make up nearly 29 percent of all households—the highest percentage in recorded history. At the same time, recent data from The NPD Group shows that more than 50 percent of eating occasions in the US are now solo, driven by shifting work schedules, delayed family formation, and changing attitudes toward self-care and mealtime autonomy. These trends are redefining how consumers approach food at home—particularly when it comes to convenience meals that don’t compromise on quality or experience.
Sunday Supper
Sunday Supper’s new Singles offering—four individual-portion entrées priced at $9.99 and featuring dishes like fusi alla vodka and gluten-free eggplant parm—reflects this philosophy. And, unlike the conventional frozen aisle, the company gives ingredients the highest priority. It sources vine-ripened Marzano tomatoes, uses Elmhurst 1925 oat milk for its béchamel and sauces, and now incorporates Abbot’s plant protein in the lineup.
Meals are designed to bake or microwave with par-cooked pasta to preserve texture and flavor. “The launch of The Singles marks a new chapter for the brand,” founder and chief product officer Richard Klein explained in a statement. “By introducing new serving sizes, we’re creating even more ways to bring everyone to the table to enjoy restaurant-quality Italian classics.”
Sunday Supper
The Singles collection includes individually packaged versions of Sunday Supper’s Italian sausage lasagna and three cheeses lasagna, along with two new dishes developed exclusively for the line. Fusi alla vodka features fusilli in a tomato-vodka sauce enriched with Elmhurst’s oat milk and fresh herbs, while the eggplant parm, which marks Sunday Supper’s first gluten-free offering, layers eggplant with plant-based mozzarella and house marinara.
“For the most part, the recipes are the same, especially for our bestsellers like the three cheese lasagna and Italian sausage lasagna,” Klein told VegNews. “The biggest difference is the pasta: in the Singles line, we use a par-cooked pasta that allows for microwave cooking, giving customers more flexibility and convenience. We’re also transitioning both sizes to use Abbot’s proteins moving forward, bringing even more consistency and quality across our offerings.”
A family-style approach to sourcing
Sunday Supper’s shift reflects the brand’s broader approach to sourcing, which sounds a lot more like how your nonna would shop in preparation for Sunday dinner. Instead of developing proprietary fillers or leaning on starch-heavy solutions, Sunday Supper partners with a tight selection of ingredient suppliers that align with its mission.
“We’re really intentional about the partners we work with, and both Elmhurst 1925 and Abbot’s are standouts in the industry,” Klein said.
“They share our commitment to clean, honest ingredients and make products we genuinely love. Elmhurst’s oat milk has just two ingredients and it delivers an unbelievably creamy texture that’s perfect for our sauces. Abbot’s is the fastest-growing alt-protein brand out there, and their ingredient deck is incredibly clean. It was a natural fit.”
Sunday Supper’s evolution, like its food, has been careful, rather than fast. The brand debuted with family-style lasagnas and fried mozzarella sticks that offered an alternative to conventional comfort food—Italian-inspired, rich, and entirely dairy- and meat-free. It quickly gained traction in independent grocery stores and online marketplaces, building a consumer base drawn to the idea of frozen meals that didn’t taste like shortcuts.
“We’ve collaborated with some of the best chefs in the business from James Beard Award winners to an actual Italian nonna,” Klein said. “The goal was always to create meals that feel both elevated and deeply comforting. Everything we make is designed to deliver that ‘wow’ moment, whether it’s a silky vodka sauce or a perfectly seasoned plant-based sausage, all from the freezer. It’s about capturing the love, flavor, and authenticity of a Sunday supper, and making it accessible anytime.”
Sunday Supper
Spencer Oberg, CEO of Sunday Supper, says the meals “make it easy to enjoy indulgent, delicious Italian classics” with ingredients consumers can feel good about. “The Singles provide even more options for discriminating foodies, and plant-based or dairy-free diners.”
The (sometimes sexy) vegan newcomer
While Sunday Supper is still a relatively young brand, its culinary ambition places it in direct conversation with long-established frozen brand Amy’s Kitchen. Meal kit leader Purple Carrot and even the Blue Zones universe have stepped into the frozen ready meal section in recent years.
But unlike conventional supermarkets, there are few brands offering a diverse range in the vegan frozen ready meal sector, and even fewer with a focus on authentic Italian cuisine. Where Amy’s has built its reputation on vegetarian (not always vegan) staples, Sunday Supper is courting a different kind of eater—one who craves comfort, richness, and a tastes-like-homemade offering.
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The market is responding.
Sunday Supper now sells in more than 700 stores nationwide, including Mom’s Organic Market, New Seasons, Earth Fare, Central Market, and Fresh Direct. Products are also available online via its website. Its snack line—anchored by Mozza Fritto—is expected to expand later this year with the launch of Ravi Fritto (fried ravioli) and Zucchi Fritto (zucchini sticks), giving the brand more opportunities to show how comfort food can evolve without losing its appeal.
“We’re positioning Sunday Supper as a bold, joyful (sometimes sexy) newcomer in the frozen aisle, bringing better-for-you ingredients and nostalgic comfort food together in a way that feels fresh and exciting,” Klein says. “Right now, we’re focused on Italian favorites, but Sunday Supper has a meaning that spans cultures. In many families, it’s a moment of connection and celebration, and we’re excited to explore what that could look like through different cuisines.”
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Jill Ettinger is the Director of Digital Strategy for VegNews and co-founder of the sustainable luxury platform, Ethos.
