TV dinners were invented thanks to Thanksgiving leftovers, and 22 other delicious Thanksgiving food facts

TV dinners were invented thanks to Thanksgiving leftovers, and 22 other delicious Thanksgiving food facts

Did you know that Thanksgiving might be the origin of your favorite Swanson microwave meal?

In 1953, the Swanson TV dinner company apparently had 260 tons of frozen turkey leftover after Thanksgiving. So they packaged them into trays with peas and potatoes, which evolved into the TV dinners America knows and loves today.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.