10 Quick & Easy Meals Made Quicker With Trader Joe's Items
Trader Joe's is one of America's favorite grocery stores—and for good reason. The budget-friendly store has all the pantry staples you need and then some. In particular, TJ's has an impressive amount of packaged, prepared foods that can be heated up and ready to eat in a matter of minutes. While you could easily grab a ready-made meal from Trader Joes, if you want the satisfaction of making your own dinner, we've compiled a list of our favorite go-to recipes using Trader Joe's products.
These meals go from pantry to plate in minutes with the help of using these TJ's shortcuts. If you don't have time to cook at all and want TJ's to do all the work for you, don't miss these essential best frozen foods at Trader Joe's.
Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Sausage
TJ's Shortcut: Organic Butternut Squash Soup ($2.99)
Trader Joe's has a great selection of boxed soups that can be eaten as is or easily spruced up with just a couple extra ingredients. Inspired by TJ's own recipe for Savory Butternut Squash Soup, you can add browned sausage, tangy feta cheese, pepitas, and a touch of earthy olive oil to your soup for a warming bowl of goodness.
Ingredients
TJ's Organic Butternut Squash Soup
TJ's Spicy Italian Sausage, casing removed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Feta crumbles
Pumpkin seeds
How to Make It
Carnitas Taco Bowl
TJ's Shortcut: Fully Cooked Carnitas ($4.99)
Why head to Chipotle when you can make your own burrito bowl at home? Trader Joe's makes it even easier with their pre-made, citrus-marinated carnitas.
Ingredients
TJ's Fully Cooked Carnitas
Romaine Lettuce
TJ's Fancy Mexican Cheese Blend ($3.29)
Pico de Gallo Salsa
Guacamole
Black Beans
Leftover Rice
How to Make It
Sausage, Peppers, Onions and Potatoes
TJ's Shortcut: Roasted Potatoes with Peppers & Onions ($2.99)
Sometimes, good old meat and potatoes is the only dinner that will satisfy you. Luckily, you don't have to make it from scratch thanks to our friends at Trader Joe's. Their frozen potatoes, peppers, and onions mix can be heated up in minutes in the microwave or skillet. We pair it with chicken sausage and some extra bell peppers because we love veggies.
Ingredients
TJ's Roasted Potatoes with Peppers & Onions
TJ's Organic Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage ($5.99)
Red and yellow bell peppers
How to Make It
Middle Eastern Bean and Bulgur Salad
TJ's Shortcut: Balela Bean Salad ($2.29-$2.99)
This bean salad is described as a "savory Middle Eastern salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, and black beans." It's seasoned with a touch of lemon juice, parsley, and mint. If your Trader Joe's also sells their Tabbouleh salad, grab that tub too and mix the two together in this herbaceous Middle Eastern bean salad.
Ingredients
TJ's Balela Bean Salad
TJ's Tabbouleh Salad
Feta cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon juice
Pita chips
How to Make It
Chicken Fried Cauliflower Rice
TJ's Shortcut: Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry ($2.99)
Chicken fried cauliflower rice, anyone? Trader Joe's does basically all the work for you here. All you'll have to add is your protein of choice (we like chicken), some scrambled egg, and top it all off with some Sriracha.
Ingredients
TJ's Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Eggs
Sriracha
How to Make It
Indian Curry with Chickpeas, Potatoes, Green Peas and Naan
TJ's Shortcut: Curry Simmer Sauce ($2.49), Frozen Organic Brown Rice ($3.49)
Start your dinner with TJ's Indian-style simmer sauce. All you'll need to do is sear up some cubed chicken (or toss in a can of chickpeas). We like to add some frozen peas for a pop of color and a touch of sweetness. Serve it with either TJ's frozen brown rice or their frozen naan for a satisfying meal in minutes.
Ingredients
TJ's Curry Simmer Sauce
TJ's Tandoori Naan ($2.29)
TJ's Frozen Organic Brown Rice
TJ's Ginger Stir-In Paste
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
TJ's Frozen Grilled Cauliflower ($2.99)
Canned Chickpeas
Frozen Green Peas
How to Make It
Kale and Quinoa Bowl with Runny Egg
TJ's Shortcut: Frozen Organic Superfood Pilaf ($3.99)
This product from TJ's is so good, there's not much else we're going to do with it. You get a tri-color organic quinoa, vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes, leafy green kale, and eye health-boosting carrots. The only thing we think it's missing? A beautiful runny egg on top.
Ingredients
TJ's Frozen Organic Superfood Pilaf
Egg
How to Make It
Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs
TJ's Shortcut: Party Size Mini Meatballs ($3.99)
Your pasta dinner just got a veggie-filled makeover. Beef up the protein count with TJ's mini meatballs and dinner is served.
Ingredients
TJ's Party Size Mini Meatballs
Spaghetti Squash
Marinara Sauce
How to Make It
Asian Wild Rice Salad
TJ's Shortcut: Frozen Rice Medley: Brown Rice, Red Rice & Black Barley ($3.49)
Trader Joe's Frozen Rice Medley is the dinner shortcut you've been dreaming of. Pop it in your microwave for 3 minutes and dress it up as you'd like. Below is one of our favorite versions of a wild rice salad that's brought to life with many ingredients you already have in your pantry and some extra produce to freshen things up.
Ingredients
SALAD
TJ's Frozen Rice Medley
TJ's Frozen Edamame ($1.99), defrosted
TJ's Shredded Carrots
1 Red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cucumber, diced
Peanuts
DRESSING
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame oil
2 Tbsp Rice vinegar
1 Tsp TJ's Ginger Stir-In Paste
1/4 Tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
1 Tsp TJ's Low-Sodium Soy Sauce or TJ's Coconut Aminos ($2.99)
1/4 Cup Grapeseed oil (can substitute with canola or vegetable oil)
How to Make It
Pesto 3-Cheese Ravioli with Roasted Red Peppers
TJ's Shortcut: Organic Three Cheese Ravioli ($3.99)
Give your pasta night a makeover. A one-cup serving of these ravioli comes with an impressive 9 grams of protein. We like pairing them with herbaceous pesto and punchy fire-roasted red peppers. Adding extra greens and vegetables to your pasta is one of the ways to eat pasta without getting fat.
Ingredients
TJ's Organic Three Cheese Ravioli
TJ's Genova Pesto ($2.99)
TJ's Fire Roasted Red Peppers ($1.99)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
