• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Smart In The Kitchen

Dinner is done!

  • Smart Recipes
  • Cooking Classes
  • Meal Plans
  • Gift Cards
  • Videos
  • About

Trader Joes Super Easy Dinners

October 12, 2019 By msmart 2 Comments

Quick & Easy Trader Joe’s “Cheater” Meals

Trader Joes Easy Dinners

We’re changing things up this week. Instead of a typical meal plan, I’m sending you a few of my favorite Trader Joe’s “cheater” meals. These dinners come together in minutes and save you when you’re tired or short on time. They’re also great to leave for a spouse or babysitter for an easy-to-prepare meal. We all need backup dinners every once in a while!

Salsa Verde Chicken

I use Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde and their organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this. Grab some avocado, cilantro, sour cream and tortillas and you’re all set.

Trader Joes Easy Dinners

Black Bean Taquitos

These are always in our freezer. Meatless and gluten-free, these make a decent babysitter dinner or after school snack.

Spinach Tortellini

Also stocked in my freezer at all times, but sold in the refrigerated section at TJs. Cook it about a minute less than package directions. Toss with your favorite marinara or pesto, or use in my tortellini casserole. Also good cooked and tossed with your favorite pasta salad ingredients, which is great in a lunchbox.

Cauliflower Gnocchi

Another freezer staple. Do NOT cook this according to package directions, just get a skillet hot with a small amount of olive oil and sauté the gnocchi for 3-4 minutes per side. If you have an air fryer, use that. Or heat your oven to 425 degrees and cook the gnocchi on a sheet pan (use the convection setting if you have it). Toss with fresh spinach or arugula, marinara and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Slab Pizza

The dough is already made so you’re just assembling and heating. My kids can make these themselves and I’ll just toss a salad and call it a night. I use Rao’s instead of TJs pizza sauce–we always keep a few jars stocked in the pantry. Or use TJs kale, cashew and basil pesto as the sauce. Bake on a sheet pan at high heat, 425-450 degrees, for about 15 minutes.

Frozen Cauliflower Pizza

This is another freezer staple. Good for late night teenager snacks and feeding ravenous boys (who have no idea they’re eating cauliflower).

Frozen Vegetable Stir Fry

Follow my quick and easy stir fry for a delicious quick dinner. If you’re really in a hurry, a few shakes of tamari and a sprinkling is toasted sesame oil is all you need. Grab some frozen edamame to snack on while you microwave some pre-cooked Trader Joe’s jasmine rice. Easy peasy.

Turkey Bolognese

This isn’t perfect (it has soy, sulfites and too much sodium). But we’re not perfect either and sometimes you need a 2-minute dinner that’s a kid-pleaser. Warm up with 1 cup Rao’s, 1 cup frozen riced cauliflower and a handful or two of fresh spinach (you can use the rest in a salad). Serve over TJs gluten-free rice rottini or spaghetti squash. Or use it to make sloppy joe sliders.

Lentil Salad

Yes, this is mind blowing. Add some baby arugula to the mix if you want more greens. Take it to your next book club or pot luck, and add some TJs pita chips on the side for dipping.

Sausage and Kale Soup

Use chicken Italian sausage for this, and I leave out the quinoa and the water. To keep it meatless, replace the sausage with a can or two of drained and rinsed organic great Northern beans.

Chicken Tamales

Serve with a side of your favorite veggie or some warmed up TJs refried beans. Someone told me they steam these and send in an insulated container for school lunch — great idea!

What are your favorite TJs dinners? The easier the better! Leave a comment to share your “cheater dinner” below.

Filed Under: All Recipes, Casseroles, Dinner, Freezer Friendly, Uncategorised Tagged With: brainless dinner, easy dinner, Family meal, freezer meals, super fast dinner, trader joes, weeknight dinner

Previous Post: « Friday Love List: Fall Favorites
Next Post: Weekly Meal Plan // October 20-25 »

Reader Interactions

By Category

By Date

Search

Comments

  1. Stephanie

    October 12, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Love the Trader Joe’s Burrata, Prosciutto & Arugula Flatbread Pizza.

    Reply
  2. Kara Sanders

    October 13, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    Great post! For meatless Monday or as a side with kabobs we love TJ’s pre-cooked lentils in the refrigerator section – toss with their microwave jasmine rice, and season with crunchy sea salt, pepper, olive oil and top with French fried onions from your pantry. Great left over for lunch too.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Primary Sidebar

Marcia Smart
Marcia Smart is a cooking instructor, recipe developer and food writer who wants to help you make good, simple meals for your family and friends. She craves food that's seasonal and delicious and wants to share it with you. A California girl living in a Houston world with her husband and three children.

FIND ME HERE

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST

Smart in the Kitchen

FOLLOW ME ON YOUTUBE

Recent Posts

  • Whole30 Meal Plan // January 2021 // Week 4
  • Whole30 Meal Plan January 2021 // Week 3
  • Whole30 Meal Plan // January 2021 // Week 2
  • Any Greens Pesto
  • Whole30 Meal Plan // January 2021 // Week 1

GET SMART IN THE KITCHEN RECIPES AND NEWS

Categories

  • All Recipes
  • Appetizers and Snacks
  • Basics
  • Breakfast and Brunch
  • Casseroles
  • Cocktails
  • Condiments
  • Dairy-Free
  • Dessert
  • Dinner
  • Entertaining
  • Fall
  • Freezer Friendly
  • Friday Love List
  • Gift + Product Guides
  • Gluten-free/Gluten-free adaptable
  • Grain-free
  • Grilling
  • Holidays
  • Instant Pot
  • Kitchen
  • Mains
  • Meat
  • Meatless Mains
  • Mediterranean
  • One-Pot Meals
  • Pasta
  • Poultry
  • Retreats
  • Salad Dressings
  • Salads
  • Sauces and Salsas
  • Seafood
  • Slow Cooker
  • Smoothie
  • Soups
  • Spice Mix
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Thanksgiving
  • Travel
  • Uncategorised
  • Vegetable Side Dish
  • Weekly Meal Plans
  • Wellness
  • Whole 30
  • Wine
  • Winter

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • June 2015
  • April 2015

Copyright © 2021 · Smart In The Kitchen