February 14: You either love it or hate it. Valentine’s Day can be a touchy topic for some, especially if you’re super single or on the rocks with your SO. For others, though, V-day is a loveable holiday and a great opportunity to get dressed up for date night, spend quality time with your gal pals, or take advantage of BOGO deals and celebrate solo. If you happen to be boo’d up this year (or just celebrating Galentine’s Day), here are some simple and budget-friendly Trader Joe’s Valentine’s dinners that are easy to make, and still show your SO just how much you adore them.
Steak and Chimichurri with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
This meal consists of a maximum of five ingredients: your steak cut of choice, TJ’s Chimichurri Sauce, and mashed potatoes. Short on time? Don’t worry—Trader Joe’s offers a frozen package to help you save time on a meticulous side dish. Cook the steak to your liking, and add the chimichurri once removing the steak from the heat. To keep it fresh, you can make a simple side salad using one of Trader Joe’s bagged salad kits.
#SpoonTip: Pair this dish with full-bodied red wine like a cabernet sauvignon, or a pinot noir if you prefer a lighter red wine.
Spicy Calabrian Chili Pepper Pasta
Stay warm and keep things spicy with this TJ-approved comforting pasta dish. While you could use a standard pasta shape like rigatoni, you could substitute with Trader Joe’s heart-shaped pasta in the name of love.
In addition to pantry staples such as salt, olive oil, minced garlic, and lemon, just combine tomato paste with TJ’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce (measure with your heart, according to spice preference) for an easy sauce. Pour it over one package of cooked Trader Joe’s Heart Shaped Pasta (duh), and once the meal is plated, top it off with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Baked Feta Sheet Pan
This easy meal has been my go-to for years since it is so easy, cheap, yummy, and yields the perfect amount for two people. All you need is a protein of choice (I use Trader Joe’s pesto chicken), cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and onions tossed in olive oil with red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Add some lemon slices to the pan and some slices of feta before roasting at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve with a side of Trader Joe’s couscous drizzled in olive oil and lemon.
Indian Butter Chicken with Naan
Tbh, this meal is so easy that it might not even count as cooking. You just need two ingredients: Trader Joe’s frozen butter chicken and a bag of garlic or butter frozen Naan. Just heat the chicken in the microwave or oven, toss your naan in the toaster, and enjoy a decadent and spicy meal that’s almost better than Indian takeout. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can garnish with pickled onions.
3-Ingredient Pizza
You can never go wrong with pizza, especially when it’s homemade. Not only is DIY pizza night a fun date idea, but you also get a yummy reward! Trader Joe’s has ready-to-bake dough, so all you need to do is add a base sauce (TJ’s sells great pizza sauce), mozzarella, and toppings of your choice before baking. And, if you want to try a fresher ‘za, you can also add the Trader Joe’s Shrimp Scampi on top of the pizza dough with arugula and drizzle it with lemon and olive oil.
#SpoonTip: If you decide to top your pie with pepperoni, cut them into hearts in honor of Cupid!
Miso-Glazed Salmon with Roasted Veggies
If you want to go all out for your boo but consider yourself a level-one chef, go for some salmon. Pick up the Trader Joe’s Miso-glazed Salmon and a fresh and frozen vegetable, and roast those two in the oven together as the instructions say to.
Chocolate Lava Cakes with Berries and Ice Cream
It wouldn’t be dinner without dessert. Trader Joe’s frozen lava cakes come in two to a package, perfect for sharing with a special someone on Valentine’s Day. Heat those babies in the microwave, and top them with raspberries (or strawberries), and vanilla ice cream to compli=ement the richness of the chocolate.
Strawberry Cheerios Treats
Level up your crispy rice treats for Valentine’s Day with these adorable pink strawberry cereal treats. It’s the same recipe and steps as your typical marshmallow cereal treat, but just substitute it with TJ’s Strawberry Yogurt O’s. To make them even more heartfelt, top the desserts with pink and red sprinkles for some extra pizazz.