Short on time? College student? Terrible at meal prepping? Well, you’re in luck because Trader Joe’s keeps its products versatile enough for an intricate dish or a simple three ingredient meal. No, you don’t have to worry about your dinner not tasting great just because of the simplicity of the recipe. These 3-ingredient Trader Joe’s meals are easy, fast, delicious, customizable, and a great way to improve your meal prepping skills.
1. Peanut Udon Noodle Bowls
What you’ll need: frozen chicken strips, shredded cabbage with carrots, Peanut Udon Noodle Salad
How to make it: Cook the chicken strips according to package instructions and add them to the noodle salad once cooked. Add extra cabbage and top with peanut ginger dressing.
2. Southwestern Chicken Tacos
What you’ll need: Southwestern Chopped Salad Kit, Pollo Asado Autentico Marinated Chicken (soooo good), tortillas
How to make it: Cook the chicken to 165 degrees F. Mix the salad kit together and heat the corn tortillas in a skillet. Assemble tacos and voilà!
3. Chicken Caesar Wrap
What you’ll need: caesar salad kit, chicken strips (frozen or fresh), cauliflower thins
How to make it: If using frozen chicken, heat up strips in a skillet and place on cauliflower thins. Add the salad kit on each wrap and enjoy. If you use precooked chicken strips, this meal takes no longer than five minutes and makes three wraps. You could also swap cauliflower thins for large tortillas for a bigger wrap.
4. Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Mushrooms and Pancetta
What you’ll need: cauliflower gnocchi (or gnocchi of your choice), mushrooms (any kind), pancetta
How to make it: Defrost the gnocchi in a skillet over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of water and cook for about three minutes.Sauté the pancetta over medium heat in a pan with olive oil until crispy. Add mushrooms to the pan (Trader Joe’s offers fresh and frozen mushrooms) and cook for three minutes or until brown and tender. Mix mushrooms, pancetta and gnocchi together and serve.
5. Banana Pancakes
What you’ll need: ½ cup oats, 2 ripe bananas, 2 eggs
How to make it: Blend the oats in a blender until they’re a powder. In a separate bowl, mash your bananas, then add the eggs and mix. Once mixed add oats to the wet ingredients and mix. Add butter to a pan and spoon in batter. Cook each side for about a minute and plate. Top with whatever you desire. This recipe makes three pancakes.
6. Fiocchetti With Chicken Sausage and Spinach
What you’ll need: Frozen Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce, spinach, chicken sausage
How to make it: Brown the sausage in a pan. Once cooked, remove from heat. Cook the fiocchetti according to the package. Mix in sausage and spinach to pasta; top with parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and pepper. You can also use butter instead of oil and water for the fiocchetti for a creamier texture.
7. Falafel Pita
What you’ll need: frozen fully cooked falafel, Mediterranean Style Salad Kit, and whole wheat pita pockets.
How to make it: Cook falafel according to package instructions. Meanwhile, assemble salad. Stuff salad and falafel into pita pockets.
8. Chicken Potstickers Stir Fry
What you’ll need: Asian Style Vegetable Stir Fry Mix, chicken gyoza potstickers, Soyaki Sauce (a mix of soy sauce and teriyaki sauce)
How to make it: Cook vegetables in a medium-sized pan until tender and set aside. Add potstickers to the pan and cook according to package instructions. Once the potstickers are ready, add vegetables back to the pan and top with Soyaki Sauce. Plate and serve.
9. Chimichurri Chicken Skewers With Rice and Beans
What you’ll need: Grilled Chimichurri Chicken Thigh Skewers, Spanish Style Rice, one can of black beans.
How to make it: Cook chicken skewers according to package (oven is recommended). Microwave rice for four minutes and wash black beans. Season how you like. Food content creator Amanda Casole recommends Trader Joe’s Cuban Style Citrus Garlic seasoning blend to recreate an at-home Cuban takeout.
10. Brussels Sprouts & Lentil Salad
What you’ll need: package of shaved Brussels sprouts, steamed lentils, and Toasted Sesame Dressing
How to make it: Heat a little bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until lightly browned, about five minutes. Stir in a few cups of the steamed lentils (about half of the package). Toss the salad with Trader Joe’s Toasted Sesame Dressing.