Favorite Trader Joe’s dinner items?

[Anonymous]

Marinades, salad mixes, frozen stuff, good base ingredients, whatever. Just looking for some inspiration.

My kid is doing an activity near TJ’s the next couple weeks, and it’s not my usual place to grocery shop. But I am all about multitasking, so TJ’s it will be. (And yes, I know produce options aren’t always the best, TJ’s equals 7-11 poster.)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Mandarin Orange Chicken & fried rice frozen section.
Soup dumplings
Shrimp Burgers
Any cheeses
Creamy Toscano Soaked in Chardonnay Wine is a great one.

[Anonymous]

The frozen Beef & Broccoli, Mandarin Orange Chicken, and Fried Rice are pretty good. The chocolate coconut covered almonds are a good treat.

[Anonymous]

I like buying the chicken drumsticks to bake, and the orzo pilaf mix and making the orzo with chicken bone broth. Then some organic broccoli steamed up, and a nice salad in a bag.

[Anonymous]

We like the frozen lasagna, orange chicken, wontons, chicken dumplings, pesto chicken, clam chowder.

[Anonymous]

I just tried the microwavable spanish rice for the first time and it was really good
Breaded tilapia fillets
Shwarma chicken thighs (I bake them for closer to 40 minutes). Serve with the tzatziki sauce.
Japanese fried rice is a fave
Steamed lentils
I love the corn-flour mix tortillas
Meat lasagna
All the curry sauces are decent
Organic marinara
Most of the frozen pizzas are good
Gnocchi gorgonzola

[Anonymous]

I actually think their produce is pretty good, but sometimes it doesn't last as long as other stores. Other times it's better.

Mandarin Orange Chicken + Rice + Veggies (I throw some broccoli, carrot, bell pepper, green onion, and pineapple on the oven tray and it's almost like sweet and sour chicken). We prefer to bake this at a higher temp for a bit longer for crispier chicken.

Many of the frozen pastas are very good as much as I hate to admit that. Cacio e Pepe, Alfredo, Penne Aribiatta, are all good. We make these with a side salad when we are SUPER crunched for time (late nights after driving carpool).

Veggie Gzoya and Scallion Pancakes (the thinner ones, not the thicker ones) and rice and veggies are great. You can fry an egg and serve with asian sauces of your choice for extra flavor and protein.

We love their frozen pizza dough, mozzarella, and pepperoni for pizza.

The tri-color frozen cauliflower is great to add to meals as a frozen veg that feels much nicer than a frozen veg (I add broccoli for 4 colors).

They have good dips, so we have done a falafel night with pita and hummus, tzatziki, harissa, frozen falafel, and veggies (fresh such as tomato, cucumber, parsley, onion and marinated such as olives, peppers, beets, artichokes). I like sauce so I'd add a balsamic vinaigrette or tahini or something else to this. Maybe also some lemon squeezes. Could also serve with rice as bowls instead of pita, and add rotisserie chicken if you are carnivores.

[Anonymous]

Anything, everything. You can’t go wrong.

But our frozen dinner favorites are the chicken friend rice, Mac and cheese (the frozen, not boxed), khibbe (the Arabic football shaped meatballs), the frozen penne pasta that has a slightly spicy red sauce (can’t recall name), the burritos in the refrigerator section

[Anonymous]

Some of our favorites:
- Frozen eggplant stack
- Spring rolls
- Veggie dumplings in air fryer
- Orange chicken or general tso chicken with frozen basmatti heat-up pre-cooked rice
- Roaster red pepper soup - add feta and croutons or rice for more substance
- BBQ cut salmon (seasoned however you like, air fryer or oven for ~13 mins, so easy)
- Egg roll in a bowl (ground pork, mushrooms, two bags shredded cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, PB or other but butter - just cook it all in one pan)
- Sweet corn ravioli with EVOO and parm
- Love their bagged Caesar salad or lemon arugula salad (used to love their SW chopped salad with an avocado but I over did that and don’t crave it anymore)
- Frozen butter chicken with naan

Can you tell it’s the only grocery store we shop at haha

[Anonymous]

The Mandarin orange chicken is so overrated. Kung pao is better but only use half the sauce.

[Anonymous]

Cava bowls:

Frozen brown or white rice, frozen meatballs or falafel, dolmas in the can, tzatziki, hummus, feta. Can add greens, roasted red pepper, olives--whatever your family likes.

[Anonymous]

Frozen Turkey bolognese
Buffalo chicken poppers
Latkes
Mandarin orange chicken and scallion pancakes
Honey goat cheese with fig and olive crackers
Frozen spinach and artichoke dip
Frozen French onion soup
Sourdough bread

[Anonymous]

The mandarin orange chicken is disgusting. Don’t be fooled by the posters here. It’s so grisly. The only thing my family will eat is the gnocci.

[Anonymous]

this with a ton of fresh parmesan.
https://www.thekitchn.com/trader-joes-sweet-potato-gnocchi-265840

the mandarin orange chicken quality has gone way down. it used to be much better.

[Anonymous]

my kids also like the frozen spinach and artichoke dip, prepared, and then put on a quesadilla with the shredded swiss/grruyere blend, and any leftover chicken i have i toss in there.