Embarrassingly Easy Dinners ft. Trader Joe’s Shortcuts
Oh yes, it’s Embarrassingly Easy Dinners Round Two. If you missed it, be sure to check out the first installment of this series, which featured easy dinners utilizing a few Costco shortcuts. We’re back at it but this time with Trader Joe’s shortcuts!
Here’s what you need to know:
- This series includes six dinner recipes based on staples you can grab from Trader Joe’s but they are also ingredients that could be found at any ‘normal’ grocery store.
- Each dinner has 5-10 ‘core’ ingredients plus several supplemental ingredients like spices, olive oil, salt, pepper, soy sauce, etc. to help the meal come together with max flavor.
- There are many overlapping ingredients between the six recipes, to prevent any food waste in your grocery haul!
- Each recipe is incredibly versatile and easily scalable, whether you’re cooking for one or for a family.
Embarrassingly Easy Trader Joe’s Meals:
Gruyère Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Fig and Apple
This isn’t your average grilled cheese, friends. This Gruyère grilled cheese is sweet, salty, melty, and smoky all in one bite. The fig butter adds a jammy sweetness, the apple brings the crunch, the Gruyère is nutty perfection, and the arugula gives just the right pop of peppery freshness. But that golden, toasted sourdough seals the deal. Add some crispy bacon if you so choose (highly recommend). It’s the ultimate comfort-meets-gourmet sandwich, and Trader Joe’s has all the goods to make it happen with almost zero effort.
Tuscan Tortellini Soup
This soup might be one of my favorite “throw everything in one pot and somehow it tastes amazing” dinners. Except I did test this one out five separate times.. but my family didn’t complain once (which says everything). Creamy, hearty, and filled with cheesy tortellini, Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, white beans, and spinach. It’s cozy, kid-friendly, and rich without being heavy. Use pre-chopped mirepoix and tortellini to save time and you’ll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. Serve this Tuscan tortellini soup with bread for dunking and a sprinkle of fresh basil if you’re feeling fancy.
Mini Naan Pizzas 4 Ways
If pizza night is a weekly thing in your house, these mini naan pizzas are about to become your new favorite shortcut. They’re soft and chewy in the middle, crisp around the edges, and the perfect size for individual pies. Everyone builds their own, which means zero arguing and zero dishes of untouched food. My go-tos are classic pepperoni, pesto peach prosciutto, Mediterranean with olives and artichokes, and Caprese (all four are on the blog). Ten minutes in the oven and boom – golden, bubbly perfection. Bonus: it’s an easy way to sneak in extra veggies, fruit, or even a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Crispy Tofu Bowls with Curry Noodles
Even if you’re not a tofu person, I promise this recipe will change your mind. Crispy, golden cubes of tofu layered with creamy curry noodles and green beans tossed in chili crunch oil (iykyk). It’s a total flavor explosion in every bite. The recipe walks you through a homemade version, but if you’re going the Trader Joe’s shortcut route, grab their yellow curry sauce and wheat noodles. Either way, these crispy tofu bowls are easy, balanced, and full of color and texture. Top with peanuts, Thai basil, and crispy shallots for that extra oomph. Proof that tofu can be absolutely delicious when done right.
Hashbrown Avocado Toast
Meet your new favorite breakfast-for-dinner recipe. Crispy hashbrown patties replace the bread for a golden, crispy base that holds everything together: smashed avocado, cottage cheese, soft-scrambled eggs, and all the toppings. It’s easy, high-protein, and totally customizable. I love topping mine with microgreens, green onions, and a drizzle of hot honey or chili crunch oil, but the options are endless. Check out hashbrown avocado toast here.
Beet and Lentil Salad
Okay, hear me out. I know beets and lentils don’t sound exciting, but this salad is anything but boring. Between the creamy feta, sweet beets, salty pistachios, juicy mandarins, and crispy shallots, every bite is something different. Toss it all in a bright parsley-tahini dressing and it’s chef’s kiss. And if you’re not in the mood to make dressing from scratch, Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing works beautifully here. This beet and lentil salad is one of those meals that tastes like health in a bowl, but the delicious kind that leaves you full and happy.
The best part about these Trader Joe’s dinners is that they’re endlessly flexible. Don’t have tofu? Use chicken. Out of arugula? Spinach works. Want to skip a sauce? Trader Joe’s has a great pre-made version for nearly all of them. Every recipe in this series is designed to be low-stress, high-flavor, and easy to tweak to whatever you have on hand.
Get the Full Grocery List
Yes y’all, there’s a freebie for this one too! 🎉 I made a Trader Joe’s grocery guide that includes all six recipes from this series, a full shopping list with every ingredient you’ll need (plus the supplemental items you’ll want to have stocked up), and notes for easy swaps if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby. It’s perfect to print or save to your phone before your next TJs trip. 👇🏼
I am so passionate about helping you solve the ‘what’s for dinner’ problem because I’m there with ya. I want a yummy, healthy dinner without it being a whole thing. These dinner recipes have been so helpful for me and I hope they’re helpful for you as well.
If you’re a visual person and want to see how these dinners come together, pop on over to Instagram to check them out! You can see my whole Trader Joe’s grocery haul, plus how-to-make videos for the recipes: Gruyère grilled cheese here, Tuscan tortellini soup here, mini naan pizzas here, crispy tofu bowls with curry noodles here, hashbrown avocado toast here, and the TJs series recap here!
FAQs
Nope! While this series was inspired by Trader Joe’s shortcuts (because who doesn’t love a good time-saver?), you can absolutely find everything at a regular grocery store too. I included from-scratch ingredient options in each recipe so you can make them no matter where you shop.
Most of these dinners make around 4 servings – enough to feed a small family or give you leftovers for lunch. Each recipe also includes notes on how to scale up or down depending on how many mouths you’re feeding (and yes, my 3- and 5-year-olds approve).
Yes! Just pop your email address into the box above and I’ll send the free PDF to your inbox. It includes all six dinner recipes, a full Trader Joe’s grocery list, and a few pantry staples to make your weeknights a little easier.
Before you go, I’d love to know – what are your favorite Trader Joe’s finds? If you want a peek at mine, hop over to my ultimate Trader Joe’s Roundup, where I share all my go-to staples. You can even download a FREE grocery list of everything I stock up on whenever I make a run to Trader Joe’s.
