10 Tried-And-True Three-Ingredient Dinners I Make From Trader Joe's

You'll never believe these meals call for just three ingredients.

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I'm going to let you in on a big secret: Even if you can't stand cooking, you can still make some impressive-tasting meals in your own kitchen, no take-out required. Your secret weapon: Trader Joe's.

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Trader Joe's is an actual wonderland, thanks to a huge assortment of pre-cooked, pre-marinated, pre-chopped, and frozen food. As a result, it's possible to throw together a fancy dinner out of just a few basic TJ's ingredients.

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So whether you're lazy, you don't love cooking, or you're just trying to save money on groceries, here are seven delicious dinners that come together with just three ingredients from Trader Joe's.

First though, a few things to keep in mind:

-All of these recipes can easily be customized and changed depending upon what foods you like best. You can swap out proteins, grains, vegetables, and more. I've tried to included inspiration wherever possible.

-I cooked each of these recipes for one with lots of leftover ingredients for future nights, but you could easily cook for two or three people, depending upon the meal. You can also adjust your serving size based on your hunger level.

-None of these meals takes longer than 15 minutes to make from start to finish, thanks to lots of pre-cooked and pre-prepared ingredients. So expect easy and practical weeknight recipes that you can make when you don't have a ton of time or patience.

Pork Carnitas Tacos

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You'll need:

1. Coleslaw kit

2. Tortillas

3. Fully cooked traditional carnitas

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Preparation:

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1. The coleslaw kit comes with a mixture of red and green cabbage, julienned carrots, and a creamy slaw dressing. Mix it all together in a bowl and set aside.

2. The carnitas are already completely cooked, so just heat them up according to the package directions. I heat them up in a skillet over medium heat.

3. Heat up the tortillas. I put them in the same skillet I used to heat up the carnitas. That way the tortillas soak up a bit of the leftover fat and get nice and crispy.

4. Put the slaw and the carnitas on top of the tortillas and serve as is, or garnish with any extra toppings in your fridge like jalapeño, avocado, Cotija cheese, or a squeeze of lime.

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At first the pre-cooked carnitas seem really dry and they look straight-up unappetizing. But don't worry: Once you heat them up they become super moist and tender and delicious. Even without a squeeze of lime or drizzle of hot sauce, they have a ton of flavor. If pork isn't your thing, try these same tacos with the pre-marinated pollo asado or sriracha baked tofu.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Mushrooms and Pancetta

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You'll need:

1) Sweet potato gnocchi with butter and sage

2) Baby bella mushrooms (or your favorite mushrooms)

3. Pancetta

Preparation:

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1. Take the frozen gnocchi and place them in a skillet. Top with 2 tablespoons of water, according to the package directions, and de-frost over medium heat. In about three minutes you'll notice the gnocchi have become soft and tender, and they're coated in a creamy butter and sage sauce.

2. Meanwhile, sauté the pancetta over medium heat in a skillet until it's cooked and crispy. Add your mushrooms. On a recent trip I noticed TJ's sells baby bellas, creminis, and shiitakes in addition to frozen mushrooms. Sauté until brown and tender, about three minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and pancetta to the gnocchi, toss, and serve.

Trader Joe's frozen gnocchis are some of my go-to meals on lazy nights. I love the classic, seasonal combo of sweet potato, mushrooms, and pancetta in butter and sage, but you could really use any of TJ's gnocchis. The outside-in-stuffed, gorgonzola, and alla sorrentina versions come prepared in pasta sauce so you don't have to buy it separately.

Naan Flatbread With Tzatziki and Gyro

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You'll need:

1) Tzatziki

2) Frozen garlic naan

3) Gyro slices

Preparation:

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1. Heat up the gyro sliced according to package directions. Flip the gyro slices so both sides are nicely browned and heated through.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F, as per package instructions, and defrost the naan. The naan only needs about a minute in the heated oven to defrost completely.

3. Top the naan with cucumber tzatziki and gyro slices. Serve.

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Trader Joe's sells both fresh and frozen naan. I chose to go with the frozen version because a) it's cheaper and b) because I can keep the leftover bread in the freezer with a much better shelf life to use down the line. If you're not a fan of gyro, there are so many ways that you can jazz-up a piece of naan into a creative flatbread. You could use prosciutto and arugula, tomato and burrata, or ricotta and zucchini, for starters.

Mediterranean Chicken Shawarma Bowls

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You'll need:

1. Mediterranean style salad kit

2) Shawarma chicken thighs

3) Hummus

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Preparation:

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1. Toss the salad, which includes lettuce, shredded broccoli, pita crisps, sun dried tomatoes, and roasted chickpeas, with the red wine vinaigrette dressing, included in the kit.

2. Cook the pre-marinated chicken thighs according to the package directions either on the grill or in the oven.

3. Once cooked through, slice the chicken and place on top of the salad with a scoop of hummus. Serve warm.

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While there's nothing particularly difficult about marinating chicken, it does require a handful of ingredients and time to prepare in advance and let it sit over night. That's why the shawarma chicken thighs are such a godsend on lazy nights when you didn't plan ahead for dinner. They're SO juicy and flavorful, marinated in a mixture of garlic, sea salt, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and more. You can get creative here and serve the chicken over rice, grains, or even naan bread instead of salad. And instead of hummus, you could always use another one of TJ's many dips like cauliflower tabouleh, tzatziki, or eggplant garlic spread.

Salmon Soba Bowls With Broccolini

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You'll need:

1. BBQ cut salmon

2. Vegetable and soba noodle stir fry kit

3. Baby broccoli

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Toss the salmon and baby broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper from your pantry. You could also coat the salmon in the soy and ginger dressing from the soba kit.

2. Prepare the soba stir fry kit according to package directions. You'll want to soak the soba noodles in warm water for about two minutes until they pull apart. In the meantime, sauté the vegetable mix over medium heat for about four minutes until tender. Then add the noodles and continue cooking for another few minutes. Dress the soba salad in the soy ginger dressing.

3. Cook the salmon and baby broccoli for about 10 minutes until the salmon is pink and cooked through and the broccolini is slightly charred.

4. Top the soba salad with the salmon and serve.

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Trader Joe's BBQ cut salmon is probably the most commonly-found food in my fridge. I buy it at least once a week because it's so versatile. It's also pre-cut, which makes it easy to cook a slice or two at a time and save the rest for another day. If you don't love baby broccoli, get creative and use whatever veggies you prefer. I have friends who swear by this soba salad kit but who prefer it cold rather than sautéd, so you could always go that route and serve this salad chilled.

Cauliflower Tempura Stir-Fry

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You'll need:

1) Kung Pao tempura battered cauliflower

2) Riced cauliflower

3) Stir-fry vegetables

Preparation:

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1. Heat the cauliflower rice and frozen stir fry vegetables in a skillet with olive oil. Continue sautéing until defrosted. Add tempura sauce (from the bag of cauliflower tempura) and toss until warm . Plate and set aside.

2. On a lined baking sheet, cook the cauliflower tempura according to package directions. After about 12 minutes in the oven, the tempura should be golden brown. Toss the cauliflower in more of the tempura sauce and add to the stir-fry.

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This recipe requires the most preparation of any on this list, but it really only takes about 20 minutes total, and you can make it in the morning and then re-heat it when you're ready for lunch. I used cauliflower tempura because it sounded delicious and also because I like having a meatless meal or two in my lunch rotation, but you could use any kind of frozen protein, whether it's orange chicken, shrimp gyoza, or spicy beef and broccoli.

Vegetarian Ramen

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You'll need:

1. Eggs

2. Firm tofu

3. Miso instant ramen

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Preparation:

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1. Prepare the ramen according to the package directions, either in the microwave or with boiling water. Empty the contents of the spice packet and oil packet into the cup of noodles. Fill the cup with boiling water to the line and cover for six minutes. Then stir.

2. Make a soft boiled egg. Boil water and add the egg. Cook for about 6 minutes. Then move to a cold bowl of water and peel.

3. Dry the tofu by pressing it with paper towel. Slice into cubes. Then cook the tofu in oil in a frying pan until golden brown and crispy.

4. Transfer the ramen to a bowl. Add the tofu and soft boiled egg. Enjoy.

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There are plenty of reasons fall is my favorite season, and one is them is that it's the perfect weather for soup. I love ramen, whether it's a bowl of fancy soup at Ippudo or (admittedly) instant ramen. Something about it is so comforting. But it's so easy to spice up instant ramen at home into something that feels both sophisticated and satisfying. I used tofu in this version to keep it vegetarian, but you could opt for anything from Trader Joe's precooked pork belly or portobello mushrooms to frozen shrimp tempura or gyoza. The possibilities are truly endless.

Shrimp Stir Fry With Cauliflower Rice

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You'll need:

1. Frozen pre-cooked shrimp

2. Asian vegetables with Bejing-style soy sauce

3. Cauliflower rice (or any rice)

Preparation:

1. Prepare the cauliflower rice. Sauté it in olive oil with salt and pepper until it reaches your desired consistency.

2. Add the frozen vegetables, the Beijing-style soy sauce (included) and continue to sauté until cooked through. Then add the shrimp and continue sautéing until pink and opaque. Toss everything together so it's coated in the soy sauce and serve.

Name a greater weeknight dinner hero than stir fry. I'll wait. This Asian-inspired dish is such a winner because it's so damn versatile. Not in the mood for cauliflower rice? Use brown rice, lo mein, or even frozen vegetable fried rice. Pick any protein, any veggies in the whole wide world, and sauté them in some soy or teriyaki sauce. Trader Joe's frozen asian vegetable medley is amazing because it comes with a soy singer stir fry sauce, so you don't have to worry about buying extra ingredients.

Pesto Zucchini Noodles With Chicken

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You'll need:

1. Zucchini spirals

2. Grilled lemon pepper chicken

3. Genova pesto

Preparation:

1. Cook the zucchini spirals according to package directions. For al dente zucchini noodles, sauté them in a frying pan over medium heat with the lid on for about seven minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the chicken and slice it.

3. Add the chicken to the zucchini noodles and add pesto. Toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!

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Trader Joe's sells both fresh and frozen zucchini ribbons, both of which do the trick here. And if you're thinking "ew, zoodles, yuck," there are about 100 different noods you can substitute. TJ's sells carrot noodles, red lentil pasta, and sweet potato ribbons if you're trying to ease up on the carbs. Or live a little and cook real pasta. The egg tagliatelle and arugala and parmesan ravioli are two of my absolute faves.

Butternut Squash Soup With Chicken Sausage

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You'll need:

1).Butternut squash soup

2) Chèvre goat cheese

3) Smoked apple Chardonnay chicken sausage

Preparation:

In a sauce pan, heat up the butternut squash soup until it is just simmering. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, slice the chicken sausage and sauté it in oil. Add the sausage to the soup and transfer to a bowl.

Add a spoonful of goat cheese and stir to combine.

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Trader Joe's pre-made soups are without a doubt my greatest lazy mealtime hack. The butternut squash soup especially is so creamy and flavorful, it really tastes homemade. I always add a few extra ingredients to the soups — for example, cauliflower gnocchi, white beans, kale, or sausage — for a more substantial meal. Whipping this up takes almost no time, and you can even make a few servings at the beginning of the week to last you days.