Turn To Store-Bought Roasted Meats For Quick Dinners

Are you looking for a delicious and quick dinner idea? Don't worry, you don't have to turn to fast food or frozen meals — because your grocery store has prepared options that will get dinner on the table in no time. In case you haven't guessed, it's roasted meats. When you think of store-bought roasted meats, your mind probably goes to rotisserie chicken, and while these are deliciously crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, you have more options. Depending on the supermarket, you'll find roast beef, pork tenderloin, and ribs that you can easily transform into a delicious dinner, fast.

Even if you have a free evening to whip up dinner, you probably don't have the time (or patience) to roast a chicken from scratch or cook a rack of ribs that will please the family. Making slow-cooked meat dishes, from roast beef to porchetta, is labor-intensive and takes hours. Luckily, your grocery store does all of this prep work and roasts a number of meats daily, so you're guaranteed to get them fresh. You can also check the package for when it was cooked, and if you want something that will last longer, just reach behind the containers and grab the package in the back. If you aren't sure of how long the pre-cooked meat has been sitting out, just ask! Another perk: Many of these dishes are full of fat, which means they will stay juicy when you reheat them. 

If you need inspiration on how to turn that roasted meat into a complete meal, we have a few ideas for you. The easiest option is to lean all the way in and buy store-bought sides to go along with your meats (think coleslaw, salads, roasted vegetables, and potatoes). You can also buy a packaged salad kit, which saves you from washing and chopping up a bunch of vegetables. Rotisserie chicken on top of a salad or slow-roasted ribs with coleslaw and baked beans will taste like you've been in the kitchen all day, even if they all came from the market.

And if you don't want to buy everything precooked, there are plenty of homemade sides you can serve with store-bought meats. An obvious choice is frozen vegetable medleys because they can be steamed in just a few minutes and still have all the nutrients of fresh veggies. Other quick sides include roasted vegetables like broccoli or carrots because they don't require much prep work and can take on a ton of crispy goodness in under 30 minutes. And if you have any leftover roasted meats after dinner, use that rotisserie chicken to whip up chicken salad or slice the pork roast to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.