15 Costco Buys That Are Perfect For Meal Prep

When you think of meal prep, you might picture those black containers filled with barely seasoned ground beef, white rice, and broccoli — or something to that effect. It's the same meal all week, and it looks a bit drab most of the time. Well, meal prep doesn't have to be boring, monotonous, or flavorless. Meal preparation is simply the act of compiling various foods to create multiple meals; it doesn't automatically equate to counting your macros or considering fitness, which is what we often see. Meal prep can help you reduce decision fatigue, as well as save some precious dollars and time.

If you're looking for ways to make mealtime more approachable, then you've come to the right place. We're here to share some tasty food items you can find at Costco to make meal prep easier. We've included a mix of somewhat ready meals as well as ingredients that make the preparation process easier, based on Tasting Table rankings, Reddit insights, and personal experience. You will find these items throughout the warehouse, including the prepared food sections and various freezer aisles.

We have to start with rotisserie chicken, which is essentially Costco's most well-known product. Some find that it's worth buying a Costco membership solely for the prepped poultry. It comes at a bargain price, given that you save yourself the mess of digging your hands into a chicken to season it, removing any nasty bits, and then cooking it. At Costco, it's piping hot and ready for your meals. This is one of the most versatile prep items that you can get. 

You can turn it into enchiladas for the next few days, chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, and more. Include the chicken in wraps or pinwheels and eat them for lunch. The poultry is seasoned yet approachable, which allows you to further enhance it with any flavors in your dish. Then again, you can simply portion out the chicken, pair it with white or brown rice, some roasted vegetables, and call it a day for your next few meals. There are lots of ways to use rotisserie chicken in your meal prep.

Skip a few steps of assembling meatloaf, boiling and mashing potatoes, and just pop Costco's in the oven. Its version is made with fresh-ground beef and the signature glaze, paired with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes with Kirkland Signature butter. The portions are large, allowing you to split them however you please. You'll get multiple meals out of it (around four to five servings), but this varies based on how much you divvy up per meal and the total weight of the package you bought. 

The meatloaf and potatoes are seasoned, so you can leave them as is without worrying about them being bland. But some people like to add another pat of butter to the smashed spuds or a nice splash of A1 steak sauce to the meatloaf. We liked the juiciness of the meatloaf, which is a bonus for the texture and helpful when reheating. It's a hearty meal by itself, but you could always prepare some veggies to serve alongside. Green beans, broccoli, or mushrooms pair particularly well with the dish.

Nobody is saying that chicken salad isn't easy to make, but sometimes you're looking to cut corners. Costco allows you to buy the poultry and mayo salad by the pound. You don't have to worry about getting bored with it either, because you can switch up how you eat it and even sprinkle more seasoning or ingredients to change the taste or texture. Combine the dish with Costco's croissants for a chicken salad sandwich that rivals your local restaurant.

You could eat it on sourdough, in a pita, you name it. Each of these options can make it seem slightly different for your meal prep, which does not require any steps other than packing the bread. Alternatively, you could serve the chopped chicken dish in fresh lettuce for tasty and crisp lettuce cups when you want a lighter meal without the carbs you'd get from a sandwich. Boost the flavor of chicken salad further by adding a squeeze of lemon juice, a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs, or some fresh parsley or cilantro.

Costco's lasagna is a true blessing for meal prep. It reheats well, tastes fine cold, and has an overall flavorful bite because of the duo of meats. The sausage and beef lasagna fared quite well when we tried various frozen Costco meals, although we can't say the same for the beef-only version. The two meats offer a fatty mouthfeel that the beef alone couldn't provide. This is the ultimate meal prep because you get two 3-pound trays of the dish. 

One tray gives you multiple servings; you can freeze the second until you are in the mood for another round of lasagna. Cook the whole tray as directed so the entire lasagna is prepared and safe to eat, then portion it into containers. Prep some roasted and seasoned broccolini or your favorite veggie to eat on the side, and you'll have ready-to-eat meals for the week. Then you can heat each one as needed. Once reheated, the lasagna is gooey, cheesy, and delicious. This is a Costco member's fan favorite for meal prepping.

We'd argue that the Kirkland Signature Yakisoba Stir Fry is a terrific item if you don't want to do any additional prepping. It's a full-on meal by itself, and by that, we mean it comprises a range of nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and carbs, to keep you satiated. The nutrition label notes there are around eight servings per tray, but this may vary by weight and purely by how much you want to eat. Either way, you'll still get a few meals out of it, which means you won't have any meal decision fatigue for the near future. 

We recommend preparing it according to directions and then portioning out your servings into different containers; that way, you'll just nuke a meal in the microwave and it's ready to devour. This is a flavorful and colorful dish to add to your meal prep repertoire when boiled chicken and steamed cauliflower simply won't do. As a tip: Chop the chicken into smaller pieces so you get a more evenly distributed amount in each serving.

Chili isn't all that hard to make from scratch, but you're here because you're looking for a Costco workaround, not for a soup recipe. Costco's prepped chili is delightfully hearty and great to portion for meals. It has beans, meat, and everything you need to feel filled. If you want some added veggies, finely dice bell peppers or mushrooms to mix in when you microwave or heat the meal on the stove. The pile of cheese on top gives it a rich flavor and creamy texture, too. As long as you like chili for multiple meals, you'll find it fantastic and convenient. 

If you want to slightly change things up, throw in some ingredients for variety. Crumble on some tortilla chips or saltines to give it a welcome crunch and salty boost. Or load it up with raw, diced onions to provide a flavorful bite. Just because you'll eat it multiple times in a row doesn't mean it has to taste repetitive. Any toppings and add-ins can be prepped ahead of time.

Costco offers several pasta options that are great for meal prep, such as five cheese tortellini, spinach and cheese ravioli, and Italian sausage ravioli. Each of these comes with two containers of pasta. You can freeze one for later or cook everything at once, depending on how many days in a row you plan to eat it. Each option brings its unique flavors into the mix, whether you want the earthy notes of spinach or a meatier chew with sausage.

Pair the pasta with any of Costco's sauces, like marinara or Alfredo. They, too, can provide varying flavors to the dish, whether it's acidic, creamy, or another flavor. Costco's pesto is excellent if you want something bold, nutty, and herby. It has a Denominazione d'Origine Protetta seal, which means it's a product of Italy and D.O.P.-certified. Pasta with sauce is an easy weeknight lunch or dinner that you can consume at several mealtimes. Beef it up with a side of your desired veggies, or mix the five cheese tortellini (or whichever pasta) with pesto and tomatoes.

The ready-made chicken street tacos from Costco come with corn and flour tortillas, seasoned chicken, shredded veggies, a finger-licking good cilantro lime crema, salsa, cheese, and limes. It has a hefty amount of toppings that make it easy to customize and pile on. We'd suggest cooking all the chicken at once, then portioning out the rest for your meal prep, so it's a breeze to take to work, class, or whatever else you have going on. 

Since these components are a bit fresher (quartered limes, shredded cabbage, etc.), it's best to eat the tacos a little quicker than, say, chili, which you can consume over five days. Another way to combat this is to look at the package date in addition to the best-by date on the exterior of the tray. That way, you can try your best to get the newest and freshest option — we've made the mistake of picking up tacos that were already a couple of days old. These tacos are flavorful and bursting with various textures to keep each bite interesting. As a little tip, we sprinkled cheese on a pan and then placed the tortilla on top to give the taco a cheese crust.

If you're anything like us, eating the same meal for consecutive days can get a bit drab. But for whatever reason, we can eat comfort foods day after day. Mac and cheese is certainly one of those foods. Costco's version, which you can find in the prepared food section, is cheesy and decadent with ingredients like Romano cheese, parmesan, cheddar, granulated garlic, and cream. Although we can eat it completely as is for several meals, there are ways to mix it up to break up the flavor and texture profiles. 

Add some chopped hot dogs and broccoli for dimension and a bit of color. You could always incorporate shredded chicken to ramp up the protein content. If you need more inspiration, take a look at some of the best additions to mix into macaroni and cheese. You could easily portion the pasta and then heat each meal in the microwave to streamline the prep process. However, if you want to give it a boost of texture, cook it according to the package directions in the oven, portion it, and reheat as desired. This gives the mac and cheese a slightly crispy top.

Rice is certainly easy enough to make, but it doesn't hurt to keep some ready-made stuff on hand. This is especially helpful if you are a solo person who doesn't plan to eat rice for multiple meals in a row. The Bibigo cooked sticky white rice gives you 12 bowls of the starch to heat as desired. It's something you can store in your pantry or garage and then take one out as needed for your meals. 

It's fuss-free and perfect for one person to use without forcing yourself to eat a big batch of rice for days on end. We'd consider this vegan, gluten-free, microwavable option one of the best Costco picks that's perfect for meal prep. You can pop it in your lunch tote to take to work with whatever other meal elements. It's a great way to make a dish more filling without having to think much about it. Top with scallions, soy sauce, butter, you name it. It pairs well with a range of cuisines, from Indian to Mexican.

If you know you're going to use up a full tub of hummus, then by all means grab a larger container from Costco, such as Kirkland Signature Organic Roasted Pine Nut Hummus or Ithaca Graza Olive Oil & Sea Salt Hummus. But we like the single-serving cups of Kirkland Signature organic hummus because it's so easy to grab and go. You can pack them in your meal prep bag without portioning, getting other containers dirty, or hauling them back home after a long day. 

It works well if you want to dip veggies in them as a snack, from sliced carrots to bell peppers. But it's also helpful to take with you if you are assembling salad or sandwiches as part of your meal prep. Separate your sandwich ingredients and spread hummus on the bread before eating to ensure everything on the sandwich remains fresh and crisp. This brand can last a good while in the fridge and won't go bad or moldy before you can finish it. Boost the flavor of the store-bought hummus based on your meal — think adding dill pickles for a revved-up side for crackers, or herbs to pair with falafels.

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken Asian wrap with dressing comes in clutch when you want an all-in-one dish. As you might anticipate, the only caveat is that it comes with one container of dressing. You will have to portion into small containers to ensure that you get a little bit with each of your wraps. Now you might be thinking this looks like it's only filling enough for two meals, but remember that they are from Costco. People claim that you only need one to ensure an adequate lunch, meaning it'll get you four meals. 

The wraps are decked out with chicken, chow mein noodles, a tasty, fresh broccoli slaw, and other fillings to keep you full. It's an incredible mix of textures that makes a PB&J seem dull in comparison. It comes all wrapped in a spinach tortilla to offer a vibrant visual appeal. Pair it with a bagged salad from Costco, and you're good to go. It makes a lighter meal as opposed to something dense, like macaroni cheese, tortellini, or shepherd's pie. 

When you truly don't want to think about your next meal, including putting any components together, pick up the chicken breast burrito bowls by Frankly Fresh. A lot of the other things we've covered require at least a little bit of preparation, but these are totally ready to devour. Simply pop it in the microwave and ... yeah, that's it.

These have brown and white rice, black beans, corn kernels, a touch of roasted salsa, jack and cheddar cheese, and, of course, some chicken breast to create a flavorful and satiating meal. It only comes with three bowls, though, so you might want to pick up a couple of packs of them if you want to eat it for a few days. It's beneficial to keep these in your fridge for when you need a quick lunch. Plus, you don't have to do anything other than press a couple of buttons on your microwave.

If we tell you to come up with 10 meal prep ideas, we can almost guarantee that shepherd's pie won't be on that list. That's why this is such a fun Costco find to include in your repertoire. You'll get a behemoth of a shepherd's pie, which is to be expected when shopping at the beloved wholesaler. The sheer size of the ground beef-based pie makes it a surefire way to get a few meals in one go. It also has peas, carrots, corn, mushrooms, and a mashed potato topper to make it super filling.

Cook the full thing according to the instructions, and then portion it. You can serve it for lunch or dinner, and get around eight servings, give or take. People like to pair it with salad to get added nutrients and greens. Alternatively, you could roast some broccoli or carrots to serve alongside it. Prepare everything ahead of time, divvy it into your containers, and heat each meal as needed.

The stuffed bell peppers are part of Costco's selection of prepared foods, so you don't have to do any chopping or stuffing. Costco's peppers come with ground beef, rice, a bit of cheese, herbs, and some other ingredients. It comprises six bell pepper halves to give you meals for the week. These are priced by the pound, so we would recommend seeking a heavier container to ensure a more filling meal — just a little tip from us to you. 

Given that the filled pepper is a blend of carbs, protein, and veggies, it is pretty hearty on its own, but you can always incorporate more into your meal prep — like a side of brown rice or additional cooked veggies. Bake all six simultaneously in the tray they come in, then divide them into containers you can take to work or on the go. That way, you've done the prepping and all you have to do is reheat; however, they are tasty served cold as well.

In order to compile this list of suggestions, we consulted previous Tasting Table rankings, Reddit threads, and our extensive familiarity with Costco's items. We also pulled from personal meal-prep experience to offer comprehensive notes on the food items and recommend the best ingredients that complement them.