15 Trader Joe's Frozen Foods That Make Meal Prepping A Breeze

It's no secret I'm a Trader Joe's super fan. TJ's has been my grocery store of choice for over a decade, and I'll laud it whenever I have the opportunity. I mean, where else can you stock up on easy 3-ingredient meals or amazing selection of ravioli? My adoration for the store has evolved into something akin to hero-worship, but I won't apologize about being a devotee to the Trader Joe's gods.

Think I'm being dramatic? You won't once you realize how handy the store actually is, especially when you're getting ready to prep a week's worth of meals. Food is my job, and when I've just spent a day whipping up all number of baking mixes for a taste test, I appreciate already having dinner ready to go. And it's even better when the meal prep is easy as pie — that's where TJ's comes in.

Throughout my years-long love affair with the brand, I've narrowed down a list of reliable Trader Joe's staples I always keep stocked in my house. Some of my favorite meal prep staples come from the freezer section. The following is a list of 15 easy to heat and eat meal prep components that can be mixed and matched in various ways, so no dinner feels repetitive. If you're a budding (or wannabe) Trader Joe's fan, this is a good place to start. 

I've seen some mixed opinions on Trader Joe's Italian Meatballs; personally, I love them, and I find them particularly handy when I don't know what I'm in the mood for. These meatballs are on the smaller side (though not at all too small), and they're pretty subtly seasoned, which is an advantage if you don't want to stick strictly to Italian cuisine when meal prepping. You can heat these meatballs and package them with the rest of your weekly meal prep; I've kept them in the fridge for at least a few days.

Where do I even begin when it comes to the versatility of meatballs? The obvious way to enjoy them is atop various bowls, preferably slathered in red sauce, but don't be limited to that application. Turn them into a protein-loaded snack that you can eat on the go or use them in an Italian wedding soup. You can easily get a couple of different meals out of this bag, each a little different from the last, making them a staple I love to have around.

Before you chide me for suggesting the obvious berry smoothies, remember, we're talking about versatility here — and berry smoothies are definitely not the only way to use Trader Joe's frozen berries. I go through bags of these faster than a wildfire through a dry forest, simply because I use them in so many things. I always include frozen berries in my overnight oats meal prep.

Frozen berries offer a really great, easy way to jazz up whatever you may already be making, so your meals are never boring. Mix some frozen berries into yogurt for the week, and package some granola separately for a ready-to-assemble morning bowl (and a drizzle of honey, of course). They're also a handy ingredient to add to your weekly oatmeal breakfast bar prep. 

Almost every household will have bread on hand, so may I suggest you upgrade it? Instead of a plain loaf, grab a package of Tandoori Naan from Trader Joe's freezer section. You can even choose the garlic version if that's more your speed. And, no, you're not limited to Indian cuisine when using naan in your meals — in fact, I almost never eat this naan with Indian cuisine, but I always have a bag in my freezer. 

Are you meal prepping some Greek gyros or wraps for the week? Take a word from the wise and use TJ's thick, pillowy naan to hold it all together. Making some breakfast sandwiches? Use naan as your bread instead of the standard sandwich bread. Or, eat it solo as a snack, dipped in some of the store's tzatziki dip or hummus. I've been known to pile chicken, rice, and sauteed peppers onto the naan when a lazy evening strikes. And when you melt some cheese on it for a quick, indulgent snack? Chef's kiss! 

I had to list what will be an obvious choice to any Trader Joe's fan: The store's famous Mandarin Orange Chicken. Very reasonable $5.49 will buy you a nicely sized bag of orange chicken, which makes for an easy and filling addition to many meals. You could stick with the Americanized-Asian frozen food theme by eating the chicken atop some of the store's vegetable fried rice or just spoon some over steaming white rice for a filling meal prep bowl.

When I need to get more veggies in, I'll add green beans or broccoli to the mix. Sometimes, I don't add the orange sauce at all, and instead enjoy the chicken nugget-style, with whatever TJ's dipping sauces I have on hand. No matter what you choose to serve the chicken with, it'll make a great meal prep component that's super easy to cook in an air fryer (though you can totally use your oven, too). 

I adore green beans, and I never go for the frozen kind — unless it's a bag of Garlic Shiitake Green Beans from Trader Joe's. I could fool any guest into thinking I'd whipped these up by using fresh green beans. Masterful mushroom sauce provides ample umami, and, miraculously, the beans still retain a nice snap when cooked. Also, they don't have that frozen flavor that I find in many frozen vegetables.

If you need an easy, delicious way to add some veggies to your meal prep, grab this bag. And yes, you can cook them ahead of time and store them in the fridge for a few days — speaking from personal experience, they'll be just fine. Pair with the above orange chicken and some rice, or use them as the main component in an Asian-inspired green bean salad or just snack on them (as I've been known to do on occasion). 

I know, I know — rice is one of the easiest things to cook, but sometimes you don't have scores of times to wait for it to be done. When that's the case, Trader Joe's frozen basmati rice can really come in handy. You could prep the whole box ahead of time for a week's worth of meals, or just take a pouch into work with you and microwave it once lunchtime hits.

Do I even need to pose pairing suggestions for rice? Use it to make any meal instantly filling — it's neutral enough to go with everything under the sun. Or, use the rice as a base for a larger meal (lemon rice pilaf, anyone?). Go full-on Trader Joe's and enjoy it with the frozen orange chicken and garlic shiitake green beans. Also, do what I do whenever I'm feeling a little queasy but need to eat something — chow down on some salted rice with a pat of butter. 

It was a little under a decade ago that I first tried Trader Joe's asparagus risotto. It was a new product at the time, and my store was sampling it. After tasting it, I immediately bought two bags, and it's been a staple in my freezer ever since. It's easy as pie to cook up — just dump all the contents into a saucepan with a little water, cover with a lid until the squares of sauce are melted, and then stir until the risotto is cooked through. It's absolutely delicious, and I've been known to eat a whole bag for lunch every now and then when I really don't feel like cooking. 

However, it also functions perfectly well as a starchy side for your meal prep; when I'm using it in this way, I'll typically cook up a whole bag and divide it into about four portions to last me most of the week. It's flavorful enough that I'm satisfied just eating it alongside some simple cooked chicken thighs, occasionally with another veggie thrown into the mix. 

If you're a fellow potato lover who doesn't discriminate among its many iterations, do yourself a favor and start keeping some of Trader Joe's shredded hash browns on hand. In their simplest application, they can be fried for a quick, diner-style breakfast side to some eggs and bacon, but you definitely don't have to limit yourself to that.

These shredded hash browns also make a great inclusion if you're whipping up meal prep breakfast casserole or a frittata-style bake. Or, if you like to prep breakfast burritos, include some hash browns for a more filling morning meal. Turn it into latkes for a heat-and-eat lunch (or dinner) option or mix some into a big batch of potato soup. Basically, if you have a dish that would work well with the addition of potatoes, these shredded hash browns should be your go-to. 

Mushroom fans, rejoice! I know, slicing and sauteing mushrooms doesn't take that long, but there's always the odd occasion when I wish I had a more convenient option at hand. Enter: Trader Joe's frozen Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms. And you won't find any preservatives in this bag — shiitake mushrooms are the only ingredient, meaning you can season them and serve them however you like. 

So, if you just want to add salt and herbs to these bad boys (perhaps with some sliced onions in the mix), you can prep a few days' worth of lunches in under 10 minutes. Of course, you could go more gourmet and prep some to serve alongside steak, another personal meal prep favorite. Or, toss a bag into some broth and cream when you want to nom on a savory soup all week. Mushrooms have infinite uses in my opinion, and I'm always happy to have a bag of these in the freezer, ready to pull out when I need some meal prep inspo. 

Sure, you can buy frozen corn in basically any grocery store, but Trader Joe's frozen Roasted Corn is a step above its competitors. Am I biased? Definitely; but I'd urge you to try this bag and see if you disagree. Roasting corn brings out sweet smoky notes, making this the ideal addition to burritos and burrito bowls, which are a couple of my favorite meal prep staples. 

I also love that this corn tastes great solo. It doesn't ask for many garnishes, so when I want to prep some as a side veggie to eat throughout the week, I'm never disappointed. You could also mix some into soup or a Mexican fried rice situation or even use this corn in some homemade salsa. It's hard not to find a plethora of uses for TJ's roasted corn once you've had it once or twice. I don't often go for frozen veggies over their fresh counterparts, but TJ's roasted corn (and a couple other selections on this list) is an easy, delicious substitute for the fresh variety. 

Full disclosure: Trader Joe's Korean Style Beef Short Ribs are one of the few products on this list that I haven't had. However, I've heard very good things about it, and protein-packed meal prep options are always a win in my book. The best thing about these bad boys is they're already sauced and seasoned, so all you have to do is cook them up and enjoy. Eat them how you'd like — if finger food isn't your thing, you could always separate the meat from the bone and add them into a rice bowl alongside peppers and broccoli.

You could also eat these with kimchi and some seaweed, in lettuce wraps (deboned, of course), or just alongside your starch and veggie of choice. In terms of preparing them, do whatever's easiest — you can heat them up in a pan, grill them, or even air fry them, depending on what mood you're in. 

Trader Joe's has two different types of standard frozen fried rice: vegetable and chicken. I've had both, and I prefer the vegetable fried rice hands down. If you haven't had either, go ahead and grab one of each (don't worry, they're insanely cheap) and see which you prefer. As far as using these for an easy meal prep, I have a few different ways I like to prepare fried rice, depending on how much effort I feel like putting in.

First, the easiest way to enjoy fried rice is to just heat it and eat it. I heat it with a little oil in a skillet until the rice and veggies get a little crispy. I've been known to eat a whole bag for dinner, but I'll also cook the whole bag at once before portioning it out into my meal prep containers. It'll stay good in the fridge for a few days after cooking it. Sometimes I'll cook up my own protein (usually chicken) and mix that in with the rice. Scrambled eggs are another frequent addition. 

Speaking of adding my own chicken into a bag of fried rice, Trader Joe's frozen grilled chicken strips are an easy way to accomplish that task (and, yes, I prefer to do that over buying the chicken fried rice — I just prefer this chicken). We all have those days when we make a giant pasta dish or salad for meal prep, and then remember we forgot to include any protein — that's when these come in handy.

Again, I like using the chicken strips in TJ's vegetable fried rice, but they also make a great addition to any salad that begs for protein. Use these in some cheesy mac, as part of a casserole, in a sandwich, or just go the simple route and cook them up to eat plain. They're also a great size to be rolled up into wraps — grilled buffalo chicken wrap as the ideal meal prep dish, anyone?

If you haven't already had Trader Joe's frozen kimbap, stop what you're doing and head to the store, stat. I love these delicious little bites. They just need a little time in the microwave to thaw before they're ready, and to be honest, I might be cheating a little on calling them a meal prep component — in my house, they all too often function as a meal in their own right.

But perhaps my favorite use for TJ's kimbap in meal prep is to treat them as a filler component. Sometimes I have a couple prepped containers of chicken and green beans, but I know they won't fill me up. It's easy enough to toss some frozen kimbap in the container as well and let the pieces thaw in the fridge — they'll be ready to eat whenever I pull out my lunch for the day. If you prepped a hearty wonton soup, put some kimbap in the fridge alongside it to make a more filling meal. They'd also pair well with some pork gyoza, or you could eat them with your favorite Asian-inspired noodle dish.

Speaking of pork gyoza, TJ's pork potstickers are another freezer find that I've been a fan of for over a decade. These are absolutely delicious, and their applications are endless, as you'll probably know if you've seen that viral potsticker bake going around on social media. Honestly, I often prep these and eat them with teriyaki or soy sauce, as they are good enough not to require an accompaniment. However, they do occasionally make it into a larger meal.

I make my own bone broth in the winter, and these are a great addition when I need to turn the bone broth into a hearty meal prep dish to eat through the week. They make an excellent main component when paired with rice and curry-style sauce, too. If you want a pork-free version, don't worry — Trader Joe's also has chicken potstickers. I can't vouch for those, though, as I've only ever had the pork variety. 

The vast majority of the above recommendations come from personal experience — I shop exclusively at Trader Joe's whenever I can, so I've come up with a wide variety of meal hacks over my years of being a TJ's customer. The above also isn't an exclusive list of meal prep freezer finds. I didn't even include any of the store's frozen pasta or gnocchi options, which would work well in a variety of dishes. If this piece inspired you, I'd encourage you to go to the store and do some experimenting — let me know what you come up with!