The No-Cook Trader Joe’s Dinner I’m Making on Repeat
Remember winter? The way it just kept on going until, like, last month? I just put my sweaters away for the season, and it’s already too hot to think. And cooking? FORGET IT. It’s pantry meals and popsicles for now, and it’s got to be quick, too — nothing like being hangry in a heatwave. The other day, while lingering over the fridge, stealing a moment of blissful chill, I spied a container of ricotta cheese. Cold, creamy ricotta. Sold, I thought. Sounds like dinner to me.
And the nice thing about ricotta is that it pretty much can be dinner (or breakfast, or dessert for that matter) with very little dressing up. A hunk of bread, a little salt, and a jar of something, and you’re set. Preserved lemon, pickled peppers — really, anything with a bit of zing will play well with ricotta. That night, I found a jar of Trader Joe’s Slow-Roasted Tomatoes floating around the back of my cabinet — and a bag of their beloved Sandwich Starters — thus, a killer new TJ’s dinner was born. It’s filling, it’s super-quick, and it tastes like a meal you put time and effort into (rather than simply, the first few things you found in the kitchen). It does require the use of a toaster, but only for 90 seconds max, and I promise, it’ll be worth it. TJ’s Sandwich Starters have cult status for a reason: They’re a soft, chewy, dense-in-a-good-way hybrid of ciabatta and burger bun. And even a light toasting adds a satisfying crunch to the creamy textures in this meal.
If it helps, I find this dish is best made while standing in a bra in the kitchen, with an ice-cold Diet Coke on the counter. But that part’s optional. Here’s the recipe…
Summery Dinner Toasts
Serves 1
1 Trader Joe’s Sandwich Starter
1 cup ricotta cheese (I use TJ’s whole-milk ricotta, but any brand is fine)
1/2 a jar of TJ’s Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
A few leaves of fresh basil, washed and torn, for topping*
*If you have it around. I often do in the summertime, but this meal is plenty delicious without. For goodness’ sake, do not go to the store!
Split the Sandwich Starter in half, and lightly toast. Plate the toast slices and divide the ricotta between them, spreading over each slice.
Top each piece with a layer of roasted tomatoes, scooping them out of the jar with a small fork. (If you like, you can spoon out a little oil from the jar and drizzle it lightly over the toast.) Add salt and pepper to taste (the jarred tomatoes are a bit salty already, so go easy with the first pinch, you can always add more). Finish with fresh basil on top, if using, and enjoy — shirtless or not.
What are you making for dinner these days? Do you have a favorite stove-free meal?
P.S. More Trader Joe’s meal hacks and ideas:
* My 10 favorite things from Trader Joe’s these days
* Five-ingredient Trader Joe’s shrimp tacos recipe
* A delicious Trader Joe’s breakfast hack
* Taste test: Trader Joe’s knockoffs vs. original brands
* A TJ’s cheese-plate formula
* 10 Trader Joe’s products to shake up breakfast
* Four great Trader Joe’s meal hacks — and three more here!
(Photos by Yossy Arefi for Cup of Jo.)
Comments
58 commentsWe do this with toast, TJ’s burratta, prosciutto, and tomatoes – fresh, roasted, or dried. Throw in some sliced nectarines, or peaches, with some balsamic glaze to jazz it up. OR I get a baguette there, and a pack of salami and cheese and a bagged salad and make sandwiches with salad. I wish they’d bring back the white bratwurst (weiss wurst) as we’d grill them quick and slice them up for curry wurst with fried cabbage and onions. Hmmm. I think it’s lunch time?
This column and all the comments are just a great summer list of how not to cook. And as someone who cooks most nights, I AM HERE FOR IT!!! so excited to not cook a bunch this Summer. :)
Lovely ideas, thanks for sharing!
But it’s ACTUAL tomato season!! Nothing better than a fresh summer tomato, save the cans/jars for winter and support your local farmers with a REAL tomato!
You guys! I saw this post, immediately drove to TJ’s, came home and made it, and my kids INHALED it. The amazing win is that my clinically picky autistic son dubbed it Pizza Toast and ate several servings!!! Gaining weight and eating balanced meals is a huge struggle in my house and this was a success, I could cry!! Thank you, Kelsey!
Bra and diet Coke. Perfect way to prepare dinner in a heat wave!
My teen sons and husband would NEVER let this pass as a dinner, but I’d sure love it.
this was my thought. this is a snack, or lunch. my people are not gonna be ok with this (and that’s on me. i’ve spoiled them!)
Last night, after a day trip with eating out and ice cream, I just set out cheese, cured meats, and sliced fruits and some plates. We took in our favourite baseball team’s game and picked away. It was exactly right after a day in the hot sun.
I made with my fiancée cold cucumber and avocado soup, pasta salad, and a cold rice bowl during the European heatwave.
Might I suggest not wearing a bra and just a comfy shirt? No bra and this TJ hack sounds like a summer win!
My hot weather dinner tonight is one we call fortified hummus. A whole container of hummus swirled on a plate. On top of that, a salad of chopped up cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, feta crumbles, basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil all tossed together. Scooped up on pita bread/chips.
This sounds both beautiful AND delicious and so easy! Thx!
I like to make something like this but put it on naan – so it is like a hummus pizza.
YES. Man, hummus is such pinch hitter. Thanks for the rec!
Yes!! So good! I’ve recently discovered cottage cheese works good with all the same veggies and balsamic/olive oil too!!
OMG TJ’s little cans of roasted eggplant on this, please and thank you! (we’ve been doing this with goat cheese, but the ricotta also sounds fab!)
Okay, don’t get me wrong, this sounds delicious, along with all the suggestions in the comments. But is everyone really out there having girl dinner dinners but me? Cheese and tomatoes on toast sounds great, but that’s a snack or a light lunch, no? Even when it’s super hot (and it’s super hot a lot where I live!), I’ll still make like a big old salad with chicken and veg and nuts or seeds and cheese for dinner, and I consider that a pretty easy, no-cook dinner. Or I’ll grill a pizza or something, but I think if I suggested toast for dinner, my husband and son would think I was insane lol
Oh, nothing wrong with serving this + something else! I find a cup of ricotta fairly filling, but it depends on the day, for sure. (Lately, we’re also having ice cream basically every night, so I suppose I’m subconsciously leaving room for that.) I bet your big old salad would go great!
Same, girl! I need a real dinner.
Same, same. I often will do a quick sandwich – in my case, it’s brie, cucumbers and cilantro mint chutney – convinced that it will enough for dinner. And then an hour later I am raiding the pantry for snacks.
girl dinner does not cut it around here. even when it’s hot as fuck I need a boat load of food and cheese and crackers or in this case toast don’t begin to cover it. I’ve been very into big salads with lots of different vegetables, tofu, hummus and mircowaving rice or potatoes/ sweet potatoes if it’s truly too hot to cook.
Yup – my tall & active husband would be 100% on board with having this for dinner haha. I spent 1.5 hours making a pasta dish with the ten year old last night and while he ate it, I think he would’ve preferred these toasts.
I eat girl-dinner all the time. My husband and kids can fend for themselves… (joking/not joking)
I love this. The recipe sounds delicious and perfect for hot summer days, but even more than that I love your writing. Made me laugh out loud :)
Juliette, thank you so much!
Same. What delight to read!
Anything that involves some form of bread, slices or scoops of cheese and tomato is a winner in my book. Finding olives, grapes or salami in the cupboard make it a feast any time, day or night :) I give the toasting a miss in our current heatwave in the UK.
my no cook summer meal – shredded pickled carrots and beets, 2 scoops of hummus, feta cheese and pumpkin seeds. Avocado would also be a nice addition. Sometimes I put on bread, sometimes on it’s own.
Toast slathered in butter with thinly sliced radishes and salt, olives, salami (this is my favorite https://shortcreek.farm/collections/salami/products/classic-salami) and carrot sticks.
Reading this while eating avocado toast. Yesterday, it was hummus spread onto toasted rye bread and garnished with a few slices of fresh tomatoes. Hot Summer Day Toasties for the win!
I absolutely love open-faced sandwiches and hummus spread on toasted sourdough with farm tomatoes, a little salt and pepper and some basil is one of my favorites. This week, I made a beet muhammara dip for our lunches. Add some cucumbers or radishes or both to your open faced sandwich – delish! Another one we like is peanut butter with apples. I eat this one mostly in the fall and winter. The other two I only make in the spring and summer.
Ahhhh my autocorrect changed Kelsey to “Kelly” in my first post. Apologies! The compliment still stands :)
Haha, my appreciation still stands too!
Kelly, I just have to say you are such an excellent writer. I always love reading your posts. Thanks for making everything you tackle — even the seemingly simple topics – a story that’s a pleasure to read! (Also brb I’m headed to Trader Joe’s now)
Oh my goodness, Saren, thank you! That means so much to me.❤️
yesss. i also LOVE trader joe’s burrata and it would be amazing here, too!
What’s the texture of the slow-roasted tomatoes like? Asking because I finally gave up on thinking I would magically turn into a person who likes sun-dried tomatoes … those are just too chewy for me.
I totally get it. These are softer than sun-dried (closer to the texture of roasted red peppers, when they’re packed in oil).
Here was lunch today: a chopped up ripe nectarine, tomato, basil, mozzarella, and lots of salt & pepper & evoo. Served with crackers. Would be good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with or without a shirt.
Ooh, yes!
Oh wow, YUM. Thanks for the inspo!
Goat cheese on toasted bread drizzled with honey or the tiniest amount of jam.
Along those same lines, we spread goat cheese on crostini topped with chopped pecans or walnuts, fresh rosemary, and a drizzle of honey. It’s how I eat rosemary all summer long.
Yes! I love to do this combo with a spicy jam. Plays so well with the goat cheese.
My Mom would always have. “Cold plate” dinner on hot days like these. It would be cottage cheese, slices of tomato, lettuce, and whatever else she had in the fridge that was cold. Maybe olives, pickles. It was fun and good!
Wow, I love this concept!
Yes – we called this finger food! Cold chopped veg sticks, hardboiled (and chilled) eggs, cold meats, and sometimes sushi.
Really loving toast with mayo, a big fat heirloom tomato slice, and a little salt and pepper.
Whole-wheat crackers with ricotta and cold green grapes for breakfast, lunch, supper, or snacks on a hot summer day are perfect.
Looooove a dinner on crackers.
To my fellow dairy-free baddies: I just tried Kite Hill’s df ricotta for the first time. Really enjoyed it! Would totally recommend.
thanks for the recommendation, Emily! I’m always looking out for cheeses not made from milk meant for baby cows.
Kite Hill’s cream cheese is great too! One of the best vegan cheese brands, in my opinion! I’m not even vegan but often have to make dishes dairy-free for friends, and they have saved me more than once!
I often make ricotta toast for breakfast with tomatoes, basil, and a drizzle of oilive oil. So good!
Melanie, that sounds delicious. If you’d be interested in a sweet version, my “recipe” is toast a slice of TJ’s sliced brioche bread, spread ricotta, then sliced figs, top with a drizzle of honey and balsamic. (I’ve used plums when I couldn’t find figs.)
Here’s a TJ’s dinner I made yesterday. A can of Greek chickpeas, chop up a packet of the artichokes, a packet of the green olives. Chop and add cucumbers, colored bell peppers, a couple of handfuls of pumpkin seeds, crumbled feta and a handful of any chopped up herbs. We filled pita pockets with this salad with baby kale from my garden and watermelon on the side. Quick and delicious dinner!
Oooh, I have a can of those chickpeas in my cabinet right now! Noted!