7 Best And 5 Worst Pre-Made Meals You Can Buy At Trader Joe's

If only we all had the time and energy to harness our inner Gordon Ramsay and whip up a delicious home-cooked meal whenever we were hungry. Unfortunately, so many of us have busy schedules that simply don't allow for carving out time to craft a whole dinner. Luckily there's no shortage of pre-made meals available at every grocery store to make your dining experience quick and easy. If you're on the hunt for some frozen goodies to stock your freezer, Trader Joe's is a great place to start the search.

The grocery store offers a large variety of pre-made food to make dining simple. You're sure to find at least a couple of options that appeal to you, so that's a huge plus. However, keep in mind that there are plenty of products that aren't culinary home runs, so you'll want to keep far away from these subpar items. Before you venture out to your local Trader Joe's, brush up on this list of the best and worst pre-made options you'll find. Just because you're looking for something convenient doesn't mean you should sacrifice quality.

Let's be real for a moment: It's almost impossible to turn down a well-crafted cheeseburger when you're hungry. If you love burgers, there are few things better than a glistening patty of meat draped in gooey cheese. It hits all the right notes on your palate. But, have you ever wondered what it would be like to dive into a burrito stuffed with all the delicious fixings that come in a cheeseburger? If that question has ever floated through your mind, Trader Joe's swoops in with the answer in the form of its cheeseburger burrito. And, this is certainly the answer you're looking for.

What lies inside this flour tortilla is all the stuff you need to create one heck of a mouthwateringly good time. You get seasoned ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes and onions, ketchup, mustard, and relish. The beef is super savory and chock-full of those run-down-your-chin juices that make burgers so inviting. The tomato and onions add the perfect sweetness to every bite, and the cheddar cheese gives the whole thing a creamy sharpness. But it's the extra condiments that really give this an authentic cheeseburger feel. The sweet ketchup, zesty mustard, and vinegary relish all join forces to smack your palate with the sensation you're biting into a delicious cheeseburger.

If you know your way around a bowl of soup, then you've likely enjoyed a mound of udon noodles at some point. These wheat-flour noodles are thick, hearty, and wonderful served with a hot, flavorful broth. Just because udon noodles are usually seen in liquid doesn't mean they aren't delicious outside of the broth. Trader Joe's carries a peanut udon noodle salad that takes all their fantastic qualities and delivers them with cold ingredients, and it's totally worth your time.

Each plastic container has a heap of boiled udon noodles, and the texture of each strand plays so well on your palate. The noodles are delicate but also carry a firmness to them so every bite feels hearty. They come tossed with carrot matchsticks, green and red cabbage, red bell peppers, and dry roasted peanuts. The textural contrast between the soft noodles and the bright crunch of fresh veggies is so welcoming. But, the peanut-ginger dressing that marries everything together takes this product to mouthwatering heights. Erupting with vibrant flavors, it's creamy and nutty thanks to the peanut butter and soy sauce base. At the same time, it has a zesty kick from fresh ginger puree and dried chili peppers that elevates every ingredient it coats.

Whether you're planning on hosting a party or just want a bite-sized snack to munch on, pastry bites are always a solid decision. The flaky, delicate pastry shells are an excellent accompaniment to whatever sweet or savory ingredients are nestled inside. This is exactly what makes the feta cheese and caramelized onion pastry bites at Trader Joe's more than worth your attention.

Each box comes with 12 flaky, buttery morsels of pastry dough stuffed with feta cheese and caramelized onions. The feta is combined with cream cheese to make a soft filling with a salty kick and a silkiness that coats your palate, allowing the flavor to linger. But, the caramelized onions are truly the star of this performance. They're sweet and a little savory, with a texture that melts on your tongue and pairs with the cheese mixture for an optimal taste. Sweet, savory, and crunchy, these pastry bites have it all.

Anyone who's been to a Korean barbecue restaurant knows how terrific bulgogi is. These thin strips of marinated beef offer an eruption of savory, melt-in-your-mouth flavors that warrant a return trip to the restaurant. But, Trader Joe's decided to flip the script on bulgogi — and barbecue in general — by creating a meatless version. The Korean beefless bulgogi appeals to anyone who stays away from meat but still wants to enjoy the flavor that authentic barbecued beef delivers. However, you won't find any of that here.

The "beef" is made with soy protein, which has every intention of mimicking the texture of real beef but falls way too short to be enjoyable. It has an oddly chewy texture that removes you from the illusion you're eating actual meat. The sauce here does nearly all of the heavy lifting, which isn't a great feature. The marinade is made with soy sauce, pear puree, garlic, ginger, green onions, and sugar, and although the flavor is pretty good, the faux meat it's slathered on strips away a lot of its positive qualities. Do your appetite a favor and look elsewhere if you want meatless beef.

There are a lot of foods that taste wonderful after going through a pickling process. Eggs take on a great vinegary taste, as do most veggies. But, then you have some foods you wouldn't ever think to pickle, like hot dogs. Wait, are pickled hot dogs a thing? At Trader Joe's they sure are. The grocery store sells a product called perfectly pickled pups. At first glance, they look like miniature hot dogs covered in batter and fried, which they are. Upon closer inspection, you learn that the pieces of meat actually go through a pickling process before they hit the fry oil. It's a fascinating idea, but unfortunately, it's one that never really finds its culinary legs.

The idea behind this product is pretty solid. You figure your palate will soak up the rich flavors of the beef franks while also basking in a bite of vinegar to help offset any overwhelmingly heavy flavors that the frying oil provides. However, that never happens. The pickled flavoring results in a weird taste that gives the impression something just isn't right with the meat. The franks are infused with dill flavor and soak in a brine consisting of sea salt, sugar, onion, garlic, vinegar, and dill weed before being battered and fried. While this might sound delicious, the end result leaves you wondering why anyone would attempt to pickle hot dogs in the first place.

Mornings can be a tough time for people. The alarm starts blaring way too early, and that leads to thoughts about the upcoming workday and all the stressful tasks that accompany it. Eating a delicious breakfast is one surefire way to kick it off correctly and put you in a pleasant headspace before tackling whatever the day has in store. If you find yourself perusing the aisles of Trader Joe's, the chicken sausage breakfast burrito might look like the perfect way to kick off your morning. But, we're here to tell you it isn't, so don't waste your time.

The burrito comes with chunks of chicken sausage flavored with sage and thyme, scrambled eggs, white cheddar cheese, potatoes, and sauteed onions all nestled inside a flour tortilla. It's hard to imagine all these ingredients coming together and not smashing a culinary grand slam, but sadly that's what happens. The potatoes are mostly at fault and taste like they aren't fully cooked, leaving you with an overly starchy, too-firm texture that makes chewing unenjoyable. The eggs are fluffy but flavorless, and the chicken sausage is extremely salty. If you're looking for a breakfast burrito that's gonna slap a smile on your stomach, this isn't the product that'll do it.