Food and Recipes Grains Rice This $3.79 Dinner From Trader Joe’s Is A Weeknight Lifesaver I keep this product in my freezer at all times. By Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola Lisa Cericola has been on staff at Southern Living since 2015. As Deputy Editor, Lisa manages the food and travel departments and edits those sections of each issue, as well as digital content. Previously, she was the features editor at Food Network Magazine and has more than 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing photo shoots for print and digital lifestyle brands. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on July 18, 2024 In This Article View All In This Article Why It's So Good It's Easy to Prepare How To Dress It Up Close Trader Joe's and RVing go together. Photo: Geri Lavrov/Moment Mobile/Getty Image Everyone has their go-to products at Trader Joe’s. Every month, I make a special trip out to the only store in my city to stock up on two things: frozen hot wings for my picky child, and frozen Japanese-Style Fried Rice for everyone else in my family. Having a few bags of this fully cooked rice in my freezer gives me a reassuring feeling that even if everything else in the day goes sideways, we’ll still have dinner on the table at a reasonable time. 12 Things You Should Buy At A Southern Supermarket, According To Food Editors Trader Joe's Why I Love Trader Joe’s Japanese-Style Fried Rice This isn’t your ordinary fried rice. Instead of the usual peas and carrots, this Trader Joe’s version has edamame, slivers of hijiki seaweed, carrot strips, and little bits of fried tofu. The rice is also flavored with soy sauce and mirin (a Japanese rice wine typically used in cooking) so you don’t even need to spice it up if you don’t want to. It's Easy to Prepare All you have to do is heat it up in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave and you've got a complete meal—starch, protein, and vegetables, too. 50 Simple Dinner Recipes That Start With a Box of Rice How To Dress It Up While it does make a perfectly fine meal as-is, I often like to use it as a building block for a more substantial dish. Changing it up throughout the week keeps weeknight dinners somewhat interesting. I like to add a dash of sesame oil, chili crisp, and sliced scallions, which work well with the other ingredients. Some nights, I serve portions of the rice with fried eggs on top, or I will scramble eggs and fold them into the cooked rice. This fried rice also makes a great base for a bowl dinner—top it with strips of grilled chicken or steak, or roasted salmon. I have also bulked up the vegetables by adding sauteed spinach or bok choy. Whether you use it as a building block for supper or make it your main meal, at less than $4 a bag, you really can’t go wrong with this product. 20 Incredible One-Bowl Meals For Dinner Tonight Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit