Trader Joe's Dinner Ideas: Italian Style Cauliflower Rice
Most of the blog posts, series, and tutorials you find on my site are because I'm actually trying to solve a problem for myself and then decide that it's such a great solution that I need to tell the world!
This new series of Trader Joe's Dinner Ideas recipes is just that; the solution to every mom's daily problem of trying to figure out what the heck is for dinner.
I really wanted to have a handful of dinner ideas at the ready that:
I could find all the ingredients at one store (or gasp - send my husband with a list and not hear grumbling about multiple stops!)
Didn't have 10,000 ingredients, or weird ones that are hard to find.
Could be SERVED in 20 minutes or less. I'm not screwing around on this one. When I say 20 minutes, I actually mean 20 minutes (not 40, not 30, ... I mean 20!!!)
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I'm picky about ingredients
This whole series of Trader Joe's Dinner Ideas was born when a friend sent me an inspirational (and hilarious) home cooking video of a meal she throws together from simple ingredients, all found at TJ's.
As I watched I realized that ALL of us busy moms want this type of recipe in our lives. But why stop at just one? My brain started thinking of all the great recipes I could provide using ingredients from one store, a common one that most people have access to...Trader Joe's! I even perused their website for ideas.
BUT, there was this one little problem.
I am SO picky when it comes to ingredients. In fact, this recipe almost didn't make the cut because the Bruschetta sauce has a little bit of sugar in it. (If I was uber strict then there would be no 20-minute/6 ingredient meals here people.)
Have you ever read labels at Trader Joe's? I mean really looked? It's shocking how may products have ingredients like soybean oil, canola oil, GMO ingredients, artificial flavors, and more. You definitely want to avoid these ingredients when possible. Read more about this issue on FoodBabe.com.
Rest assured, I have been pretty darn picky about the ingredients for this meal series and you can feel great about the ingredients that are recommended in these recipes.
So, here is the first recipe in this series. I hope you find all of the recipes in this series time-saving, easy, and delicious!
PRO TIP: Do you want a stress-free week of dinners?
Print out a meal plan template (in the Free Resource Library), add several (or all) of the recipes in this Trader Joe's Dinner Ideas series to your meal plan and get all of your grocery shopping done for the whole week with one stop at Trader Joe's.
Italian Style Cauliflower Rice (Trader Joe's 20-Minute Dinner Ideas)
Watch how easy it is to make Italian-Style Cauliflower Rice!
Italian Style Cauliflower Rice Recipe (Trader Joe's 20-Minute Dinner Ideas)
A one-pot skillet meal that comes together in 20-minutes or less, with only 5 ingredients? YES! Oh, and it tastes as though you slaved away for hours in the kitchen. This is a winner for the whole family!
2 Tbsp olive oil
16 oz Cauliflower Rice (preferably fresh)
4 cubes crushed garlic, thawed
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
14.5 oz Trader Joe's Fresh Bruschetta Sauce ((or use canned diced tomatoes with Italian herbs or chunky marinara sauce))
12 oz pre-cooked Italian chicken sausages, cut into bite-size pieces
6 oz baby spinach (1 package)
On the stovetop, heat the oil in a medium-large sized pot or iron skillet on medium heat.
Add the cauliflower rice, garlic cubes, salt and pepper (to taste) and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the pre-cooked sausage, spinach, and bruschetta sauce and simmer for 10 minutes, covered. (If you are using a smaller pan or skillet then add the spinach handful by handful. As the spinach shrinks down you will have more room to add the rest.)
Serve as is, or with optional add-ins. Enjoy!
*Remember, I don't count cooking oils, salt, or pepper in my ingredient count. I assume everyone has these already!
Meal Planning: This meal freezes serves well as leftovers. Double the recipe for a second meal this week! #cookonceeattwice
Optional: I think this dish tastes delicious as is, but you can enhance flavors by stirring in a spoonful of olive tapenade and/or topping with freshly cut basil, grated parmesan or crumbled feta cheese (leave cheese off for dairy-free). (Or add all of these together!)
Feed the whole family: For babies about 9 months+, portion out a serving and let cool a little. Fish out the sausage and cut into as tiny pieces as possible. add back to the "rice" and serve! Or, puree the whole meal for very young babies who are just beginning to eat solids.
Modifications to try
Don't have cauliflower rice?
Try substituting for cooked quinoa or brown rice. You won't need to sautee this as long, only a few minutes. This is also a great way to use leftover grains up.
Or, make your own! A head of cauliflower roughly chopped and thrown in a food processor will give you "riced" cauliflower in a few minutes.
Can't get the frozen cubes of minced garlic?
No worries, 1 cube is equal to 1 tsp of minced garlic.
Don't shop at Trader Joe's?
Most of these ingredients have easy substitutions or can be found elsewhere. TheBruschetta sauce can be substituted for chunky marinara or canned diced tomatoes. Try to get the kind with Italian herbs already added for enhanced yumminess.
Try a different meat
The sausages don't have to be chicken, you can try pork or beef, just get the pre-cooked kind or make sure you really cook it well (will take more time).
Get saucy
A basil pest would taste great instead of the Bruschetta sauce! You can even make a healthy version full of greens with my Basil Arugula Pesto recipe if you have the time. I make a big batch and free extra.
Stay tuned...
There will be at least 3-4 more recipes in this series coming soon. They will all be 20-minutes or less with 6 ingredients or less. Woohoo! Gotta love simple and healthy and FAST! It's almost fast-food...okay maybe that's a stretch.
In the meantime, I think you will really like these recipes:
Please share this post with a busy mom you think would love to have #DinnerSolved 🙏🏻❤️
