I Hate Meal Planning, So I Pick Up These 5 Aldi Staples To Make Dinnertime Easier

When it comes to easy weeknight meals, I don’t often plan ahead. My kind of meal planning is more stocking my freezer, fridge, and pantry with prepared meals I can whip out and heat up in a matter of minutes—no chopping, measuring, or prep required. And Aldi’s shelves are chock full of options I add to my cart on every shopping trip.

Videos by Sporked

Aldi has a wide variety of prepared meals that make dinnertime easier every night of the week and they’re among the grocery store’s best products. If you aren’t in the mood to pull out multiple pots and pans or turn on the stove or oven, these are the anti-meal planning picks I recommend getting during your next grocery run.

Kirkwood Crispy Nuggets

Yes, a freezer full of chicken nuggets is always a good idea. After all, it’s a pretty universally-loved meal option and you don’t need much beyond your go-to dipping sauce to make them complete (unless, of course, you’re keeping fruits and veggies in mind). But I don’t just like stocking up on Aldi’s Kirkwood Crispy Nuggets to eat them straight out of the oven or microwave solo.

These nuggets, which are something of an “inspired by” alternative to Chick-fil-A nuggets, are so much more versatile than you might think. A 22-ounce bag, which costs less than $7, can be used to add crispy chicken to salads, make bite-sized chicken sliders with your favorite sandwich toppings, or even turned into Buffalo bites or sandwiches, with the right sauce. I’ve also turned them into a quick version of chicken Parmesan in a pinch—premade nuggets save a ton of time versus breading and frying chicken cutlets.

Bremer Garlic Chicken Skillet

Don’t want to do anything but heat up your lunch or dinner, but still hoping you can get some semblance of a well-rounded, super satisfying meal? Grab a few of Bremer’s Garlic Chicken Skillets the next time you’re at Aldi and you’ll be set. 

This simple frozen meal is so effortless and yet feels so much more satisfying than tearing open a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. And all you have to do is heat the whole thing up in a skillet on your stovetop for roughly 10 minutes. I love the garlic version because it delivers just the right balance of flavored-but-not-overwhelming—and the fact that it has protein plus three types of veggies is a great perk, too. With three servings per bag, it can feed a family or be portioned out to make multiple super-simple meals.

Priano Mushroom Tortelloni

Aldi’s Priano brand has never disappointed me and I’m a huge pasta enthusiast. Open my pantry and you’ll see plenty of Priano dried pastas… and inside my fridge, you’re likely to find at least two containers of the brand’s fresh tortelloni. This tortelloni is so easy to turn into a complete meal, but each package costs just a few cents over $2, offering a whole lot of bang for your buck.

I like the mushroom variety for a little extra umami kick, but Aldi also offers cheese, three cheese, and even more veggie-rich versions (some are tortelloni, some are tortellini). I’ve tried them all and they’re all well worth their price. Plus, you can top them with any sauce, homemade or jarred. I’ll also stretch each pack by mixing veggies into the sauce and maybe even a protein like Italian sausage. But on the lowest-effort or laziest evenings, this is a quick boil-and-add-sauce solution.

Del Real Carnitas

Whipping up carnitas—or carne asada or al pastor, or any Del Real pick from Aldi—takes an awful lot of time if you do it yourself. Grab one of these packs of quick-heating carnitas, though, and you’ll take taco night from hours of prep down to a matter of minutes. Best of all, all you need is your microwave.

I first tried these quick and easy carnitas as an alternative for my homemade carne asada fries and I was so impressed with the flavor and quality of the microwaveable meat that I immediately started adding it to my weekly shopping list. And I’ve since discovered you can make easy tacos with it, use it for sandwiches and sliders, add it to salads, or toss it in casseroles when you don’t want to deal with the hassle of defrosting and cooking meat as your main ingredient. 

Don’t like pork? You can opt for one of the other varieties that Aldi stocks.

Park Street Deli BBQ Pulled Pork

Just like the Del Real Carnitas above, Park Street’s deli meats are an Aldi find that’s versatile, handy to have in your fridge, and pretty much effortless to turn into a meal. And if you’re a pulled pork fan, this is a pound of easy-to-heat barbecue plus sauce that won’t disappoint. 

It’s not the most incredible flavor-wise—it’s rather simple, both in the barbecue sauce and the meat’s seasoning alone. But that’s exactly why I like it. You can turn this into pulled pork sandwiches, sure. But you can also add it to pizza, chili, and casseroles. You can turn it into nachos, salads, or even eat it solo with a side of potato salad. And with a full pound per package, there’s plenty to feed a family.