I work long hours, so I appreciate Trader Joe’s frozen meals, especially their frozen pasta bags.

These make dinner simple: You usually add a couple of tablespoons of water to a skillet, dump in the contents of the bag, and dinner’s on the table in less than ten minutes.

Trader Joe’s Mushroom Risotto is in this same vein.

It’s a blend of frozen rice and hearty mushroom sauce that you add to the skillet and warm through.

One note here: You do have to stir this one while you’re waiting, or the sauce will scorch before the rice is thawed. But it’s done in about six minutes, so that’s a small price to pay.

The sauce definitely has a rich mushroom flavor and lots of chunks of mushrooms, so if you’re not a fan, this one isn’t for you.

To me, this is a little on the bland side and would be livened up with shards of Romano cheese on top. But all told, this is a great and easy dish that will make my regular weeknight line up.

Price: $3.29
Seasonal: No
Buy again: Yes