Dinner for Two at Trader Joe’s for Under $10

My neighborhood Trader Joe’s is probably just the same as everyone else’s. Really bad parking, people pestering you to sign a billion petitions somewhere near the door, and tons of great merchandise inside to choose from.

Cheese, wine and flowers are always great buys but Trader Joe’s also offers a huge variety of natural and organic foods without having to pay a specialty price. The company’s 2,000-plus products are 80 percent private label, yet maintain a premium positioning.

Started in 1958 in the Los Angeles area as Pronto Markets, has morethan 356 stores in 28 states. As a food and travel writer on a budget, I thought I would challenge myself to try to cook a meal for two with all ingredients from Trader Joe’s for under $10.  

Craving carbonara, I set my sights on the pasta aisle. Linguini, 99 cents. I ended up using half the box, so my tally started at 50 cents. A huge basil plant was $2.99, I used half of the leaves for a $1.50. One egg from dozen at $1.49 came to a paultry 12 cents. I ended up needing a quarter of the $3.77 plastic cup of grated Parmesan which came to about 94 cents. I also ended up using half of the $1.69 cream, which came to 84 cents. The pancetta, already cubed, was $2.99. Grand total? $6.89 for dinner for two.

How much would you be charged for one serving of this dish at California Pizza Kitchen? A whopping $10.49 without tax. For two people that’s $21, and a savings of $14 for dinner for two.

If you want to try my linguini carbonara a la Trader Joe’s $7 special, the recipe is bellow.

1 pound linguini (use ½ of 1 pound box)

1 box of cubed pancetta

carton of heavy cream

small tub of parmesan cheese

1 egg

black pepper

basil, chopped

Cook linguini in boiling water. Meanwhile, put pancetta in a large skillet and cook until browned and crispy. Take out pancetta cubes and set aside. Add cooked drained linguini to the skillet and mix with pancetta juices. Add cream, in slow batches until mixture thickens. The mixture should be thick, not runny. Beat an egg in a small bowl. Add the egg and toss with linguini, making sure egg does not cook but coats the linguini. Add cheese to taste and mix. Add torn basil and pepper.