Easy Supermarket Dinners

Photo: Grant Cornett

Hyperspeed Your Suppers

Make the leap from the usual to the ingenious by taking prepared supermarket foods and creating something amazing.

Our first hyperspeed dinner is Spinach-Artichoke Pasta with Vegetables.

Supermarket Item: T.G.I.Friday's Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip

We love everything about this favorite appetizer dip, but calories and sodium can add up quickly after just a few bites. But what if those few bites were used to flavor an entire meal? A little low-fat milk helps stretch this creamy dip into a light, luscious sauce that dresses up hot cooked pasta and fresh, crunchy veggies—a healthy, hearty weeknight meal, ready in just 25 minutes.

View Recipe: Spinach-Artichoke Pasta with Vegetables

Photo: Grant Cornett

Easy Ravioli Lasagna

Supermarket Item: 365 Organic Spinach & Cheese Whole Wheat Ravioli

Okay, this won't win any beauty contests. But we guarantee your family will go nuts for it. With ricotta cheese and spinach already tucked inside each ravioli, this is a shortcut way to a well-rounded lasagna.

View Recipe: Easy Ravioli Lasagna

Photo: Grant Cornett

Chicken and Pierogi Dumplings

Supermarket Item: Mrs. T's Potato & Cheddar Mini Pierogies

Pierogies are the comfort dumplings of all comfort dumplings. We just chickened them up. The browned veggies lend color and flavor to the sauce; be sure to keep them moving in the pan so they don't get too brown.

View Recipe: Chicken and Pierogi Dumplings

Photo: Grant Cornett

Hummus-and-Rice Fritters with Mediterranean Salad

Supermarket Item: Sabra Classic Hummus

Crispy on the outside with a creamy, hummus-packed center. When using flour as a binder for things that are not baked, such as these pan-seared fritters, the finer grade of cake flour yields a creamier texture in the cooked product. If you don't have it, don't sweat it: You can just use all-purpose.

View Recipe: Hummus-and-Rice Fritters with Mediterranean Salad

Photo: Grant Cornett

Fish Stick Tacos

Supermarket Item: Ian's Natural Foods Fish Sticks

We're happily finding healthier convenience products at the supermarket, and the frozen fish section is no exception. Look for sustainable varieties, such as those from Ian's Natural Foods, whose fish sticks are made from whole Alaskan pollack and have only 200mg sodium per serving (some had 800!). Two crunchy sticks nestle perfectly inside a corn tortilla for Baja-style fish tacos with creamy avocado and a bright, crunchy slaw.

View Recipe: Fish Stick Tacos

Photo: Grant Cornett

Herbed Parmesan Potato Soup

Supermarket Item: Simply Potatoes Traditional Mashed Potatoes

Prepared mashed potatoes tend to come packed with a lot of sodium--too much for a side dish. Here we stretch them out into an entrée-sized soup that's creamy, cheesy, and brightened with fresh herbs.

View Recipe: Herbed Parmesan Potato Soup