From rotisserie chicken to frozen broccoli, these items always make it into my Sam’s Club cart.
Reviewed by Dietitian Mandy Enright, M.S., RDN, RYT
Key Points
- Club stores, like Sam’s Club, offer a variety of staples that can make countless dinners.
- Proteins like rotisserie chicken and chicken meatballs can be used in a multitude of meals.
- Sides like premade mashed potatoes, rice packets and frozen veggies complete meals quickly.
Until recently, my husband and I weren’t too big on warehouse clubs. In the past, we’ve kept a membership at whichever of the major clubs was closest to us for things like gas savings and grocery deals, but I never considered us dedicated warehouse club shoppers until we rejoined Sam’s Club about a year ago.
We’re in a completely different phase of life now, with two teenagers in our house and everyone in our family focusing on simple, healthy meals made up of whole foods. Everyone in my home has a job, and my kids are also out of the house for work and college classes, so we do a good amount of meal prep each week. Since starting to shop at Sam’s Club, we’ve gone all out on being a warehouse club family, and we visit our local Sam’s at least once a week to stock up on groceries.
With four very grown-up schedules to navigate, it’s not often that my entire family gets to sit down to have dinner together. When we do, I want the meal to be simple but delicious, so I can enjoy my full dinner table without lots of cleanup afterward. And when it’s just my husband and me (or us and just one kid), we wind up using fewer groceries for dinner. Luckily, I’ve learned some easy items to grab when I shop at Sam’s Club that I can turn into a simple dinner in minutes.
Here are seven Sam’s Club staples that I know are perfect to keep on hand for easy, fast dinners I can still feel good about serving my family.
1. Member’s Mark Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken
I never walk into a Sam’s Club without grabbing one of its Member’s Mark Seasoned Rotisserie Chickens. Priced at around $5, the chicken is perfect for lots of different weeknight meals. Sometimes, we grab a fresh vegetable or a salad from the produce section at Sam’s and serve the chicken as-is, and other times we pull the chicken meat apart to use in meals like chicken salad or chicken enchiladas. Even if we have all of our meals for the week planned out already, I still grab one to slice up and keep on hand for a high-protein snack.
2. Member’s Mark Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are one of my teenage daughter’s most-requested sides. While she loves the ones I make from scratch, she also knows that’s a labor of love, and she’s OK with eating these Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes when we’re keeping things low-key. These tasty mashed potatoes cost around $8 for two 2-pound packs of fully cooked mashed potatoes seasoned with salt, butter and whole milk. They’re perfect for pairing with that rotisserie chicken you picked up, and also make a perfect topping for an easy shepherd’s pie.
3. Member’s Mark Five Cheese Tortellini
Another meal my family can always agree on is pasta, and I love stocking some of these fresh Member’s Mark Five Cheese Tortellini in my refrigerator for an easy dinner. I’ve tossed these cheese tortellini with everything from basil pesto made from my herb garden to store-bought marinara and no matter what we mix them with, they are delicious. Paired with a simple salad or tossed with whatever leftover protein is in my fridge (like sliced rotisserie chicken), these make a reliable dinner that is unanimously approved by teens and adults.
4. Ben’s Original Ready Rice
Do I think rice cooked for 30 minutes on the stovetop tastes better than heat-and-eat packages of rice? Absolutely. But any busy mom will tell you, there are just some evenings when you want to keep your cooking efforts to a minimum or, at the very least, want to dirty one less pot for cleanup time. These Ben’s Original Ready Rice packages heat in 90 seconds in the microwave and, because Sam’s sells tons of flavors, from Party Favorites to basmatiI always have a package in my pantry that matches my meal perfectly.
5. Member’s Mark Bourbon & Maple Chicken Meatballs with Apple
In my house, we know that it’s always helpful to have a delicious source of protein on hand in the freezer. On nights when we’re not sure what to make or we want to just pull a few portions out to cook while continuing to save the rest, these Sam’s Club Member’s Mark Bourbon & Maple Chicken Meatballs with Apple are a life-saver. I’ve used these meatballs to cook up a quick pasta dish, added them to soup, and turned them into sandwiches by putting a few on a sub roll or into a whole-wheat pita. They taste great and last my family a while since we get 2 pounds of meatballs at once.
6. Member’s Mark Steamable Broccoli Florets or Whole Green Beans
I used to find vegetables to be hard to keep on hand in the refrigerator, since they’d often spoil before we got around to using them in a meal. When I discovered Sam’s Club sold large bags of frozen broccoli and green beanstwo of my kids’ favorite veggies, I started keeping a bag of each on hand in my freezer. Now, when I am cooking a meal and want to add some vegetables to the plate, I simply grab a handful or two from the bag and sauté, air-fry, or roast them to serve to my family. And because the leftovers are frozen, they last way longer than things I bring home from the fresh produce aisle.
7. Member’s Mark Southern-Style Chicken Bites and Waffle Fries
When my kids were small, we loved going to Chick-fil-A together as a family, but now that they’re teens, it’s rare to find a night to go out to dinner together. When we’re all craving fast-food chicken nuggets, we turn to this bag of Member’s Mark Southern-Style Chicken Biteswhich is always in our freezer. I won’t lie, these taste just like the drive-thru kind when you heat them in the air fryer. And, Sam’s Club sells waffle friestoo, so you can make a whole meal of it.
Meal Combinations for Quick Dinners
- Balanced Dinner: Rotisserie chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and roasted or air-fried frozen broccoli.
- Easy Rice Bowl: Rice topped with chicken meatballs and sautéed frozen green beans.
- Simple Soup: Tortellini cooked in vegetable or chicken stock with frozen broccoli and green beans stirred in along with shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Fast Food at Home: Chicken bites paired with waffle fries and air-fried frozen broccoli or green beans.
The Bottom Line
Shopping at a warehouse club like Sam’s Club can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the experience. What has made me a die-hard warehouse club devotee has been taking the time to figure out exactly what my family’s dinnertime needs are, and planning my shopping list accordingly.
Before you try to stock up on easy dinner items at Sam’s Club, consider what your family’s dinnertime struggles are. Do you often find last week’s spinach purchase rotting in the back of your fridge? Do you have picky toddlers who you cook a completely separate meal for? Whatever the issues are that you face when cooking, there are probably some warehouse store-size solutions that can make the struggle a bit easier.
Just a few simple staples can make a multitude of meals in minutes. Proteins like rotisserie chicken, frozen meatballs and chicken nuggets are easy to pair with ready-made mashed potatoes or microwave rice along with cooked frozen vegetables. Explore ways you use your Sam’s Club staples in salads, soups and bowl meals when you are short on time, but stocked up in your fridge, freezer and pantry.