Costco. You really gotta love it. They have everything you could ever need, including tons of premade meal options. As a busy person, they're a great choice when you have a hectic week but don't want to rely on expensive takeout.
I'm a pretty good cook overall, and I definitely care about having flavourful, delicious meals. So I’m holding Costco to a pretty high standard here. My rule of thumb is that it has to taste as good as (and be nearly as cheap as) what I'd be making myself if I had the time.
Otherwise, I’d rather save that money to put toward something else, you know?
So, to see what’s actually worth it, I taste-tested three totally different Costco premade meals, and one simply doesn't make the cut. Here's how they all stack up.
Gyro Pita Kit
Costco's gyro pita kit
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
Let’s just ignore the fact that I can't pronounce "gyro" and just call it a pita kit, okay?
This was a self-assembled kit meant for four people. It came with eight mini pitas, a bunch of rotisserie shawarma meat (beef and lamb), tzatziki sauce, some cherry tomatoes, and an onion salsa-type mix.
I brought this meal to my family dinner, and it just barely served the four of us. We ended up heating up some fries to round out the meal, as it was a little on the smaller side. That said, we all loved it. The meat was flavourful, the pita was soft and fluffy, and the veggies were fresh. We simply heated the meat in the microwave and assembled it on our plates.
Price: $24.84 (1.24 kg)
My rating: 8.5/10 — I would get this again, for sure. It only loses some points because it wasn’t quite enough for four people IMO. I also think it could have a little more pizazz — like hot sauce or something acidic. Overall, delicious and good value for money.
Chicken Chow Mein
Costco chicken chow mein
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
The next Costco premade meal I tried was the Chicken Chow Mein. It comes assembled with noodles, marinated chicken pieces, bell peppers, a sauce, and sesame seeds on top.
I was very confused because the directions said to heat the meat and veggies first, then add the sauce, but everything was already mixed in the container, so I had to heat it all at once. Other than that, it was very simple to heat up in a frying pan with some oil over medium heat.
They recommended a wok, but I'm not fancy and don't have one.
My honest first thought after taking a bite was, “This needs salt." Which is wild for premade meals, because they're usually too salty for me. But I found it kind of bland and one-dimensional, and a little on the sweeter side for my preference. While there was a pretty sizeable amount of chicken, the ratio was of. I needed fewer noodles and way more veggies, both in quantity and variety.
Price: $23.11 (1.54 kg)
My rating: 5/10 — not terrible, but not really memorable. It was super easy to heat up and gave me a solid five portions to eat through the week, so the value and convenience were there. It just isn't as flavourful or balanced as I would like it to be.Lasagna
The iconic Costco lasagna
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
If you're not part of the Costco cult, you may not know that this is a very famous item they carry. I've had it before, but it had been a while, and I was excited to try it again.
It's good. It's really good.
There's so much cheese, which you truly can't go wrong with (unless you are lactose intolerant, in which case you should move along). It was crispy on top, gooey throughout. And the meat had a really nice depth of flavour — I think I tasted a hint of anise, which seems very elevated for Costco.
Cooking it was simple — just take off the lid and pop it into a pre-heated oven. Although I did add an extra 10 minutes to the suggested time to bring it up to the recommended internal temperature. Also, I did not follow the instructions to wait for it to cool for five minutes, as I was in a rush (yes, I did burn my tongue, but it was yummy enough for me not to really care).
Price: $20.22 (1.8 kg)
My rating: 9/10. It's a classic for a reason. Delicious, filling, easy to cook. The only reason it doesn't get full points is that it takes an hour to cook, making it less convenient than the others. You have to plan ahead for it.
This one is also the best value for your dollar, and you can likely get about six portions from it, too.
Final thoughts
A Costco Canada haul.Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
Of these three Costco pre-made options, I would 100% get the lasagna and pita kits again. They score high on tastiness and value, with the lasagna rising slightly above in both.
The chicken chow mein, on the other hand, was still a good overall value for the amount of food you get, and it was super convenient, but the flavour just wasn't there.
That's just my preference, though, and someone else might be swayed by how easy it is to heat up over waiting an hour for lasagna. You do you, boo.
And with that, I'm off to Costco to try all their other premade options. Wish my wallet luck.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.