3 New Costco Dinner Finds I'll Be Buying All Year (They’re All $10 or Less)

The turning of a calendar to a new year brings a feeling of freshness and new opportunities. Luckily what’s novel isn’t limited to personal resolutions. Exciting launches are also lining the aisles of our favorite stores — including my personal favorite, Costco.

As a 13-year member of the warehouse chain, I’m very familiar with the varieties of frozen pizza, bags of coffee, and nonstop rotation of desserts Costco sells. When new products are introduced, I make sure to grab a sample (when offered) or buy a package to see if it’s versatile enough to become one of my go-to dinnertime staples. If I can imagine a few different ways to serve these products, they pass the test. These are the three new (or new-to-me) items that made the cut.

1. Okami Garlic BBQ Chicken Bao, $9.99 for 23 ounces

I love keeping freezer or refrigerated versions of my favorite restaurant dishes on hand, but it’s not because their flavor matches what I order from the pros. (Spoiler: It rarely does.) I do it because it adds variety to my dinners beyond the same rotation of meals I find myself cooking week in and week out.

Char Siu Bao is a family favorite, but making them from scratch can take several hours (which I don’t often have), and with our go-to dim sum spot across the city, I was happy to spot this pack of refrigerated bao at Costco. The buns steam in just minutes and are easy to serve with a tangy cucumber salad or crunchy cabbage slaw with peanuts.

2. Las Fortunitas Organic Flour Tortillas, $4.99 for 38 tortillas

I avoided buying tortillas from Costco for years because I didn’t love the brand it carried, plus there were way too many for my family to go through before they started to stale. On a recent visit, I noticed a new package filled with organic flour tortillas, evenly divided into two resealable bags.

At just $4.99 (or about 13 cents per tortilla!), the packaging allows me to stash some in the freezer, and keep others in the pantry for quick dinner prep. The tortillas are soft and pliable, not dried and susceptible to cracking, like some other store-bought tortillas I’ve tried. They’re 8 inches in diameter, making them perfect for the chicken burritos, enchiladas suizas, and cheesy mushroom quesadillas I often cook for dinner.

3. Pulmuone Teriyaki Stir-Fry Udon, $8.59 for 4 (6.7-ounce) servings

One of the biggest dinner challenges is what to serve when we aren’t eating together due to busy work schedules or late-evening practices. This package of stir-fry udon noodles takes just minutes to make on the stovetop (or in the microwave). The servings are individually packaged, so I only need to warm up the noodles for the family members who are ready to eat. The best part — it takes less than five minutes to prep.

This dinner is in the refrigerated section and has fresh udon noodles that are thick and chewy, a powdered teriyaki seasoning, and a packet of dried vegetables and seasonings. I like to soften and warm the noodles and toss with the teriyaki seasoning, but skip the dried vegetable packet (they never seem to soften enough to my liking). Instead, I toss the noodles with frozen stir-fry veggies and any leftover proteins I have in the fridge, and finish with some sliced scallions and sesame seeds. The seasoning level is perfect for the spice-averse, and a few dashes of hot sauce or chili crisp would be more than welcome.

What are your favorite new dinner staples to buy at Costco? Tell us in the comments below!