Bargain hunting at Costco can feel like striking gold—until you bring home a meal that tastes like disappointment in bulk. Some dishes promise easy dinners on a budget but fall flat on flavor, texture, or both.
A few options go even further, earning a spot on the “never again” list for good reason. Here are ten affordable meals that missed the mark and five you’ll want to avoid completely.
1. Kirkland Chicken Alfredo
Creamy sauce that somehow manages to be both bland and overpowering? That’s the Kirkland Chicken Alfredo paradox. The pasta consistently ends up mushy after heating, while the chicken chunks have that unmistakable processed texture that no amount of parmesan can disguise.
The sauce pools in oily puddles rather than coating the pasta. What should be a comforting classic becomes a disappointing mess that leaves you reaching for the salt shaker – and possibly ordering takeout instead.
2. Amy’s Organic Bowls
Health-conscious shoppers, beware! Amy’s Organic Bowls might boast clean ingredients, but several varieties suffer from the cardinal sin of frozen meals: they taste like the cardboard they’re packaged in.
The texture resembles something that’s been forgotten in the back of your freezer for months – mushy vegetables swimming alongside grains with an oddly chewy consistency. Particularly disappointing are the Asian-inspired varieties, which lack any authentic flavor profile.
3. Kirkland Cheese Pizza
Pizza should be impossible to mess up, yet Kirkland’s Cheese Pizza proves otherwise. The crust exists in a strange limbo – simultaneously doughy in the center and cracker-thin at the edges, achieving neither style successfully.
Where’s the cheese? That’s the question you’ll ask when confronted with the anemic sprinkling that barely covers the acidic tomato sauce. Even after adding your own toppings (which you’ll feel compelled to do), something remains off about the fundamental flavor profile.
4. Red’s Turkey Sausage Breakfast Burritos
Morning disappointment comes wrapped in a tortilla with Red’s Turkey Sausage Breakfast Burritos. The promise of a protein-packed breakfast crumbles faster than the dry eggs inside these sad cylinders.
The turkey sausage pieces are so microscopic you’ll need forensic equipment to locate them. Meanwhile, the tortilla achieves the impossible – simultaneously soggy and tough, with a weird chewiness that lingers long after breakfast is over.
5. Kirkland Shepherd’s Pie
Grandma would weep if she saw what Costco calls Shepherd’s Pie. This British comfort food classic has been transformed into a salt-laden mush that bears only a passing resemblance to its traditional inspiration.
The meat layer has that distinctive “boiled too long” flavor, while the vegetables maintain no structural integrity whatsoever. Topping it all is a potato layer that’s somehow both gluey and grainy – a textural achievement no one asked for.
6. Pierre Signatures Angus Cheeseburgers
Whoever named these “Signatures” clearly didn’t want their actual name associated with these hockey puck imposters. Pierre’s Angus Cheeseburgers might contain real beef, but you’d never know it from the strange, springy texture that defies both knife and tooth.
The patties release an alarming amount of liquid when heated, yet somehow remain dry when eaten. The cheese – if we can call it that – doesn’t melt so much as surrender, transforming into an oily slick that slides off the meat entirely.
7. Kirkland Chicken Street Taco Kit
False advertising reaches new heights with Kirkland’s Chicken Street Taco Kit. Nothing about these bland, moisture-challenged offerings resembles anything you’d find at an actual street vendor – unless that vendor was having a particularly bad day.
The chicken pieces have that tell-tale processed chew, while the tortillas crack rather than fold. The salsa included has all the personality of watered-down ketchup with some cilantro flecks thrown in as an afterthought.
8. Don Miguel Mini Tacos
Miniature in size but massive in disappointment, Don Miguel’s Mini Tacos manage to commit every possible Mexican food crime in one tiny package. The shells shatter into weapon-grade shards upon first bite, creating a hazardous eating experience.
Inside lurks a mysterious meat filling with a suspiciously uniform texture that bears no resemblance to actual beef or chicken. The spice profile can only be described as “someone who once heard about Mexican food trying to recreate it from memory.”
9. Kirkland Mac And Cheese
Mac and cheese should be the ultimate comfort food, but Kirkland’s version feels more like punishment. The pasta emerges from heating in one of two states: concrete-hard or disintegrating into a starchy slurry.
The cheese sauce achieves the remarkable feat of being both flavorless and overwhelming – coating your mouth with a film that lingers uncomfortably. What exactly is that slightly metallic aftertaste? That’s the mystery that will haunt you long after dinner.
10. TruRoots Ancient Grain Bowl
Ancient grains may have sustained civilizations, but TruRoots Ancient Grain Bowls won’t sustain your lunchtime satisfaction. These bowls epitomize style over substance – beautifully packaged emptiness masquerading as nutrition.
The texture lottery is particularly frustrating – some grains remain rock-hard while others dissolve into mush, often in the same bite. The flavor profile can only be described as “aggressively bland,” with occasional bitter notes from undercooked quinoa.
11. Kirkland Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed peppers should be a delightful combination of flavors and textures. Kirkland’s version, however, tastes like someone described the concept over a bad phone connection to the recipe developer.
The peppers themselves surrender completely during heating, transforming from vessels into sad, wilted sheets. The filling – a mysterious mixture of rice, meat, and unidentifiable bits – has the texture of wet newspaper and a flavor profile best described as “cafeteria adjacent.”
12. Ajinomoto Yakisoba Stir Fry
Authentic Japanese street food this is not. Ajinomoto’s Yakisoba Stir Fry manages to commit cultural appropriation against noodles, creating a dish that would make any actual Japanese chef weep into their ramen.
The noodles achieve a peculiar texture – simultaneously mushy and rubbery. The vegetables maintain an impressive resistance to rehydration, remaining desiccated even after thorough heating. The sauce packet contains what can only be described as liquid salt with notes of caramel coloring.
13. Kirkland Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie should be the ultimate comfort food, but Kirkland’s version misses every mark except size. This behemoth contains enough sodium to preserve a small mammal and enough gluey filling to wallpaper a room.
The ratio of chicken to everything else is laughable – you’ll find yourself on a treasure hunt for protein among vast seas of gravy-soaked vegetables. The crust achieves the impossible – simultaneously soggy on the bottom and dangerously sharp on top, threatening the roof of your mouth with each bite.
14. CJ Bibigo Mini Wontons Chicken & Cilantro
False advertising reaches new heights with these so-called “chicken & cilantro” wontons. Forensic investigation is required to locate either ingredient in these disappointing dough pockets. The wrappers cook unevenly – gummy in some spots, leathery in others.
The filling has the distinctive texture of mystery meat, with occasional tough bits that might be chicken… or might not. As for the promised cilantro, perhaps they waved a sprig over the factory line during production.
15. Kirkland Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Panera Bread can rest easy knowing their broccoli cheddar soup remains unrivaled by Kirkland’s sad interpretation. This soup achieves the remarkable feat of being simultaneously watery and pasty – a textural contradiction that boggles the mind.
The broccoli pieces have surrendered all structural integrity, dissolving into unidentifiable green flecks. The cheese component presents as a mysterious oily slick floating on top, refusing to integrate with the rest of the soup despite vigorous stirring.