The 4-Ingredient Dinner My Family Raves About—It Takes Less than 10 Minutes

Welcome to Fearless Meals, a column where we help you get through your busy week with speedy, easy, low-stress dinner recipes that call for 5 ingredients or less from our favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's.

Wrap Thingy was born one evening when I was very hungry and without a plan. I pulled random items from the fridge, and four Trader Joe’s things came through for me. 

It’s a dish my then-toddler requested for dinner often, calling it Wrap Thingy. (He had a limited vocabulary and was in his "thingy" phase. A dustpan was a broom thingy. A plunger was a toilet thingy.) The name stuck and we all fell in love with the name and the wrap. It's a scallion pancake wrapped around a kebab, crunchy leaves, and a garlicky sauce.

To make Wrap Thingy you need the following four ingredients from Trader Joe’s: Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes, Cruciferous Crunch salad, Middle Eastern Style Kebabs, and Garlic Spread Dip. Each serves a brilliant purpose. Though you could swap ‘em out, here's why this is the ideal combination.

Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes: These allium-flecked, flaky-layered, golden pancakes are meant to be cut into wedges and dipped in soy sauce. I reimagined them as a savory wrap, though I can’t take credit for the idea. I saw @consciouschris use the trick on Instagram. The pancakes are thicker and chewier than tortillas, and more savory than pitas. A pack comes with five 7 to 8-inch pancakes.

Cruciferous Crunch Collection: Kale, shaved Brussels sprouts and broccoli, green and red cabbage. This is the ideal combination of sturdy veggies with maximum crunch. My kids don't mind the bitter vegetables, but if you have pickier eaters, drizzle a little olive oil and a few drops of maple syrup on top, and massage them to take the edge off.

Middle Eastern Style Kebabs: These are fully cooked all-beef kebabs that are surprisingly well seasoned and boldly flavored. A pack comes with six kebabs, so one of the wraps gets two.

Garlic Spread Dip: I consider this one of my top three can't-live-without Trader Joe's products. (Recipe editor Laurel Randolph agrees.) It's Trader Joe's version of toum, an intense Middle Eastern garlic sauce. It looks like whipped cream cheese, but it doesn't have any dairy. It's just garlic, oil, salt, and lemon juice, and it adds big flavor and creaminess to the wrap.

How To Make My TJ's Wrap Thingy

Heat the scallion pancakes on an oil-slicked skillet until golden brown on both sides. There are five pancakes in the package so I have two skillets going at once because hanger is real. In the meantime, air fry the kebabs at 350°F for about five minutes (according to the package instructions). Alternatively, you could microwave them on high for one minute or grill them if you’re a high achiever. 

Smear a generous amount—two tablespoons or more—of the garlic spread on one side of a pancake. Add a handful of salad leaves on top, followed by a kebab. Fold the pancake in half to embrace its fillings. Your Wrap Thingy is done. My family raves about these even though it's truly a shortcut meal that relies heavily on pre-made ingredients. I'll take the credit.