Nov 19, 2021 - Food and Drink

Taste test: Trader Joe's Thanksgiving foods

The disappointing Turkey Sausage Stuffing Fried Rice from Trader Joe's.

The disappointing Turkey Sausage Stuffing Fried Rice. Photo: Ben Montgomery/Axios

After Axios Chicago reviewed Aldi's special holiday foods, we decided to see if Trader Joes' Thanksgiving-themed foods would be up to par for your dinner table.

State of gobble: We tried whatever we could find in the Tampa and St. Pete locations this week and rated them out of five πŸ¦ƒ.

Ben's takes, in six words:

  • Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix: Requires little effort, difficult to eat. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Turkey Sausage Stuffing Fried Rice: Nothing about this says Thanksgiving. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Turkey Flavored Gravy: Thin as your aunt Beverly Anne's. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Camembert Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites: Delicious goodness wrapped in paper napkins. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix: Tastes mildly disappointing, like Christmas past. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Baker Josef's Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix: Sweet and dense, like corn cake. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ

Selene's takes:

  • Green Bean Casserole Bites: Much tastier than expected! Also filo based, so maybe don't pair with Camembert bites. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Breaded Turkey-Less Stuffed Roast With Gravy: This is a giant vegan chicken nugget. And the gravy is basically salt and pepper water. Good to appease the family vegan with an all-in-one option, but disappointing as a centerpiece. If you're vegetarian, get the Quorn kind. Or get TJ's smaller vegan stuffed roast and make your own vegan gravy. πŸ¦ƒπŸ¦ƒ
  • Creamed Greens: OK as a dip, but gross as a side. πŸ¦ƒ

🍽 What we'd actually serve: The casserole bites and gingerbread cookies. Everything else was a little too good to be true.

The Turkey-Less roast (basically a giant nugget) from Trader Joe's.
The Turkey-Less roast (basically a giant nugget). Photo: Selene San Felice/Axios
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