New Trader Joe’s Jambalaya Review: Big Easy or Hard No

Listen, I’ve only been to New Orleans once (pre-Katrina!), so I’m no jambalaya expert. I am, however (for better or worse) a frozen food expert. In particular, I’ve tasted a lot of Trader Joe’s frozen meals and a lot of them are good. Some of Trader Joe’s frozen pastas are unreal. They have some banger frozen pizzas, too. So how does a frozen rice dish like this stack up? I dumped this sucker into a skillet and let the good times roll—but how good were they? Allow me to tell you.

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Trader Joe’s Jambalaya

Trader Joe’s

Pros: My favorite part of this dish—besides how quick and easy it is to whip up after work on a busy Tuesday—is the flavor of the sausage. It has a simmering heat and a punch of zesty paprika flavor. The rice isn’t bad either—it cooks up firm, even when you add a little water to the mix when cooking.

Cons: I don’t really like frozen rice dishes in general, but my husband, who shared the bag with me, assures me Trader Joe’s Jambalaya just isn’t all that good. None of the flavors really blend. One bite is sweet and tomatoey. The next bite is green pepper straight to the dome. And even though the flavor is good, I wasn’t in love with the texture of the andouille—it’s dense and spongy instead of loose and juicy like good sausage. The portion size is problematic, too. TJ’s says this serves “about two,” but they should say “about two if neither of you are terribly hungry.” We don’t eat huge dinners, but I think both of us would have eaten more if we could have. Well, if it tasted better.

Rating:

5.5/10

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About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.