Pesto alla Genovese Basil Pesto

Price: $2.49

Rating: 8/10

I'm not the biggest fan of pesto, but I bought this because I wanted to try it with Trader Joe's Sweet Corn, Burrata & Basil Ravioli. I have to say I really liked it. It had a good flavor that went a long way with just a little bit of sauce. It would be good on pizza as well, or as a topping for garlic bread, or maybe even in a potato salad or pasta salad. I'm looking forward to trying it on some other TJ's pastas soon that I've picked up.

Sweet Corn, Burrata & Basil Ravioli

Price: $3.49

Rating: 7/10

I originally tried this ravioli with Trader Joe's Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce, but wanted to try it again with Trader Joe's Pesto alla Genovese Basil Pesto to see if that brought out the basil flavor better. I liked it with both, so I'm not sure which I'd say is the better, but I think it probably depends on your personal preference. The ravioli has a good, summery flavor that pairs well with both. With the Trader Joe's Pesto alla Genovese Basil Pesto you definitely get more of the basil flavor, but with the Trader Joe's Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce you don't get too much of it if you're not a die-hard basil lover. The ravioli was an interesting flavor, but I don't think it'll be a standard pick for me, as I kind of prefer more traditional ravioli flavors.

Truffle Mac & Cheese

Price: $3.49

Rating: 4/10

I loved TJ’s Mac & Cheese with Green Chiles, so when I saw this new Truffle Mac & Cheese, I was psyched! I was going to make it as an appetizer for a get together with some friends at my apartment, but we ended up making some other things instead, so I had it for dinner one night. I followed the directions exactly, and what came out was so unappetizing I threw about ⅓ of it away. It came out rubbery with a sauce that was super thick and not-at-all-creamy. I’m not sure if maybe I should have tried stirring it sooner so the pasta would get more coated in sauce while it was cooking to avoid the rubberiness or what, but it seemed like the main problem was just not enough sauce to cover the macaroni. Whatever the issue was, I won’t be buying this again to try to solve the issue.

Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms

Price: $5.99

Rating: 7/10

I was super excited when I saw this sauce at TJ’s since I’m a fan of creamy sauces as well as mushrooms. I was a little skeptical about the scallops since they can be a bit rubbery, but decided to try it out anyway. 

I ate mine over pasta, but you could probably also have it over potatoes or rice and it would be just as good. The bag is pretty small and only contains 2–3 servings or so, but it’s pretty great. When you open it, it looks like there isn’t any sauce since it’s all stuck to the scallops, so it only turns into actual sauce when it heats. It has a good, creamy flavor, although I wouldn’t have minded some extra peas. The sauce itself is good, but I did add some pepper and some truffle salt to up the mushroom factor though. Despite these few issues though, I thought it was pretty great and I’ve bought it a few times since I originally tried it. 

Dark Chocolate Hearts

Price: $2.99

Rating: 9/10

Just when I thought that TJ’s couldn’t come up with a covered shortbread cookie that compared to the Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars, these came along! They’re bigger than the Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars, but with the same super-chocolatey flavor that I loved, just minus the mint. There’s also some nonpareils on top which give it a nice texture. I ended up eating only one box of these because they sold out so quickly in NYC. But if they have them again next year, I’m going to be stocking up (assuming there’s any room left not occupied by the Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars)!

Trader Joe's Raspberry Hearts

Price: $4.99

Rating: 9/10

I’m a little late on posting this as they’re no longer in stores, but I loved them so much I just had to write about them anyway. They don’t look like too much, but I thought they were fantastic! The cookies themselves are a shortbread, which is super soft and crumbly, and a just a little sweet. The raspberry jam filling is great, although I do wish there was just a bit more of it. The only downside was that they did get a little hard/stale if you didn’t eat them fairly quickly. I ended up eating 3 boxes total before they sold out, and I’m hoping they bring them back again next year.

Traditional Tunisian Harissa

Price: $2.69

Rating: 8/10

When I first moved to New York, I quickly developed a love for gyros, eating at least 3–4 a week for the entire first year that I lived here. Most gyros here are served by street vendors with hot sauce and “white sauce” (a mystery sauce that’s sort of vinegary and definitely isn’t Tzatziki, but no one really knows what it is, so it’s just called “white sauce”) on top, in a more North African/Middle Eastern version of the gyro than the Greek version that most Americans are familiar with. When I’ve tried to replicate these on my own before, I’ve never been able to get a hot sauce that tastes as good as the sauce you get from street vendors, so I was psyched when I saw this harissa, knowing that it would probably be pretty close to what I was used to getting from street carts. Harissa, if you’re not familiar, is a paste made from chili peppers. While it’s not actually a sauce, it does have a similar flavor to a Middle Eastern hot sauce.

I whipped up some Trader Joe’s Gyro Slices to make myself a gyro from these, and slathered on a rather generous helping of the Traditional Tunisian Harissa. I thought I was going to breathe fire when I bit into it. Make no mistake, this Harissa is HOT. My eyes might start watering just thinking about it. I should have known to take it easy since it’s not actually a SAUCE, but a PASTE, and therefore is much more concentrated. I ended up whipping quite a bit off of the gyro, but once I got it down to a reasonable amount, I’m happy to say that I really loved this stuff! It is indeed an acceptable substitute for the hot sauce used at street carts. I’m sure there’s a way to actually turn this into a sauce by pureeing it with something else, but I don’t think I’m going to be quite that dedicated to figuring it out.

This goes great with gyros, but could also go great mixed with cream cheese or goat cheese and used as a dip, on sandwiches (maybe mixed with mayo to temper its spiciness), mixed with chickpeas, or with eggs. And since the stuff is so strong, you can probably make one jar last a long time. I’ve used it several times already and when I open the jar it doesn’t even look like any of it’s been used since I’ve used so little each time.