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Fat Tuesday may have been a couple of weeks ago, but I’ll never get tired of eating classic New Orleans meals. I dream of simmering pots of gumbo, hearty plates of red beans and rice, and towering roast beef po’ boys. The best batches of these dishes are made in the Crescent City, but wherever my mom’s cooking is a close second.
After living in New Orleans for a little over a decade, my family is well-versed in NOLA food. Jambalaya is a dish that we always keep in rotation — especially for large get-togethers. Trader Joe’s recently released a frozen version of the New Orleans classic, and with my mom a few states away now I had to see if it would be a quick cure for homesickness.
What You Should Know About Trader Joe’s Jambalaya
Jambalaya means “all mixed up” or “jumbled,” which describes both how all the ingredients come together in the dish, but also the history of it. The dish has inspiration from so many different cultures, including West African, French, and Spanish influences, which make it what it is today.
Trader Joe’s version of the dish has a base of onion, tomato, green bell pepper, and green onion. Notably, there’s no celery, which is an essential ingredient in the traditional “Holy Trinity” base, but I will let it slide this time because they did include green bell pepper. Tomato makes this a “Creole” jambalaya that looks a little redder, whereas “Cajun” jambalaya has a more brown appearance. It’s also gluten-free.
Each bag comes with two servings of jambalaya. You can either microwave it for 6 minutes (covered the first half and uncovered at the end), or cook it in a skillet for a little under 10 minutes to reheat. Either way, just make sure the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 165°F before eating.
My Honest Review of Trader Joe’s Jambalaya
This frozen version of jambalaya from Trader Joe’s is seriously good. I was surprised by how many different layers of flavor and spice a frozen meal could have. My favorite bites of any jambalaya are always ones with plenty of sausage, and Trader Joe’s did not skimp on the amount of andouille. This scores some major bonus points for me. It packed a great amount of smoke and heat without being overly spicy.
However, I was slightly disappointed by the rice itself. It was a little mushy and could use a bit more seasoning, but that’s nothing a little Tony Chachere’s can’t fix…