The Pros: Trader Joe's Beef an Broccoli is a tasty and cost effective as compared to going out. Be ready for a bit more spice than traditional beef and broccoli.
The Cons: Can't be done in the microwave. You will need to do some "cooking" on this. Calorie count is reasonable, but it's also easy to eat the whole bag too.
The Verdict: At $6.99 this is one of the more expensive items I've tried so far, but may still be less than your local Chinese fast food establishment. Serve Trader Joe's Beef and Broccoli by itself or with rice. It's a great on its own with a nice balance between being sweet and spicy. There is lots of broccoli included if you are looking to make sure you eat your veggies. There is also sufficient sauce to coat this product.
The microwave might leave the broccoli a little soft, so don't feel too bad about reducing the cook time by a few seconds. Once the sauce hit the pan it started to bubble. In other words, the sugars present in that sauce were really really hot. The beef will be crispy in a wok or frying pan. If you know you'll have leftovers, then hold off on adding all the sauce as the crispiness will be lost if you are reheating the beef that has been coated with the sauce.
I'd buy this again. I enjoy Chinese taste out, but don't always want to go out or drag someone to my block. Keep this in the freezer for a meal that takes about 15 minutes.
Here is the visual rundown of what you can expect when you purchase this item.
In the freezer section:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare this:
What it looks like when you open the bag. You'll need to prepare this in steps:
Trader Joe's Mildly Sweet and Spicy Beef and Broccoli finished and ready to be served:
A close up look at Trader Joe's Mildly Sweet and Spicy Beef and Broccoli:
Well if that doesn't look like what you get out of the cardboard container, I don't know what does. Trader Joe's Beef and Broccoli also looks like the picture on the bag as well. The beef was a little crisp from being in the wok. The broccoli still had a little bit of bite to it, but not as crisp as the Chinese restaurant would serve it to you, but that's the microwave for you there. This was a bit spicier, but that wasn't a surprise given the description. Overall, it was a good value and will likely be found in my freezer at all times.
Want to see more items I’ve reviewed from Trader Joe’s? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Lovely website! Keep up the great work!
They have changed the serving size to one cup (six servings per bag) for 230. If they were trying to lure the calorie conscious, it worked. My bad for not noticing just how much it’d add up if I ate 1/2 the bag. 😚 That said, I do wish they’d have provided the nutrition specifics on the sauce packet. That is where the calories are hiding (first ingredient is sugar 😬).
I prepared mine using just under half the pouch. It was PLENTY flavorful. I can only imagine how much more spicy would have been. 🤔
I agree with Brenda’s review. Surprisingly good for a freezer section meal, but not the same as fresh. I would prefer a bag w/out the broccoli, so I might add in fresh from the produce isle. It was tasty, but I was put off a bit because my first bite of beef was a questionable, unchewable piece that I had to pull from my mouth. Maybe I’m too picky. I dunno. 😂
Hey Elaine! Thanks for sharing this! And yes, I noticed that too (sometimes it is hard for me to keep up with all the reviews here, I'm over 1000) once you brought this comment up. I guess this will have to be one of my items I go back and revisit. Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to share!
I will give this dish only “C” :
the taste is ok ,however the quality of the meat is really bad and the final result is unhealthy!