The pros: Trader Joe's Bambino Pepperoni Pizza is tasty pizza which might bring you back in a way.
The cons: If you are looking for that thin crust experience, then this is not it.
The verdict: My husband and I sometimes lack a bit of sophistication. Pizza is a regular item on the menu. I love to cook. In fact, when I started this blog my game plan was to be like Betty Crocker. Hence the name of the blog. Alas, different schedules prevent me from making awesome meals. There is nothing like slaving over the stove only to find out it's just going to have to go into the refrigerator anyways and be subject to reheating.
So after about six months of marriage I mostly gave up on cooking and the focus of this blog is "cooking." It's all relative I guess. Anyways, if there is one leftover in our house that I can firmly attest that has absolutely never gone to waste, then it has to be pizza. There is something about that combination that seems to be able to make most people happy.
This box is no exception. Unless you like thin crust pizza. Which this is not. This is far more doughy in texture, but made me feel like a kid. Every Friday, pizza was on the menu at school. Now, living in NYC school pizza and "real pizza" suffer a major disconnect. The are inherently different.
For $3.99 you are getting four pizzas. Which in a strange way reminds me of the price of school lunch growing up. I think it was only $1 back then. Depending on the meal served, they were still way over charging us. Anyways, this pizza is different from Trader Joe's Bambino Formaggio as this includes pepperoni.
The pepperoni is not too spicy but is generous enough as there seems to be about 3-4 slices on each pizza. It gives it flavor without adding that classic grease drip that NYC pizzas are famed for. There is enough cheese to cover this as well.
The directions were on point. Any less cooking might result in an undercooked pizza. Go too far and you'll have very crisp cheese. Both my husband and I both liked this. If you are able to have a bit of self control, one pizza is under 300 calories. For the price this is way cheaper than what you'll pay for a Weight Watchers frozen pizza.
This isn't the best pizza you'll ever put in your mouth. But as something that came out of the freezer box and under $4, it's darn good. This is a regular purchase in my household. Worth a try if you like your pepperoni pizza a bit on the thicker side.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The box of Trader Joe's Bambino Pepperoni Pizza:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
Out of the package you get:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Bambino Pepperoni Pizza again.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Thanks for the review on these. I have passed them by numerous times. Looking at the picture on the box I could see that the crust was thick (I prefer thin) and it didn't look like it had enough cheese/toppings. After your review though I may give them a shot. Looks like you like these better than the cheese ones that you reviewed back in 2006. Those truly looked like freezer pizza with not enough cheese.
If you like thin crust, I would say skip it. These eat a bit more like a small round slice of Sicilian pizza. I think I was on a pizza binge for a while too looking back. I think I had the wood fired pepperoni pizza which was awesome as a pie that can be shared. None of the freezer pizzas are truly thin curst. I think I went from the perspective of for a dollar they weren't bad and looking back perhaps I was a bit harsh on the ones without pepperoni, but I also think that simple addition made a real difference. As always Dag, thanks for stopping by!
Ahhh OK. Thanks. I think I'll stick with their flatbread pizzas then.
These are ok - sodium is a bit high, but calories are not bad, if I could just eat one! 😉 I have tried most of the TJ's pizza's and I like 3 cheese the best. As always, thanks for your great review.
Hey EllenLV! I have the same issue with these too. It seems in my household we mean to eat just one, but end up eating the whole box. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this!