I was really excited to see Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls hit store shelves. I love stuffed items. Maybe one day we will see some stuffed peppers. For right now, we will have to settle for these.
So let's go through the negatives here first. Usually, I save these for the end. But this is the order in which I experienced things.
Taste testing
There are only microwave directions. Normally, I like microwavable items, but I'm really really hoping someone out there will be able to come up with some alternate directions.
Now, cabbage is an interesting item. When done right it is delicious. When done wrong, hydrogen sulfide is released into the air alerting all those within smelling distance that something has gone terribly wrong.
Chemical warfare was unleashed after 3 minutes in the microwave.
If you were sharing this with a first date, you can be certain it might be a last date too. If you are married, it might unleash the "Did you just..." "No! It was the cabbage this time" discussion.
If you were making this at work, you will earn the ire of your colleagues. It may even inspire Febreeze to create a new fragrance line called burning sage to put the devil in check. Or make you want to get an EMF reader to make sure the microwave is no longer possessed.
In short, that not-so-pleasant smell of overcooked cabbage came right through in all of its glory. And it shouldn't be that much of a surprise. You have a product that has been cooked, frozen, and then microwaved.
Despite the noxious odor, the texture of the cabbage leaves was a bit lacking. They ran in both directions of mushy and ones that still had some texture to them.
Without the use of red sauce, the aesthetics of this product are lacking. In other words, this product will not win a beauty pageant since they look like brown logs.
So now that I've given you the smell and the visual, I'm sure you are dying to know how they taste.
And yes, I ate all of these. There was one thing that was odd about the ground beef. It wasn't the taste; it was the texture. The ground beef is ground to the consistency of Taco Bell's taco meat.
The filling wasn't bad actually. It was plentiful. The beef was mixed with carrots and onions. The flavor of tomato was there too, but there was also a mild heat as well.
I ended up pairing mine with some of Trader Joe's Marinara with Barolo wine which seemed to bring it back to the type of cabbage rolls that I've had in the past.
Overall
For $4.99 these aren't cheap either. Like a stinky cheese, the bark is far worse than the bite itself. I did eat all of them. But if you can figure out a way to cook these safely, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section.
Would I buy this again? I'd be willing to try these again if someone can come up with a way to cook these so that I don't need to reach for a gas mask. Until then, Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls probably won't end up in my cart again. The bark was worse than the bite.
Product photos
The package of Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients and how to prepare:
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After being cooked you get:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls
Product Name: Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls
Product Description: Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls are frozen but poorly executed.
Price: $4.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls are frozen and unimpressive.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Trader Joe's Beef Cabbage Rolls are going to be the least pretty thing I've photographed in a while.
- In fact, they reminded me of a certain overused brown emoji.
- If you don't like red sauce, then Trader Joe's skipped that here.
Cons
- Directions are microwave only and I do wonder if this would have held up better using a different method.
- This might not be a good idea to bring to work (more on that in a moment).
- This ranks as one of the worst items from Trader Joe's I've ever tried. And I've tried more than 1000.
Kathy Weller says
I steam these, using a veggie basket, in the type of pot you'd cook pasta in, with about 3/4 inch of water at the bottom. About ten minutes of active steaming and they come out perfect. You can put sauce on them after, if you like. Just have a good pair of tongs to lift them out of the pan so they don't unravel, and place them on a paper towel or clean kitchen towel for just a minute, to remove additional moisture on the bottom.
becomebetty says
Hey Kathy! Thanks for the extra set of directions. I'm glad this methods works out better. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing!
Bis says
Just tried the baking for 45 minutes version. Bottom line, these rolls are awful. Just threw them away.
becomebetty says
Hey Bis! Thanks for sharing. You can probably go to TJs and ask for your money back. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share your experience
nish-nish says
These were horrible! I warmed them in the microwave and they were limp and watery. There was no sauce to save them and the texture was very weird. After a couple of bites I threw it away. It was pretty tasteless and definitely didn't taste like any beef I've ever had. I won't be buying again
becomebetty says
Hey Nish-Nish! I had the same experience. I wish yours was better than it was. Thanks for stopping by to share!
Michelle Lippert says
I bought these on a quick break hoping to take them back to work for a delicious lunch . I should’ve paid more attention. I expected sauce and flavor - both were lacking. The filling was weird - really finely ground beef and veggies. Not anything like cabbage rolls I’ve ever had before. What a disappointment. Avoid these at all costs! I love Trader Joe’s but this was an epic fail. And it cost me 4 1/2 dollars!
becomebetty says
Hey Michelle! You can always bring back your reciept for a refund. That's the beauty of Trader Joe's. I wish your experience wasn't so similar to mine. Thanks again for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share your thoughts on this!
Kathleen Loeb says
Hi Trader Joes offers a recipe including a red sauce and oven heating instructions on their website.
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/dinner/beef-cabbage-rolls-in-tomato-sauce
becomebetty says
Hey Kathleen! Thanks for sharing. I'm still bummed out that a sauce wasn't included because it might have made these just a bit better.Thanks for taking the time out of your to day to stop by!
Mary Kay says
I'm so disappointed! I love the cabbage rolls my mom used to make, stuffed with beef and rice, tender and edible with a fork. These were so tough and stringy that they were unable to be cut with a knife. I tried picking them up and biting them, but my teeth couldn't bite through the cabbage of steel. All the water dribbled out and stained my lap, and eventually, I was able to squeegee a bit of bland, mealy filling out of a hole in the iron-clad cabbage shell. I ended up unrolling yards of limp, translucent cabbage wrapping and I scraped some of the filling off and ate it. I was hungry, but the filling wasn't tasty enough to lick from the remains of the sad cabbage swaddling.
becomebetty says
Hey Mary Kay! So sorry to hear your experience. I'd consider talking to customer service to see if you can get a refund on these. But thanks for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share your thoughts on these.
Joanne says
Barely Edible and not worth the human energy to open the package or the wattage used to cook them. I followed the directions for microwave. They were soggy, and the cabbage was so stringy and tough I could not eat it. It was bland. I added pasta sauce to try to save it. The meat, was good but not much of it. The first two I somehow manage to get some of it down, I tried a couple weeks later the other two and ended up discarded it after hunting down the small portion of meat. Never again! Mom has nothing to worry about. Mom's cabbage rolls rock!
becomebetty says
Hey Joanne! Thanks so much for sharing this. I felt the same way. I cant figure out why they are still on shelves.
Rose Gresser says
I got my $5. back when I went to cust service…they seemed to “know” about how awful this product is. Not only was the cabbage tough and under cooked and tasteless but the filling was “mystery meat” with no flavor, no rice, and no veggies could be detected…awful.
becomebetty says
I'm glad to hear you got your money back. I'm not sure how this item got past any taste testers. I do know the staff does try pretty much everything, so odds are they probably thought the same thing. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Linda Danylyshyn says
This is the worst product that TJs has ever produced. I can’t imagine how anyone could eat this, especially if they’ve ever had REAL cabbage rolls.
becomebetty says
Hey Linda! I have often thought the same thing. Thanks so much for taking the time to share!
Ami says
I loved these! I heated up a tablespoon of butter in a cast iron skillet. On medium heat, I placed all four frozen cabbage rolls in the skillet, straight from the freezer. I then added 1/2 cup of water and let them simmer until the water was evaporated. I then turned the cabbage rolls over to get that grilled caramelization on both sides. Finished them off with a sprinkle of kosher salt. #yummy