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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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
Currency: USD
Availability: Discontinued
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.
Alek says
I wonder if you could remove those from the tray and ladled some of tomato sauce in a foil pan. Bake it in the oven. Maybe that would be better solution.
becomebetty says
Hey Alek! That is what I'm hoping that someone would be willing to try and experiment with. Or at least thaw these in the refrigerator. I don't want to stink up the house again. Thanks so much for stopping by!
judilyn says
My go-to solution for heating just about anything that microwaving is the suggested method, is to heat up a good quality, heavy frying pan with some water in it to make sure it gets really hot without warping. Keeping some of the water in the pan, put in the desired item resting on a trivet so that direct contact with the bottom of the pan is mitigated. Let the lovely steam do its work.
In this case, adding a bit of pasta sauce from a jar (or your own from the freezer) would work well. Put the cover back on and turn the fire either off or way down, depending on how much of a hurry you are in and/or how assiduous you are, and let the whole thing heat through. An electric burner will retain sufficient heat for quite a while to maintain eating temperature. Be mindful of this and turn off the burner and let the gentle heat finish the job to the core of the reheated item.
A shredded cheese and fresh salsa topping would really pull this into "fancy" territory.
Unless the item is something that should be crispy, this is an excellent way to gently heat something that your tummy will love. If it is an item that should be crispy, then get it good and hot, pour out the fluid, put the item directly on the frying pan's surface and let it caramelize. Watch carefully!
If you can plan far enough ahead, take the item out of the freezer the day or night before and let it thaw somewhat in the refrigerator before putting it into the frying pan.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
becomebetty says
Hey Judie! Great suggestions here. I always make it a point to follow the printed directions to find out if they work. If I were to buy it again I would absolutely try it the way you suggested. Thanks so much as always for stopping by!
Dag says
Oh my gosh, you always beat me to the new products lately! And I thought I had the ultimate new product radar where I could just scan across an area and automatically pick out any new products. I guess my scanner has been on the fritz.and come on TJs-eastern European cabbage rolls????!!!! Cabbage in and by itself is a tough sell as it is. My mom actually made a decent German cabbage roll but it's not something that I would spend money to buy given the chance. There are so many other types of European fare that they could of taken a chance on that would have had a far better chance of success.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! Going into TJs is like a scavenger hunt. I can't wait until I see some new stuff this fall. The holidays I'll never be able to review as much as they have on shelves. I imagine your Mom's were pretty good. But cabbage (especially on a reheat) can be a tough sell. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Chief Winehound says
I'm getting a visual here, and it's not pretty. This is a funny post.
becomebetty says
Hey Chief Winehound! Sorry about being pretty visual but it needed to be said. Thanks so much for appreciating my sense of humor. I don't want all the reviews on here to be boring to read.
Stacey says
I am going to try heating in the instant pot. I’ll let you know how that turns out.
becomebetty says
Hey Stacey! I can't wait to hear how it turns out. Thanks so much!
EvelynU says
These were terrible! There was no tomato sauce, although it is in the picture! These are just limp cabbage and filling--no sauce except some cabbage-y water. I opened a can of tomato sauce and tried to salvage them, but they were truly bad. I'm taking the package back to TJs to ask for a refund!
becomebetty says
Hey EvelynU! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and confirming some of the same experiences. I don't blame you for taking them back. Thanks for stopping by.
Yvonne says
I took mine out of the pan, placed in a baking dish with tomato sauce (bottom and top) and baked at 350 for 45 minutes, uncovered. Perfect, no smell and not watery!
becomebetty says
Hey Yvonne! Thank you so much for getting back to me on this! Did you find the review before or after you tried it this way? Anyways, this is a great service to my readers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Jessie B says
I’m doing this right now. I’l report back!
becomebetty says
Can't wait to hear your results! Thanks Jessie B!
Doris Meland says
I grew up in a polish neighborhood and these TJ’s cabbage rolls come no where near the taste, texture or quality. I was excited to see them at TJ’s but will not buy them again. They, to say it nicely, were bland and as mentioned in the overall review the texture was off, did not seem like real ground beef. Where’s the sauce & substance?
becomebetty says
Hey Doris! Thanks for adding this. And I couldn't agree more with you! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share!
Deb says
I followed Judyie's suggestion since I don't have a microwave. Steamed them, then finished them off in the oven with some pasta sauce. Didn't get the horrible smell. The flavor was okay. I bought two packages, and I'm not sure I'd buy them again. Maybe.
becomebetty says
Hey Deb! Thanks so very much for checking in about that and sharing your experience with these. I hope you'll stop by again!