Taco night and pizza night. They are things that happen in my household with some measure of frequency. Mostly because of the wide appeal of those items. I mean who doesn't love pizza or tacos? Tacos are made to taste too. You put as much or as little as the ingredients as you like on them.
Taste and review
Both make for quick meals to get dinner on the table. Low-effort meals that everyone likes. Meals that allow you to get back to other things you want to do.
When this hit shelves, it went into my cart.
Now, to be fair, taco night is super easy to do at Trader Joe's. There is no shortage of tortilla types, meat and meatless options, guac, salsa, and cheese options.
I figured since the individual options are so good, then this set should be fine.
Well, I made these and my reaction was womp womp.
So let me start with the good. The meat in this is good as long as you can get a quick sear on this. So make sure you don't crowd the pan. A good amount of liquid still came out of mine regardless.
Now, let's go over the not-so-good. The flour tortillas have no problem holding up the contents of a taco. There really is no need to double up. If they were corn tortillas ok, maybe.
But the ingredient that added the most water was the salsa. Which of all the things they could have put into this, was not my favorite.
This would have been way better off with some pico de gallo. The cheese in this was Monterey Jack cheese. This would have been better with some of Trader Joe's 3 Cheese blend or some Cotija cheese.
And the guac, that was just some packaged guac that is basically identical to other plastic-wrapped guacamole options that are readily available.
Overall
Would I buy this again? Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit is a solid no from me. It was easy to have everything in one package, but they didn't improve upon what is already available for taco night on the shelves currently. And for the nearly $10 price tag, the bar was much higher. For just a bit more, you can grab a package of pre-marinated meat (or some soy chorizo) and have a much better outcome.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Product photos
The package of Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
Out of the package you get:
After being cooked you get:
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit
Product Name: Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit
Product Description: Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit has tortillas, beef, salsa, cheese and a jalapeno for taco night.
Price: $9.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Beef Sirloin Taco Kit is a new addition to the refrigerated aisle.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- It's taco night in a box
- Sirloin was good
Cons
- Expensive
- You can do better by picking up a few items in the store individually
- Too many tortilla shells which add up to a lot more calories than necessary
- Salsa was watery
- Jalapeno did not hold up well
Alek says
WOW! That's is so disappointing. I think if they could had done something with the jalapeno. Fire roasted and then diced. It's easier for someone whom doesn't have the time to shop around.
becomebetty says
Totally could have been better! I was totally bummed out. Now at least I can make a bunch of mini quesadillas with the left over tortillas. Thanks for sharing!
Dagmar says
Another product I had in my hands that I was thinking about buying but didn't. When I try to slide it open to look at the ingredients the salsa and the guacamole just didn't look right to me. I so love tacos and I agree with you that it is so much better to just buy the individual ingredients at Trader Joe's. Thanks for giving this a shot and reviewing it. Another so-so refrigerated item. I was so hoping they do better this year. That said the year is young & there is one new refrigerated product I have tried thus far that I really like.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! Some weeks I run pretty hot with reviews. This week isn't going so good in terms of what I've tried. So far for me the refrigerated product I've liked the best is the soba noodles. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing.
cheleny says
I agree that the meat was the best part of the kit. Certainly not enough to justify the price. I ended up using my own salsa because there in the kit was too spicy for my taste.
becomebetty says
Hey Cheleny! I noticed the same thing. The guac had heat in it too. I really wanted to like this. Thanks so very much for sharing your thoughts on this!
Anne with a silent E says
As always, super helpful review (and comments!) I was on the fence because in my experience, kits rarely live up to my expectations. For me, I'm willing to pay more for convenience sometimes but it has to be worth it. Thanks for confirmation on this one.
becomebetty says
Hey Anne! I feel the same way about items that save us time, but not if they aren't well done. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on this!
Dagmar says
Oh thank you so much for the reminder re: soba noodles. I need to get them next time I go!
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! Those soba noodles are pretty good. The package of noodles might take a bit of effort to pull apart, but the end result is pretty tasty. Worth a try. Just make sure the bag is fresh as that seems to sometimes be a problem in the refrigerated aisle.
Grubbing With Jess says
This is really interesting-I've noticed that a lot of grocery stores have been getting into the meal box game. Thank you for the review! I know if I saw this I would have been enticed to try it, but now I'll probably just get ingredients and make my own!
becomebetty says
Hey! I would totally pass on this one. I love a good meal box and like things with as little effort as possible. At the same time, it better be good. And this just didn't make the cut for me. Glad I could help and thanks again for stopping by!
Mike says
hey guys i got that taco kit. Im only planning on using the beef from it. Does anyone know the macros on just the meat?? Thank you
becomebetty says
Hey Mike! I can't tell you the exact macros, BUT if you look at the carne asada it should be pretty close (although not exactly because of the seasonings). Both are sirloin, so I figured it would be pretty close. The review of the Carne Asada is here and I hope it helps: https://www.becomebetty.com/trader-joes-carne-asada/
Michael Martinez says
Very helpful thank you so much Brenda and sorry this comment wasnt on the reply im new to your blog and still trying to navigate it 🙂
becomebetty says
Hey Mike! No worries. If you use the search feature at the top, you can scroll through over 1000 TJ's reviews, plus some recipes. I'm glad it helps!