The pros: Trader Joe's Marsala Style Sauce is new to shelves with solid ingredients. In fact, the first two ingredients are marsala cooking wine and mushrooms.
The cons: Depending on how much sauce you like will dictate whether or not this jar will be enough. The wine flavor might be overpowering to some palates.
The verdict: The new items aisle got me again. Now for the sake of clarity, Trader Joe's sells a Masala simmer sauce which has Indian flavors to it. This however is Marsala which is usually a sauce that has wine and mushrooms.
The ingredients made me hopeful as to some level of quality as the first two ingredients were wine and mushrooms. Upon opening the jar there was a light brown sauce which very much smelled like wine. It's not subtle but does mellow when heated. It looked, tasted, and smelled like a thick bottle of marsala wine. The mushrooms were clearly packed in the jar as well.
Now, to be fair, I did cheat on the directions. I'm all about working smarter and not harder. So I promptly went into my freezer and grabbed my bag of Trader Joe's Breaded Chicken. Now, before you react, I did check the ingredients and for the most part it is dredged in flour. Itt is not authentic in anyway and perhaps has a thicker breading than a quick flour dredge would normally yield. I probably might not go that path again, but it wasn't inedible either.
So while the chicken cutlets were heating in the toaster oven, I had the sauce simmering. The sauce will change colors from a paler brown to a much deeper hue. I coated the chicken cutlets and was relatively pleased with the end result.
The sauce was thick and full of flavor. The wine stood out but was not as pungent as it was when I first opened the jar. For as small as this jar is, there were quite a few mushrooms packed in there. All things considered, it did not taste too salty either. It was a very, very well done jarred sauce. You won't confuse this with a restaurant level marsala sauce, but you might not be disappointed for $2.99.
This made for a quick, easy, and tasty dinner. It's worth a try if you like marsala sauces. My only real complaint here was that I think a pound of anything would only by thinly coated, so plan ahead and perhaps consider getting a second jar just in case. Otherwise, my finished product was the entire contents of the jar. I can see myself buying a few more of these. I'm sure there is lots of room for experimenting with this in a crock pot or Instant Pot too.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The jar of Trader Joe's Marsala Style Sauce:
The nutritional information (apologies for needing two pictures):
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
After being cooked you get:
A closer look at the sauce:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Marsala Style Sauce again. It was quick, painless, and above all tasty.
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!
Dagmar says
Sometimes I wish I liked mushrooms:)
becomebetty says
Sorry Dag, from the sounds of it this would be a total no from you.
Penelope Tucker says
I purchased a jar of this marsala sauce based on your review and combined it with some chicken thigh fillets that I pan fried. Wowza! This is absolutely delicious. So much so I'm dropping by my local TJs to lay in a supply (just in case they disappear). I'm thinking it would also make a nice vegetarian pasta dish if I just add some sauted portobello slices instead of the chicken.
becomebetty says
Hey Penelope! You totally think the way I do. I shop at TJs the same way. I'm always fearful that when I find something I really like they might take it away. I absolutely agree with you. So many great options. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
Jeanette says
This sauce has been a staple for my family since I discovered it a few months ago. Sadly it has disappeared, and I've gotten various responses when I ask about it.... It is "seasonal" and will be back in October (!!!) it is discontinued, they don't know if or when it will be back. I see it on Amazon at ridiculously jacked up prices, but I am REALLY wanting to find it somewhere. After checking all my local stores when it first went away, I was able to buy up several jars, but I'm down to my last two jars now! Any idea how to find out who was making it for TJ's and/or if it is available anywhere else?
becomebetty says
Hey Jeanette! I've been wondering the same thing too. My store hasn't had it in months and I really liked the sauce quite a bit. Unfortunately, they are pretty secretive who the suppliers are and I haven't seen anything like it in other stores. I wish I could give you a better answer. I was really hoping that wouldn't be a seasonal product at all. I figured it was good enough to put on store shelves permanently. However, I'm not affiliate with Trader Joe's in anyway so I wish I had a better answer for you. Did you ask corporate or your local store?
becomebetty says
Hey Jeanette! Well, your sources were correct. I just got home from my local Trader Joe's and found a whole shelf of them in the pasta sauce section. Just figured I'd give you the heads up 🙂
Patricia Restivo says
Absolutely Delicious - Made it exactly like the jar said with Trader Joe's Fresh Chicken Breast Tenders, lightly fry in pan then cover with sauce and a little water ( I poured in a can of drained string beans) and simmered for 8-10 mins. Yummmy! Made the Trader Giotto's Frozen Fettuccine with Mushrooms in a separate pan as directed for a side. I've had this a number of times and just today went to our Trader Joe's in Montgomerville, PA and it was not there. I asked and the lady at counter said it has been discontinued. Please don't tell me that!!!
becomebetty says
Hey Patricia! I can't check inventory (I don't work for TJ's) but the same thing happened last year. Of all the items, this is randomly a seasonal item. It tends to show up in the Winter time and then quietly disappear off of shelves sometime in April. All we can do is hope it will be back next year and stock up. I hope this helps! Thanks for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share!
Patricia Restivo says
Thanks for letting me know. Will look for it next Fall and wish it were available all year long!
Patrick Zangrilli says
I am trying to find it and was told it is discontinued Is that true as it is so good
becomebetty says
Hey Patrick! It might be true, but in the past we've seen this item reappear on shelves so it might actually be seasonal. I wish I had better news to share with you .