After the Stuffed Cabbage Rolls that I tried, it had me longing for Stuffed Peppers. The premise, in the end, is pretty much the same, but the containment vegetable is much different.
Taste and review
Peppers hold up well to heating. In fact, with these peppers, you have two options: microwave or oven. After the disaster of the cabbage rolls, I went for the oven method for these to try to give them the greatest chance at success.
With these, there is actually sauce to keep things hydrated, unlike the cabbage rolls. But these are not made of beef. This is chicken and turkey instead. Fine by me as the calorie count is very much in check on this even if you decide this is actually a meal for one.
The texture here is surprisingly similar to the texture of Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs. Whenever I've had stuffed peppers the texture isn't quite as dense, but it still worked.
In fact, whenever I've had stuffed peppers they were served whole and upright. Here they are cut in half and have the filling placed in them as if a scoop was used to plop it in. By doing so, the rice is more of a part of the filling rather than a distinct element.
No matter though, the pepper cooked up firm enough but not raw and crunchy. The filling had a pretty good flavor coming from a bit of tomato, seasoning, and cheese. Was it as good as homemade? No. But is it a lot less effort? Oh yes.
Overall
Is it worth compromising for? Honestly, yes. This was pretty good. I haven't had the best of luck in the refrigerated aisle in the past. But this is one of the better options you can reach for.
But speaking of reaching for this, I have only seen this once. I've seen it about a dozen times on social media, but never in my local stores. However, if you can find it, it is worth a try.
For $5.99 I'd reach for these again.
Product photos
The package of Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers 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.
The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers
Product Name: Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers
Product Description: Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers are an item that isn't always on shelves in the refrigerated section, but keep the calories in check.
Price: $5.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers are refrigerated, easy, and time saving.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Trader Joe's Stuffed Peppers make for an easy meal at a reasonable calorie count.
Cons
- This might be a regional item as I've only seen it a handful of times.
- In fact, I've seen it more via social media than in person.
Dag says
I love this product! I usually add some roasted garlic and Italian blend cheese.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! That sounds like a really great addition to this dish. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your addition to this dish.
Dag says
And again- they have left off a number of the nutritional elements with this abbreviated nutrition label. Red peppers actually have a good amount of vitamin A & vitamin C. I hate this new labeling.
becomebetty says
Hey Dag! Much agreed! I'm wondering if TJ's is choosing it or if there is some law/rule about it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Fred says
These are the absolute worst stuffed peppers I've ever tasted. I managed to get one down, tossed the other.
becomebetty says
Hey Fred! Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy them as much as I did. They do have a good return policy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.
Fred says
I'd like to apologize for my harsh comment about this product. I was just very disappointed that they didn't measure up to what I remember of my Mom's stuffed peppers, not even come close. Mom's were loaded with hamburger and rice, and who knows what else she used. If I had read the list of ingredients for Trader Joe's, I never would have bought these, so it's my own fault that I didn't like them. I suppose that there aren't many commercial products that measure up to home cooked meals, I guess some people like these things, but I sure won't buy them again, and I'll be sure to read labels after this.
becomebetty says
Hey Fred! No need to apologize. Your comment was directed towards the product rather than myself. These will never be as good as ones that a Mom can make. And I do appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on what you see here regardless of whether you agree with me or not. Your thoughts are welcome here :).
JustMy2Cents says
I used to LOVE these. Then TJ's stopped selling them for a while, and I was really excited to see they're back. But something isn't the same and it's far blander than I remember. Still not terrible, but they're lacking something.
becomebetty says
Hey JustMy2Cents! Thanks for sharing and I've totally had the same thing happen with some other products. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to stop by and share!
Graham says
Stuffed peppers were actually quite good!
But green bell peppers would be much better…
becomebetty says
Thanks for sharing Graham!
nancy balogh says
Where are these stuffed peppers made? Label states prepared for and distributed by Trader Joe's, but nothing about where made.
becomebetty says
Hey Nancy! That would be nice. Because it's refrigerated it probably is close by but unless you reach out to corporate it state that on the packaging.
Johana grona says
That was truly disgusting.I didn’t manage to eat unfortunately. If you know how the real staffed papers should taste or if you made one before you would hate those. Absolutely waste of money. I only ate potatoes that I made on the side and pepper itself without that horrible thing inside. Not sure what it was.
becomebetty says
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.