I've now officially eaten my way through all of Trader Joe's meatball offerings: the meatless, the Italian style ones, the party-sized, and now these Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs.
Taste and review
Which was my favorite? Personally, I liked the party-sized the best. But it all comes down to why you are reaching for a certain bag. Each one appeals to a different audience.
Now, I've had my share of homemade turkey meatballs, and generally speaking, they aren't too bad. You can tell there is a substitution going on with them in terms of flavor.
And these are no different. This does have a browned (more so than with the other meatballs I've tried) exterior which means it's probably best that you don't heat these in the microwave as I did.
They were dense (and way denser than the other meat options) and not as airy as I hoped they would be. But with enough sauce, they were much improved.
They were moist enough (if that phrase makes sense) since ground turkey is such a lean product, to begin with. They weren't homemade juicy, but close enough. There was some flavor, but not a ton.
You are saving quite a few calories by reaching for these. You can have two servings of these and have some calories left over by choosing this product in place of the Italian meatballs.
Since they are already fully cooked, these will always be a bit of a compromise in terms of what you get. They'll never be as good as homemade.
But you are saving time. And kitchen mess too.
And they are priced right too at $3.99. You can buy ground turkey for $2.99 a pound, but you'll need to put the time into making these (while making a mess in your kitchen).
Heating these up
According to the package, you can microwave these or heat them in the oven. I've tried these both ways. They come out slightly better in the oven however, if I'm reaching for this bag odds are I'm hungry therefore they end up in the microwave. These can also be heated in the air fryer as well.
These take about 2 ½ minutes in the microwave on high in order to be heated through. Obviously, the less crowded they are together the more evenly they are heated.
In the oven, preheat to 325F. If they are thawed then you'll need 12-20 minutes. If they are fully frozen then you'll need about half an hour.
If you are a fan of the air fryer, then preheat your air fryer to 380F. From frozen these should be done in about 10-12 minutes. Be sure to shake these halfway through cooking to ensure even heating.
Overall
So while the ones the beef ones will win in my book in terms of taste and texture, the savings in terms of calories seem like a worthy trade-off. Add in some sauce, and you have a pretty good substitute.
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs again. I know what the tradeoffs are and to me, it is worth it.
Product photos
The bag of Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
After being cooked and made into a fancy dinner for one 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.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs
Product Name: Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs
Product Description: Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs are pre-packaged and pre-cooked meatballs.
Price: $3.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs are pre-cooked and just need to be heated.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs make for a quick dinner from the freezer that keeps the calorie check in count.
Cons
- Not the greatest turkey meatballs that I've had before.
It nice TJ's offer different kinds of meatballs to appeal the different crowds. Personally I don't like frozen meatballs because often times they can give me an headache. Not sure why.
Hey Alek! That is so interesting. There has to be something in it. Don't get me wrong, I prefer homemade 100% of the time. My next choice would be to go to a store called Durso's Pasta and Ravioli. Any local places that you like to get yours from or do you make them at home? Making meatballs at home for one person can sometimes be a bit of a pain. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I like the convenience of these and I think they taste pretty good. I've used them to make meatball subs with sauce and also meatball quesadillas.
Hey Dag! I had mine with a good pool of sauce too. Now those meatball quesadillas, those sound pretty phenomenal. Any recommendation on how to make them? Thanks so much as always for stopping by!
I make them as Italian meatball quesadillas. I use a pizza sauce, usu ally fresh refrigerated. I add some extra garlic, pecorinno romano & sometimes dried or fresh basil to it. Spread it onto a big Trader Joe's tortillas, add sliced up the turkey meatballs and then top the whole thing with mozzarella cheese. Grill . Not as good nuked but works in a pinch.
Hey Dag! Thanks so much for sharing. I completely understand nuking things. I make nachos in the microwave. It heats the chips and the cheese. Key thing is to do it in short intervals as to not break the cheese. Sounds delicious and healthier than if you had made it with beef. Thanks again!
These are awful! They ruined tonight’s dinner and I usually love TJ!
Thanks for sharing Sharmila!