Trader Joe’s Stacked Eggplant Parmesan Review

Trader Joe's Stacked Eggplant Parmesan

A decorative stack of eggplant is typically not something you’d expect to find in the frozen food aisle.  So when we stumbled upon the Stacked Eggplant Parmesan in our local Trader Joe’s, we knew we had to find out what it was all about. (Of course, this isn’t the first time the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s has turned up an unexpected treat for our review staff).

This eggplant-filled dish is a pretty good sized meal. You’ll feel its weight when you pick up the package, and you’ll also notice its immense cook time — six and a half to seven minutes. The box claims there are “about 2” servings in this dish, though it’s just a single tray with one stack of eggplant in it. There’s not really an easy way to separate this out into two halves.

So what exactly is this? Well, it’s exactly what the name implies — a stack of various ingredients with eggplant and parmesan in the mix. The other parts that make up the stack include fire-roasted tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, bread crumbs, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, and garlic. It’s quite a tower of delicious things, and it’s also vegetarian-friendly.

Trader Joe's Stacked Eggplant Parmesan

After the excruciatingly long cook time, this comes out of the microwave smelling like a lasagna. It also tastes incredible.

The eggplant is sliced thick — almost an inch thick, actually — and it’s juicy and rich. It soaks up the flavor from the garlic, parmesan, and tomato puree, so it’s loaded with flavor. And eggplant dominates this stack — we estimate that eggplant accounts for about 80% of the height of the stack. If you love eggplant, this is definitely a dish for you.

Everything else in this dish is there in service of the eggplant. The tomatoes and tomato puree give it some sweetness, the mozzarella gives it that stretchy cheesiness, the ricotta adds some lasagna-style pizzazz, and the parmesan and garlic complete the flavor. It’s a very well-designed meal, and it will definitely satisfy an eggplant craving — and maybe even a lasaga craving while it’s at it.

As we mentioned before, this is supposed to be two servings. Even so, the calorie count is pretty decent, at 460 (180 from fat). That’s definitely lower than we would have expected for how large this actually is. It’s quite filling, too.

Trader Joe’s Stacked Eggplant Parmesan is a delightful frozen meal for anyone who can’t get enough eggplant in their life. We strongly recommend this for vegetarians looking for a tasty treat, or for pretty much anyone else looking for a frozen food that’s a bit off the beaten path.

If you want to learn more about the ingredients or nutrition in this frozen meal, check out our package scans below.

Trader Joe's Stacked Eggplant Parmesan

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Cynthia S.
Cynthia S.
2 years ago

My Trader Joe’s in Tallahassee, FL has discontinued this great meal. Has it been discontinued in any other Trader Joe’s? Let me know, please.

NickyJ
NickyJ
1 year ago
Reply to  Cynthia S.

I live in New Jersey and it has indeed been discontinued. What a shame, I used to have one Parmesan dinner a week.

Lorrie Hanzak
Lorrie Hanzak
1 year ago
Reply to  NickyJ

Discontinued in Northeast Ohio. What a shame.

Lorrie Hanzak
Lorrie Hanzak
1 year ago

I cannot believe that the Trader Joes Eggplant and the Cioppino have been discontinued. I went back to the store on numerous occasions thinking these were just out of stock at that time, but eventually looked it up, only to find out they were not in stock because they have been discontinued.

There have been many other items that we have bought and will never purchase again, but these two items are wonderful. The eggplant comes out perfect with the cheese nice and melted and browned. These make great quick meals.

I would keep a few packages of Cioppino and Eggplant Parmesan in my refrigerator when we went on vacation as it was easy for my house/dog sitter to make herself something quick to eat. I have even put a couple of each of these in the cooler when we go on vacation. It is great to have available at our vacation rental (since I don’t feel like spending alot of time cooking while I’m on vacation).

I know that they can be ordered from Amazon, but really, over $110.00 for 6 eggplants is ridiculous. Also, there are numerous reviews concerning the Amazon delivery of these items. People have waited 3 – 4 weeks for the items to arrive, only to receive them completely thawed. Also, items being incorrectly packaged with ice cubes in zip lock sandwich bags (needless to say the ice was melted and the food items were all thawed).

PLEASE bring these items back to the store. If it can’t be a regular, could it be an item that is brought in a few times a year????????

Lorrie

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