The mad scientists at Jimmy Dean have really mixed up some wild concoctions. For example, these are the folks who brought us the Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick! Well, they’ve done it again. They’ve created the Jimmy Dean Bacon & Veggies Stuffed Hash Browns. The instant we saw these at our local grocery store, we knew we had to try them to find out what they’re all about.
According to the box, these should come out crispy in the microwave. They do come with individual crisping trays that are supposed to aid in that process. They’re simple enough to use: each tray is like a little pocket that you simply tuck the hash brown patty into.
You’ll heat the patty in the microwave for about two minutes, but then you’ll need to let the thing rest inside the crisping tray for a few minutes before taking it out and eating it. We had our doubts about this process, but it seems to work out pretty well. The outside edges end up satisfyingly crispy (though bits of the hash brown portion still end up a little rubbery).
The flavor profile of the filling swings really hard toward the cheese. It’s a cheddar and mozzarella blend, but it really tastes more like an American cheese to us. It has a bit of a processed, “Easy Cheese” vibe to it.
Inside this gooey cheese you’ll find bacon and veggies. The bacon doesn’t seem to impact the overall flavor all that much, except in making it a little smokier-tasting. The veggies are the classic omelette blend of tomato, onion, and bell peppers. Like the bacon, the veggies don’t seem to make that much of a difference here. This could have been a simple cheese-filled hash brown patty and it would have tasted virtually the same.
These do seem like they’re missing something. We want to find a compatible dipping sauce, because that might make these feel more complete. We’re not sure what exactly to try, but maybe a southwest chipotle ranch or a good sriracha sauce?
One stuffed hash brown patty contains 240 calories (90 from fat) and 710 mg of sodium. That doesn’t seem all that bad, but these are actually pretty tiny. From the top, each patty is about the size of a credit card (though obviously it’s thicker). You’re probably going to want to eat two of these to satisfy a good morning hunger.
The Jimmy Dean Bacon & Veggies Stuffed Hash Browns are pretty decent, but we feel like they need a little something extra, perhaps a dipping sauce of some sort. As is, they’re more of a conversation-starter than a real day-starter.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for these stuffed hashbrown pockets, check out our package scans below.
