Brussels sprouts. For many of us, this was the food that our parents made us eat. We’re sure there are people who, to this day, still can’t even hear the term Brussels sprouts without experiencing a mild gag reaction. So Trader Joe’s might be fighting an uphill battle with their Brussels sprouts offering. But that doesn’t mean they’re not going to give it the good ol’ college try.
And sure, Brussels sprouts have their fanbase. We can’t deny that some people are absolutely crazy about them. We just can’t ignore the fact that there’s a stigma when it comes to this specific vegetable. (But really, alfalfa is the superior sprout. There, we said it. Come at us, Brussels sprouts stans!)
So we’re really curious to try the Trader Joe’s Roasted Seasoned Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan Cheese. With this meal, TJ’s looked at the much-maligned Brussels sprout and said, “We can fix this.” And a huge part of this magic recipe is parmesan cheese. So let’s give it a tasty taste and see if it works!
There are a couple ways you can cook this. The package gives instructions for both a skillet and the oven. We decided to fry these in a skillet, because that seemed like the best way to get a decent batch of sprouts. (If you want to read the full cooking instructions for these sprouts, check out the package scans at the bottom of this review.)
We have to admit, these sprouts smell absolutely tantalizing while they’re cooking. This is, of course, almost completely thanks to the parmesan cheese, which gives off wafts of that pleasant aged-cheese scent. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really translate to flavor, as the Brussels sprouts are so packed with flavor that even the parmesan cheese gets buried. For Brussels sprouts enthusiasts, that’s a good thing. For anyone hoping the parmesan would bury the sprout flavor, well, it’s a cheese, not a miracle-worker.
And sure, the parmesan is actually a really good complement for that bitter, earthy flavor we associate with Brussels sprouts; we just admit that this is not a dish that’s going to win over the sprout-phobic eaters out there.
Another problem you might encounter is that, because the sprouts are so thick, it’s hard to cook them all the way through, so you might end up overcooking them just to get them warm in the middle. To remedy this, you could give these a minute or so in the microwave before you toss them into the skillet. You could also try chopping them into smaller pieces, but that’s going to be super difficult while these are still frozen.
The package considers about 1/4 of its contents to be a serving size, and that amount comes with 110 calories and 390 mg of sodium. Since we doubt anyone will make a full meal of just this, that’s probably an okay serving size, but we could also imagine someone eating about double that if they were super into Brussels sprouts.
The Trader Joe’s Roasted Seasoned Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan Cheese is a decent attempt at reviving the reputation of the arch-villain that is the Brussels sprout, but we doubt these will win over any haters. For those who already love Brussels sprouts, this is a great way to serve them, but for everyone else, we’ll give you permission to feed these to the dog or hide them in a planter when no one is looking. Just don’t tell your parents we said so…
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this frozen food, check out our package scans below.
