I thought I had exhausted Trader Joe's inventory of meat-substitute products, but then Nina made dinner for me tonight and surprised me with this offering, on pasta with TJ's vodka sauce. The combination of the three worked well. I tried a bite of one by itself, and it wasn't anything to get overly excited about. Not awful--just dull. However, in conjunction with the pasta and sauce, the "meatballs" contributed not only protein, but a nice texture and mild flavor.
Will I buy it again?
Well, technically, I didn't buy it the first time, unlike most products reviewed here. But yes, I'm happy to know that such a product exists, and I'm pretty sure I'll find a place for it in future dinners.
Nina's View
These are simple little comfort-food bomblets. They work in sauces. I
sometimes just microwave a bowlful and squeeze some sriracha sauce on them for a
quick snacky meal. They will not cause tastebud fireworks, but they will fill
the meatball niche in many recipes. One of these days I'm gonna try wrapping
some fake-bacon around them and putting them in the oven for an hors d'oeuvre
effect.
I'm a huge fan of these meatless balls (i'm also vegetarian)- they do need to be added to a saucey dish or crumbled in a stew, as a burrito filling, or as a meatball sandwich (!), but i like that they don't have a strong flavor themselves since that gives more meal options
ReplyDeleteTtrockwood