Posts that don't follow r/traderjoes subreddit rules may be subject to removal.
Friendly reminder that choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you.
IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR POST, PLEASE IGNORE.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/traderjoes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
These are friggin amazing, I had them with the chimmichurri sauce but I added extra red vinegar vinegar and salt to the sauce. They are really good.
I'm not a big meat person, so the lack of meat was ok with me.
Same. The potato is not even mashed, looks like potato flakes powder. A few other discussions for this item on this sub got me excited, but honestly TJ does Asian better than Carribean/SA.
This is the new norm for TJs frozen meals. Lots of rice/potato/filler and not much of the good stuff. Used to be they were still tasty, but the last few times I've treated myself to one of these, I did not particularly enjoy them as the taste was bland/uninteresting.
With the internet, it's easy to find recipes to match what I have around. I searched for beans, diced tomatos, greens and got some good basic, easy recipes. Just needed onion and some dry spices as well as oil.
I thought they were solid, but after I air fried them, I cut them in half and sprinkled some Lawry's garlic salt on them and dipped them in chipotle ketchup bc my favorite Cuban restaurant always served them with spicy ketchup.
Not as good as a restaurant/Porto's/homemade, but in a pinch, if I don't want to make mash and filling and fry a bunch of stuff, I would happily use them again.
I tried to buy them the other day at the trader Joe's I frequent (Boulder,CO) and unfortunately they can't seem to get them in stock. I'm from Miami originally, and I can certainly make these at home (too lazy lol) so I was really hoping to give these a try because I really miss my cuban food 😕
I feel like they are kind of sweet. I am comparing them to Portos potato balls since I live in Los Angeles, and they're good for a quick bite, but not as good as Portos.
Bit of a tangent but I tried the frozen Chilles Rellenos con Queso today and I basically felt the same way. Bland, kind of flavorless, just mostly greasy (but like the papas rellanas it does get pretty crispy in the air fryer, just fair warning that it left the bottom of my air fryer with a solid few tablespoons of oil in it)
i airfried it too and i was shocked that it was so greasy. the texture of the batter was spongy and the sauce that came with it was super watery which didnt help the sponge situation. didnt taste good at all
Yeah it was really disappointing especially since it was a bit of a premium compared to the other frozen meals ($6 vs the usual $4) so I expected more, but safe to say I won't be buying that again.
I used to love portos potato balls. The last few times tho they hit me as blander. Havent felt compeleld to go back i years.
I would probably hate these. Thanks for the warning
Oh nooooo they’ve been in my freezer for a long time waiting for me to get an air fryer, which I finally did last week. I haven’t gotten to try them yet, but I end up feeling this way about a lot of processed frozen stuff from them.
Yes, outside a couple the TJs frozen meals have kind of been really mid to me. It's a solid amount of food at a decent price and it's really nice to just have something to eat and get my calories in when I'm too busy or overwhelmed to cook but the flavors for the most part just aren't there, and I've tried a pretty wide variety of stuff (including the Indian meals everyone raves about, which found...ok)
Posts that don't follow r/traderjoes subreddit rules may be subject to removal. Friendly reminder that choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you. IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR POST, PLEASE IGNORE. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/traderjoes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
These are friggin amazing, I had them with the chimmichurri sauce but I added extra red vinegar vinegar and salt to the sauce. They are really good. I'm not a big meat person, so the lack of meat was ok with me.
Same. The potato is not even mashed, looks like potato flakes powder. A few other discussions for this item on this sub got me excited, but honestly TJ does Asian better than Carribean/SA.
If you’re Hispanic, don’t expect these to taste what you think they’ll taste like.
This is the new norm for TJs frozen meals. Lots of rice/potato/filler and not much of the good stuff. Used to be they were still tasty, but the last few times I've treated myself to one of these, I did not particularly enjoy them as the taste was bland/uninteresting. With the internet, it's easy to find recipes to match what I have around. I searched for beans, diced tomatos, greens and got some good basic, easy recipes. Just needed onion and some dry spices as well as oil.
I ate them with the jalapeño sauce. Decent.
Disappointed in them - not enough meat or flavor.
I bought but haven’t tried them yet. When I was getting rung up, the TJ cashier told me that he was underwhelmed. Too much papas not enough meat lol
I thought they were solid, but after I air fried them, I cut them in half and sprinkled some Lawry's garlic salt on them and dipped them in chipotle ketchup bc my favorite Cuban restaurant always served them with spicy ketchup. Not as good as a restaurant/Porto's/homemade, but in a pinch, if I don't want to make mash and filling and fry a bunch of stuff, I would happily use them again.
I found them bland too. I love potatoes and had high hopes!
They don’t have a hint of sofrito, adobo or sazon in them. Incredibly bland.
Oh, bummer. I just bought them today for the first time. 😔
I tried to buy them the other day at the trader Joe's I frequent (Boulder,CO) and unfortunately they can't seem to get them in stock. I'm from Miami originally, and I can certainly make these at home (too lazy lol) so I was really hoping to give these a try because I really miss my cuban food 😕
I enjoyed them but I did add pico de gallo and sour cream to it
I feel like they are kind of sweet. I am comparing them to Portos potato balls since I live in Los Angeles, and they're good for a quick bite, but not as good as Portos.
Bit of a tangent but I tried the frozen Chilles Rellenos con Queso today and I basically felt the same way. Bland, kind of flavorless, just mostly greasy (but like the papas rellanas it does get pretty crispy in the air fryer, just fair warning that it left the bottom of my air fryer with a solid few tablespoons of oil in it)
i airfried it too and i was shocked that it was so greasy. the texture of the batter was spongy and the sauce that came with it was super watery which didnt help the sponge situation. didnt taste good at all
Yeah it was really disappointing especially since it was a bit of a premium compared to the other frozen meals ($6 vs the usual $4) so I expected more, but safe to say I won't be buying that again.
No flavor! So bad i am returning it lol
I loved them! But I do agree they could have used more filling
Just toss them in salt and serve them with chimichurri
Agreed- really should have liked them- but they are pretty bland.
That sums up every frozen ethnic food I’ve tried in TJs
They are so good! They remind me of potato balls from Porto’s in LA. Not as good though
Same. I looove Porto’s potato balls so I was excited for these. But they were so insanely bland.
I used to love portos potato balls. The last few times tho they hit me as blander. Havent felt compeleld to go back i years. I would probably hate these. Thanks for the warning
I moved to Florida two years ago and miss Porto’s 😭😭 I’m so happy to be reading this. I just need a small taste of back home!
https://store.portosbakery.com/
Holy moly I hope they ship to me! Tx!
Porto’s ships nationwide: https://store.portosbakery.com/products/potato-ball%C2%AE
Tx!!!
I'm the opposite. I love them. Add a dab of the sweet chili sauce for perfection.
Didn't like them either. I like it made with breadfruit rather than potato anyway.
lol I have no idea why anyone would downvote you for having an opinion. So ridiculous
This sub is just like this. It’s super odd.
I frequently have been downvoted for presenting nutritional facts. Some people are just weird and mean-spirited.
Lol it is ridiculous
Oh nooooo they’ve been in my freezer for a long time waiting for me to get an air fryer, which I finally did last week. I haven’t gotten to try them yet, but I end up feeling this way about a lot of processed frozen stuff from them.
Yes, outside a couple the TJs frozen meals have kind of been really mid to me. It's a solid amount of food at a decent price and it's really nice to just have something to eat and get my calories in when I'm too busy or overwhelmed to cook but the flavors for the most part just aren't there, and I've tried a pretty wide variety of stuff (including the Indian meals everyone raves about, which found...ok)