5 of the Best New Products Coming to Trader Joe's, According to Employees

Spicy meat pizza, chocolate cheesecake bites and more.

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

If you caught our article about Trader Joe’s 15th Annual Customer Choice Awards, you know the winners spanned a wide range of foods. From tortilla chips, bananas and goat cheese to hash browns, spinach-and-artichoke dip and Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice, TJ’s customers have pretty good taste.

In the same podcast that announced the winners (Episode 70), co-hosts and TJ’s marketing vice presidents Tara Miller and Matt Sloan also did a little sneak peek of products that will be hitting the frozen section very soon.

The co-hosts brought in Mary Ann Tuzon, category manager for frozen foods at Trader Joe’s, to help preview the new products.

Ready to find out what they are? Read on!

Spicy Meat Pizza

If you like spicy foods and you eat meat, there’s a good chance you like spicy meats on your pizza.

“We have a Spicy Meat Pizza that’s going to be coming around soon,” says Tuzon. “The regulation changed a couple of years ago that allowed some actual Italian pizza suppliers to import meat. This is our first pizza that’s going to be topped with meat coming directly from Italy.”

“That’s coming at the end of this month—like right around now,” says Miller.

You might be wondering if pizza is healthy. While the specific nutrition of pizza varies widely between brands and types of pizza, you certainly can enjoy a slice as part of a healthy and balanced eating pattern. Tossing vegetables on top of your pizza—even a store-bought one—can increase the nutrition content. Or add lean protein, like chicken, to your pie. Complete your meal with a side salad or cut-up veggies and dip.

Carbonara with Pancetta

If you’re not familiar with what carbonara is, it’s essentially pasta with a creamy sauce made with egg yolks and Pecorino Romano cheese. Carbonara also typically has some type of cured pork—and that’s where the pancetta comes into this new Trader Joe’s Carbonara with Pancetta.

“It’s definitely indulgent,” says Tuzon.

"And easy to prepare,” adds Miller.

If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area (like me), you can pretty easily make it at home instead. Our Chicken Carbonara ups the nutrient ante by using whole-wheat pasta and adds chicken for more protein.

If you prefer a meatless, vegetarian carbonara, give our Easy Pea & Spinach Carbonara a try. Or for a vegan spin on carbonara, make our Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Carbonara.

Chile Rellenos

Tuzon announces the dish that Sloan has been waiting for. “I know Matt’s really excited about this one—the Chiles Rellenos. It has those huge poblano peppers. Nice healthy entree.”

And “So, so tasty,” interjects Sloan.

Sloan adds, “These rellenos are made for us in Mexico. If you’ve ever attempted to make a chile relleno at home, it’s a lot of work. And so, this is so easy and so expertly made. I’m so anxious and excited to hear how customers react to these.”

We’re not sure what the nutrition info is on this item, since at the time of this writing they’re not yet available. But if you don’t want to wait for TJ’s Chiles Rellenos and want some control over the ingredients, we recommend you try our Black Bean-Stuffed Chiles Rellenos recipe.

This recipe is made by stuffing smoky poblano peppers with fiber-filled black beans and ooey-gooey cheese and topping it with a simple sauce made by blending store-bought salsa. And we don’t skimp on the nutrition. One pepper offers a healthy dose of fiber, protein and vitamins A, C, E and K—and they come together in about an hour.

Mango Calamansi Sorbet

“Cause we always have some really fun sweet stuff in Frozen … there must be some sweet stuff coming,” leads Miller.

“Refreshing Mango Calamansi Sorbet will be coming around soon,” says Tuzon.

“Tell me about calamansi. What the heck is that?” asks Miller.

“Calamansi—it’s this little tiny fruit. I guess you could call it a cross between a lime and a lemon,” explains Tuzon.

Also known as calamondin or Philippine lime, calamansi is a citrus fruit native to the Philippines and Southeast Asia and is a hybrid between a kumquat and a mandarin orange. Like other citrus fruits, it’s high in vitamin C and antioxidants.

The combination of mango and calamansi gives this sorbet a sweet tartness that will feel refreshingly pleasing to your palate.

Want to try your hand at making sorbet? We have several sorbet recipes, including pineapple, cherry, watermelon and peach sorbets.

Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

No Trader Joe’s list would be complete without something chocolaty. Tuzon discloses that they’ve got Chocolate Cheesecake Bites coming out “just in time for Valentine’s Day to share with your loved one.”

“Or to eat all by yourself,” jokes Miller.

“You could do that, too,” laughs Tuzon. “I believe it’s nine little bites in a box.”

Sloan jumps in and says, “So it’s like a rectangle of cheesecake that’s been cut into little bits—that’s so easy to serve and set out.”

While you might just be asking for a bellyache by eating all nine bites at once, one or two may be the perfect ending to a beautiful meal.

If you can’t wait for the TJ’s bites, give our Air-Fryer Mini Cheesecakes a try. To make them chocolaty, you can use crushed chocolate sandwich cookies for the crust, add dark chocolate chips to the batter or top with a drizzle of hot fudge. Or, if you want to ditch the chocolate (gasp!) and go for something more refreshing, you’ll definitely want to make our Lemon Cheesecake Bites. They're so creamy and delicious.

Read the original article on Eating Well.