Can we talk about Trader Joe’s new Jambalaya in the frozen section ($5.49 for a 16 oz. bag)? I made it for a quick lunch today, just tossed one serving in the microwave after I quickly sauteed some kale with garlic and cajun seasoning. And you know what? I really liked it!
Now, this is a straight andouille jambalaya, no seafood. They’ve done a decent job of trying to keep it legit — at least representing part of the Trinity with green pepper and onion. I missed the crunch of some celery, but it’s in there as celery powder. I’d been warned by a crew member that it might need a few shakes of hot sauce. But for me, as a medium spicy gal, it was fine as is.
The bag is marked as 2 servings, and after measuring out 200g for the one serving you see above, I’d say that’s about right. A hungry person could mow down the whole bag. It’s got a decent amount of sausage to rice, though a couple pieces were kinda dryish/chewy when heated up. Others were fine.
The ingredient list is pretty straightforward, though it still ends up a little high in sodium. But that’s most frozen meals. Will I buy it again? Yeah, I’d keep a bag in the freezer for a quick meal. If you want to stretch it a little further and get a little more fiber, I’d add in a can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained).
If you wanna have a go at making an easy non-seafood jambalaya from scratch, try this one. It’s an oldie but goodie, and I don’t think Aidell’s makes those mini link andouille anymore, but you can just use the regular ones, cut on the bias.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Mini Chicken Tacos (new for 2025)