We got our first full on rainy day of the fall, so it was a perfect day for risotto for lunch. I’ve had both Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Risotto and Risotto Semplice chilling in the freezer, and decided to bust out the butternut today. You just put half the bag in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up for 3-4 minutes. It couldn’t be quicker.
But me being me, risotto always needs a little texture, so I put it over some arugula that I needed to use up and lunch was done. I do like the combo of squash or pumpkin and arugula, as you’ll see with TJ’s Pumpkin Gnocchi. I halfway expected the butternut risotto to be too sage-y, but it wasn’t at all. And it’s cheesy enough that I didn’t even need to grate extra parm over the top. For my first batch I dotted it with a little bit of TJ’s kale pesto, but it wasn’t necessary. If you’ve got it on hand, use it, if not, whatevs.
I ended up liking this risotto a lot more that I thought I would. Is it a buy again? For a quick lunch, sure. It might even be fun to try making arancini with it. I’ll report back on the Risotto Semplice once I try it!
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Maple Leaf Ice Cream Sandwiches
Sweet Cinnamon Filled Pancakes (Hotteok)
Mini Chicken Tacos, New For 2025