I Tried Trader Joe’s Frozen Macaroni and Cheese So You Don’t Have To
Macaroni and cheese cravings are real. They’ll sneak up on you. One minute you’re enjoying a fresh green salad tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette, and the next you’re figuring out where or how you can get some cheesy gooey goodness ASAP.
The thought of making it runs through your head. Of course, that’s the superior choice, but life is busy. You don’t always feel like whisking a roux for the bechamel sauce, grating blocks of cheese, boiling pasta, toasting panko breadcrumbs with butter, and waiting for it to finish cooking in the oven. But if you do feel like doing that, then stop reading this and make it. You won’t regret it. Here’s a favorite recipe.
Now for the rest of us lazy folks, we’re here to see if store-bought frozen macaroni and cheese can suffice. Trader Joe’s, the supermarket chain with a cult-like following among millennials, currently offers five frozen options.
Before we get into the results, let’s talk about what makes the best macaroni and cheese. For the perfect texture, elbow macaroni is a must. It’s a classic choice that’s been used ever since 1769, when the first recipe came out in Elizabeth Raffald’s book “The Experienced English Housekeeper.” Talk about validation. Cheddar cheese has to be the majority of the cheese sauce mixture. By no means should there be an egg in it. And a crunchy golden top is a must.
You’ll be surprised to learn the winner is Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Mac & Cheese. That’s not a typo. It really did score the highest among the bunch. Now, will it fully satisfy your fix? Not quite, but if you only have five minutes and the craving is real, it’s the best option you have.
Each of the five frozen dishes was prepared according to package instructions, that is, zapped in the microwave for four to five minutes. The tasting categories were: appearance, smell, taste, and texture. Each category was ranked 1 out of 5 to get an overall score.
1. Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt | $1.99 for 7 ounces | Score: 16/20
Our winner is as tasty and nostalgic as frozen pasta gets. It smells of butter, milk, and cheddar cheese. It’s basic but good. The cheese topping gets crispy along the sides. If you add your own toasted breadcrumbs, you might trick a friend into thinking it’s homemade.
2. Joe’s Diner Mac ‘n Cheese | $2.99 for 14 ounces | Score 15/20
A very close second to our winner. You’d expect this to be served at a greasy diner, which makes sense from its name. The four cheese mix (Cheddar, Havarti, Gouda, and Swiss) makes for gooey stringy bites. It’s a little too saucy.
3. Trader Joe’s Pepperoni Pizza Mac & Cheese Bowl | $2.99 for 12 ounces | Score: 12/20
If pizza and macaroni and cheese had a baby, it would be this. It’s more reminiscent of a baked zita. The addition of basil, garlic, and white pepper gives it some depth of flavor.
4. Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Mac & Cheese | $3.49 for 12 ounces | Score: 10/20
For a gluten-free pasta made of corn, rice, lentil, and quinoa flour the texture is wonderful. It’s also the cheesiest. The sauce is too salty, which makes it hard to eat.
5. Trader Joe’s Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese | $2.99 for 12 ounces | Score: 9/20
This gets the lowest score of the bunch. Made with chilies from Hatch, N.M., it set our hopes high until we took a bite and all our goodwill came crashing down. It smells like a jalapeno popper with no flavor resemblance. Or any flavor at all.
Have you tried any of these? Curious what you’re favorite frozen or boxed mac and cheese is!
