Trader Joe’s Fall Finds: 2019 Edition

Fall – my favorite season! It’s also a time where everyone waits for all the pumpkin-flavored products to make their appearance. So basic or so delicious? To each their own!

One of the exciting things about Trader Joe’s is the fact that they rotate items seasonally, and fall is a great season for new finds! It’s a double-edged sword, really. One on hand, you find so many good new items – and even get a chance to revisit some favs! On the other hand, you have to say goodbye to all those products for a year. Maybe this is a good thing so that you won’t get to used to having the same products all the time (although I’m sure people like to stock up on a few favorite items to last them throughout the year)?

Let’s Talk Pumpkin

I’ll be honest – pumpkin is not my favorite flavor of things. I often find that the pumpkin-flavored products are accompanied by too much sugar, especially when it comes to the pumpkin spice products! This often means that products are a little on the sweet side even though the squash itself is pretty mild. That being said, there are still a ton of other fall-inspired items at Trader Joe’s each year that are on the savory side.

This year, I gathered a bunch of mostly new fall items (and revisited a few) and did a fall haul taste test! Here’s what I tried out:

Pepita Salsa

This pepita salsa is probably one of my new favorite fall items at Trader Joe’s this year. I couldn’t find it on my last trip to TJs, so I’m sure the time has passed to pick one of these up, but I really wish I would have grabbed more! Even though it has a pumpkin on the front of the jar, the focus of the salsa is on the pepitas – or the pumpkin seeds – rather than the meat of the squash. This gives the salsa an overall smoky flavor – and it’s so delicious! I gobbled this down in two servings as an afternoon snack with some chips. I’d be interested to know how others use this salsa for more creative recipes.

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Danish Kringle

“Kringle, Kringle, Kringle…hear those Kringles Jingle…”

If you have never had a Kringle, get one – NOW! They still have them at my local Trader Joe’s, and they might have them at yours. Word to the wise – heat this baby up in the oven. They say 350 degrees for three and a half minutes, but that’ll depend on your oven. You can also microwave for 30 secs and serve it warm with a nice cup of coffee or tea (pictured below with my chai latte). I’m not big on pastries like this, but even I can’t say no to that fabulous almond paste-filled flaky pastry.

I’ve tried this cold and it is just not the same. You really need to heat it up to get the most out of your Kringle.

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Spicy Chai Tea Latte Mix

This might be my new favorite tea from TJ’s – just mix with boiling water and you’ve got yourself a chai latte! I’m not a coffee drinker and I only ever order chai tea lattes in coffee shops. This is a cheaper alternative and you can make it right at home. You could even heat up some milk of your choice (I like the Trader Joe’s vanilla coconut beverage) to add more creaminess to the tea.

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Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Every year, I buy one box of this goodness – and every year, I kick myself for not buying more! Maybe it’s because I forget how good it is…but I am a big fan of butternut squash since I think it has just the right level of sweet and savory. Anywho, this dish (which you can find in the frozen aisle) is loaded with gouda, cheddar and parmesan cheese, along with butternut squash puree and rigatoni pasta. I heat mine in the toaster oven or conventional oven, but when you’re in a pinch, the microwave will do too. Definitely at the top of my list of seasonal favorites.

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Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve had this pumpkin bread mix, so I decided to pick up a box this year. I guess I wanted to be a bit extra because I put a whole bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips in the mix (and on top to make it look pretty). Let me tell you, you do not need that many chocolate chips! Good lord, what was I thinking? This pumpkin bread mix is already a bit on the sweet side and the chocolate chips were too much. The bread, as always, was good, but just too sweet for me when prepped this way. It also took way longer to cook than the directions indicated – not sure if it was all those chocolate chips I added or my pan was a little too small. Either way, I recommend going with the straight mix and not adding much to it (will do in the future).

It sure does look pretty though, doesn’t it?

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Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This was my attempt at eating something “low carb” by replacing pasta with spaghetti squash. It had a decent cheesy flavor but I felt like the spaghetti squash had too much of an “I’ve been frozen before” flavor and consistency. I probably wouldn’t buy it again, but it will do the trick if you need an easy fall meal. This is a frozen product that you can heat up in the oven or microwave. I ate the whole thing on my own for dinner one night (I pay no attention to serving sizes, apparently).

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Butternut Squash Ravioli

Helloooo deliciousness! My love for the butternut squash continues with these fresh ravioli that you can find in the refrigerator section. I’m not sure if it’s a year-round product, but I’ve definitely seen it at my TJ’s for a couple of months. I paired it with the Autumnal Harvest Sauce (see below), after tossing it in a brown butter sage sauce, and topped with a little goat cheese. Very rich and easy to make! You can check out my recipe for that dish here.

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Autumnal Harvest Sauce

As mentioned above, I paired this Autumnal Harvest Sauce with the butternut squash ravioli and it was pretty delicious! The funny thing is, this sauce reminded me oddly of the sauce you get with Spaghetti-O’s. You’re probably thinking that sounds gross, but it’s a lovely creamy sauce with a little bit of sweetness that just tastes good.

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Pumpkin Bisque

And last but not least, we have the Pumpkin Bisque. This was the last item I tried from my fall haul. The flavors are good and it is nice and creamy, but I found it to be a little on the sweet side. Something you could do is balance it out with something savory like a havarti grilled cheese on sourdough with a little hot sauce. That will definitely do the trick!

Other Fall Items

Fall products I choose to forgo this year include the Pumpkin Joe Joes and the pumpkin ice cream because I found both to just be way too sweet in the past, and hard to get through it all. If sweet pumpkin- flavored items are your thing though, you’ll definitely want to pick these two items up to try in the future.

Your Favs?

What are some of your favorite fall products you got to try from 2019?

Now that winter is here, it’s time to get into the next round of seasonal items…and you better expect to see a lot of peppermint from me!

Happy eating!

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