5 Trader Joe’s Vegetarian Foods You Need to Try

Trader Joe’s is the GOAT when it comes to offering products for all diets, and vegetarianism is no exception. Between the wide selection and high quality of meatless products, TJ’s is doing some legwork in battling the outdated assumption that being vegetarian means steamed vegetables all day, every day. They’re doing such a good job that we won’t even make the overdone joke about vegetarians needing help in a fight because they can’t get enough protein.

Between creative ways to season and prepare produce, advancements made in meat substitutes, and starches, glorious starches, we dare meat-lovers to take a trip through Trader Joe’s and say they couldn’t get a completely vegetarian cart that was both satisfying and affordable. Here are five Trader Joe’s vegetarian products that we think you should snag right now.

Dolmas: The word stems from the Arabic for “something stuffed,” which could refer to us after we take down at least 50 of these bad boys. The filling of these grape leaf-wrapped bites of heaven can vary widely, but this TJ’s canned version sports a vegan mixture of rice, dill, mint, and chopped onions wrapped in vine leaves. They can be served cold or warm. They’re enjoyable as-is or with a sauce. They even have mint in them so you don’t have to brush your teeth after you eat them.
Meatless Meatballs: As great as naturally vegetarian foods are, sometimes even a life-long veggie fiend can miss meat. Luckily, as it so often does, the answer lies in the Trader Joe’s frozen aisle. With a mix of textured soy protein and Italian seasonings like onion, garlic, parsley, and basil, the TJ’s team has engineered a way for herbivores to partake in traditionally meaty classics. We’re talking spaghetti and meatballs, meatball subs, and plain meatballs in a bowl.
Asian Style Vegetables with Stir Fry Sauce: Considering Asia is a gigantic continent with disparate cultures and climates ranging from Japan to Russia to India, we never know what to expect when something is described as being “Asian Style.” What we absolutely do know, however, is that stocking up on a bushel of vegetables because we want a medley usually results in us shamefully ignoring a pile in the back of our fridge. Were they carrots? Maybe. Are they edible? Not anymore. Pre-made mixes provide a wide variety of produce without us having to commit to buying each individually, and this one contains sugar snap peas, broccoli, baby corn, petite green beans, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, carrots, and mushrooms. Throwing in a ready-made soy-based sauce is just icing on the cake. Metaphorically, of course. Please do not use this as icing on a cake.
Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup: Home Depot started selling Halloween decorations in April. Pumpkin spice shared shelves with 4th of July promos. Maybe this is supposed to evidence capitalism’s shamelessness, but all we can think is, “Excellent. It’s never too early for soup season.” This is especially exciting when we think about the existence of the hearty yet nourishing combination of lentils, potatoes, onion, carrots, spinach, and green beans, from which you are separated by only a microwave, stovetop, or campfire if you’re a cowboy in the wild, wild west who is somehow also in the vicinity of a Trader Joe’s.
Mini Vegetable Samosas: Engineers will tell you that the triangle is the strongest shape there is. So, it makes a lot of sense that these three-pointed powerhouses of flavors are the strongest choice for snack, appetizer, or side dish. Engineers might also tell you, “No, wait, that’s not what we meant,” but we don’t care. We’re too busy eating these samosas (which we deemed to be some of the best Trader Joe’s frozen appetizers), and trying to figure out how TJ’s packed so much goodness into such a tiny package.