Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Tot Casserole Review

It must be good to be a Cauliflower farmer right now. I’ve always like cauliflower in all it’s different permutations, but there are limits to what humans should turn cauliflower into. I’m not sure we’ve gotten there yet, because this is pretty darn good, but I’m not sure what the intent is here? To replace potatoes? Most cauliflower products at Trader Joe’s have been to make something to replace flour (gluten) in a product, like the pizza crusts. Why would you want to replace potatoes since they don’t contain gluten? Did they have an excess of cauliflowers and needed to do something with them? They can’t be cheaper than potatoes. My guess is that they are trying to jump on the cauliflower bandwagon. But that is neither here nor there. On to the review!

The subtitle on this product is “Golden Cauliflower Tots with Creamy Bechamel Sauce and Shredded Cheddar Cheese”. Soo… basically we have some cauliflower drowning in a cheese sauce topped with more cheese! I think I am going to like where this is going!

There are two preparation for this product, oven and microwave. I had the time on a Sunday to put this in the oven for 50 minutes like they say on the directions, so I did. As you can see by the second picture, it came out looking quite nice. Nice and browned and bubbly. You can see one of the tots in the corner there. I put it on the table and mean to take a picture of it before the family dug into it, but it went so quickly I didn’t get a chance!

Well, I guess if you have enough cheese in and on a dish, you can sell it to anyone. My kids scarfed down the whole thing. I did manage to get a few bites in and I thought the cauliflower tots were nice but had quickly broken down into a much-like consistency but was soaked in the bechamel sauce and cheddar cheese. I’m not sure potato tots would have fallen into a mush, but oh what a lovely cheesy mush! It was like cheesy mashed potatoes with some nice seasonings. In the oven the top crisped up really nice, something I am not sure would happen if you microwaved them. I think it would turn out more like mac and cheese if you nuked it in the microwave.

Trader Joe’s seems to be all in on cauliflowers right now. They are attracting the low carb people, but this ain’t low carb. I just has lots of tapioca and potato starch to give you plenty of carbs. I don’t what the next trend will be. So far I have enjoyed most of the cauliflower creations and this is no exception. I really liked it and my kids did too! If you are having a small Thanksgiving dinner, I would have no problem serving this with my fake stuffed turkey.

INGREDIENTS: Cauliflower Tots (Riced Onion Powder, Black Pepper), Salt, Dried Chives, Guar Gum, Garlic Powder, Sunflower Oil, Tapioca Starch, Potato Starch, Cauliflower [Cauliflower, Water, Salt], Rice Flour, Béchamel Sauce (Milk [Milk, Vitamin D3], Butter [Cream, Folic Acid], Salt, Spice), Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Unbleached Enriched Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Natural Flavors {Lactic Acid, Starter Distillate}], Sour Cream (Cultured Milk, Cream, Microbial Enzymes), Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Inhibitor]), [Color], Powdered Cellulose, Natamycin [Mold Cultures, Salt, Microbial Enzyme, Annatto Extract Cream Cheese (Cultured Milk And Gum], Milk [Milk, Vitamin D3]), Cream, Salt, Stabilizers [Guar Gum, Carob Bean Green Onion, Seasoning Blend (Buttermilk, Potato Starch, Garlic), Sea Salt, Spices, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Black Pepper, Garlic Powder. CONTAINS MILK, WHEAT.

NUTRITION FACTS:
Servings per container about 3 | Serving size 1 cup frozen (141g) | Amount per serving: Calories 270, Total Fat 17g (22% DV), Saturated Fat 8g (40% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 40mg (13% DV), Sodium 560mg (24% DV), Total Carbohydrate 24g (9% DV), Dietary Fiber 2g (7% DV), Total Sugars 4g—Includes 0g Added Sugars (0% DV), Protein 7g, Vitamin D (2% DV), Calcium (10% DV), Iron (4% DV), Potassium (4% DV).
The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.