One of my favorite things is to find a convenience food that’s both healthy and easy to prepare. No small ask for all the food producers out there. I also am totally loving all new veggie products that sub for starchy foods (like grains and potatoes) for healthier options. Which is why I loooove Trader Joe’s new Frozen Cauliflower Pizza! Pizza without starchy grains or all the prep of doing it yourself! What a win to find in the frozen food aisle!
Honestly, pizza is one of those things that we are all scared of missing out on if we begin a really restrictive diet. That’s why I wanted to find an alternative that would be suitable for those pizza cravings I know I’m going to get, without filling my plate with high-calorie, low nutrient food.
We ate the pizza as is, but I like the fact that as a plain cheese you can add all sorts of things to make it more interesting. I would definitely add some pan fried mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach leaves next time. This is a great way to get some extra veggies in your diet (although you’re getting a few from the pizza crust!).
The other thing I’d like to note is the ease of this option. If you’ve ever made cauliflower pizza yourself you know a lot of prep goes into making that base. Being able to just slide it out of a box, into my oven and onto my plate a few minutes later is my kind of weeknight dinner. Being able to eat something that is tasty and more nutritious than your standard pizza is a key element for me here.
Note: My boyfriend and I also tried the frozen cauliflower pizza crust ONLY – and this was much easier & tastier to eat.
But back to the Cauliflower Cheese Pizza. Here are some pros & cons:
Review Of Trader Joe’s Frozen Cauliflower Pizza
PROS:
Taste: tastes just like a regular frozen pizza – salty, but not too salty, just the right amount of sauce & cheese. You couldn’t tell the crust was anything out of the ordinary which is pretty incredible when you think about it.
Price: $4.99 – this is pretty good comparable to other Trader Joe’s pizzas – I also get the Ancient Grain pizza ($4.49) so not a big difference.
Nutrition Facts: Decent, honestly more calories than I would like (760 for the whole pizza) – but this still saves you about 20% of the calories from other pizzas! (E.g. 930 calories for the Ancient Grain pizza). This pizza is also gluten-free for those who are gluten-averse.
Ease of Use: Very easy! Pre-heated the oven to 425 & baked on a Canola Oil sprayed pan for 12 minutes.
Is it filling? YES! 3/4 of the pizza does the trick for me for a full meal. If you want it for 2 meals (probably preferable) – pair it with a side of veggies like baby carrots or a big salad. That way you’d be getting in more nutrition by having variety and not having to admit you ate a whole pizza.
CONS:
Nutrition Facts: Like I said, I would have preferred if it were lower calories. Also, there are a lot of other carbs/starches in the crust besides cauliflower. I know that this must be necessary from a food science standpoint, but I don’t love it. But this is the trade-off you make when you choose packaged food over making it from scratch.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: 4 stars! I would definitely eat again.
