Trader Joe's Meatball Calzone

Ah, it's been a while since I've had a good calzone. Found this $7 offering in the refrigerated section on our last TJ's run. Most of you already know we're not pork people, but we thought we'd give it a whirl anyway. The meatballs in this item are a mixture of pork and beef.

Twelve minutes in the air fryer had the insides of this calzone piping hot. It was quite a bit of food for just Sonia and me. It's actually a three serving product, and that makes sense.

The bread was a little firm and toasty, crusty and chewy, soft on the inside...all in all, pretty good. The meat? Well there was a ton of meat. In fact, it was pretty much all meat on the inside. The ingredients did mention some parmesan cheese and a tomato-based sauce, but they were barely noticeable.

We were pining for big globs of mozzarella and waves of rich, velvety marinara sauce bursting with oregano and basil flavors, and they simply weren't there in any significant quantities. The product might as well have been all bread and meat. The spices were there along with some whispers of onion and garlic, but we just both wanted more.

We could definitely tell the meatballs were part pork, too. We know a lot of you are big fans of that stuff, so by all means, please try this product and report back here with your thoughts. We just don't think it's as good as the calzones we've had from mom and pop's Italian places or even your run-of-the-mill pizza joint.

$6.99 for the three serving calzone. Found in the refrigerated section. Can be heated in the microwave, conventional oven, or air fryer. Sonia will throw out six and a half stars for Trader Joe's Meatball Calzone. I'll go with six.

Bottom line: 6.25 out of 10.

Trader Joe's Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo Salsa

Quickie for today: more or less what we have here is some traditional pico de gallo but with little mango and pineapple pieces tossed into the mix.

It's sweeter than regular pico, but it's not as sweet as you might expect. Despite some jalapeño pieces, it's not very spicy at all. It's a very light flavor.

This is a nice refreshing salsa with a tropical twist for chip dipping on a hot day, or it would go great with fish tacos, shrimp tacos, or even chicken tacos. At ten calories per serving, the nutritionals are perfect for summer snacking, too.

$3.99 in the refrigerated section. Would buy again. Sonia and I will go with eight and a quarter stars out of ten on Trader Joe's Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo Salsa.

Bottom line: 8.25 out of 10.