I ate Trader Joe’s fall meals to see which are worth buying before the season ends and which you can skip

I really like how the mac and cheese turned out in the oven. The noodles were perfectly al dente, and the sauce was creamy and cheesy.

I also enjoyed the strong notes of butternut squash and sage, which made this a really comforting meal for the season.

I baked it as directed at 425 degrees F for eight minutes and broiled the flatbread to get the cheese nice and golden.

The sauce on my flatbread wasn’t spread evenly, so some spots had a strong truffle flavor while others were a little more bland.

Overall, it was OK, but I think there are tastier fall meal options that would keep me from buying this again.

The butternut-squash lasagna was very cheesy and tasted just a little earthy from the squash and pumpkin. I really liked the hints of sage, when I could taste them.

The inner layers were very soft and gooey, but the bread crumb and pepita topping added a nice, crunchy contrast. I thought this was delicious, and I appreciated that it made enough to feed me for a few different meals.

The pastry turned out really nice and flaky. The filling consisted of pumpkin, cumin, and paneer, which all worked really well together.

The samosa were spicy and savory, and the soft, saucy interior contrasted the crisp exterior. These will be a fall staple for me, and I think I’ll pair them with a yogurt-based dip in the future.

The cheese was pretty crumbly, great for adding to a snack board but not ideal for grating or shaving.

I really liked the variation between the tangy cheese and the spiced cinnamon coating, although I didn’t taste that cinnamon in every bite. 

Still, I enjoyed this cheese on its own, and I thought it was a unique twist inside of a grilled cheese. 

The risotto was neither creamy nor cheesy, in my opinion. There was cheese in it, but it tasted unsurprisingly like cauliflower and squash.

Despite cooking it for nearly double the amount of time directed on the package, the veggies in this didn’t soften. This ended up being slightly crunchy with every bite. Between the flavor and the texture, this is one meal I won’t be eating again.

I thought this was more of a tomato soup with some pumpkin and butternut squash purees added. I barely tasted any of the squash. It was more tomato-, onion-, and garlic-forward.

The chunks of tomato and onion gave the soup a chewy and sometimes slimy texture, which I didn’t love. Because this is so similar to tomato soup, I’d prefer a classic, non-chunky tomato over this.

The texture was mostly smooth, not surprising for a bisque. I appreciated the creamy squash flavor but I wished I’d tasted more sage. 

I also paired the soup with a grilled cheese made with the Toscano cheese dusted with cinnamon, and I liked the hint of cinnamon and tanginess from the cheese paired with the rich, earthy flavors of the soup.

I’d buy this again, although I might add some extra sage next time.

I paired the ravioli with brown butter, and it was a simple but tasty comfort dish. The pasta was perfectly al dente, and I enjoyed the richness of the sweet yet savory pumpkin filling.

As with the Autumnal Harvest soup, I didn’t taste much pumpkin or butternut squash in this. It was good, but it tasted like a standard tomato-and-cream-based pasta sauce.

Interestingly, this sauce reminded me of childhood classic SpaghettiOs. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t what I expected. 

Either way, I’d probably make my own sauce in the future instead of buying this. 

These only took a few minutes to cook, and I loved that the pumpkin flavor was present but not overpowering. Each bite was soft but chewy.

This gnocchi could also be versatile. I tried it with the brown butter to start and also with the cinnamon-dusted Toscano, and the combination of pumpkin, butter, cinnamon, and tangy cheese was a hit.

The dish would also be tasty with some crushed pecans or sage.