Product Review: Trader Joe’s Grilled Eggplant Wrap

Disclaimer: this is one of my favorite meals. Ever. I don’t have a car at college, so getting to TJ’s to buy these puppies is a seriously arduous task, involving bribes, emotional manipulation, and sexual favors. Just kidding about that last part. Anyways, despite the Odyssey-esque trek required to get these, I’m addicted enough to manage it at least twice a month, when I’ll buy four at once.

But to the review!

 

The grilled eggplant wrap is essentially two huge slices of lavash bread, slathered with garlic sauce (canola oil and garlic), and filled with fresh cabbage and grilled eggplant. It also comes with spicy tahini sauce, but I’ve never used it, because this wrap is delicious enough by itself.

I warmed this up in the microwave for forty-five seconds; I’ve also eaten it cold, but it’s way better slightly warm.

Starting with the lavash– I’m guessing the sandwich had been made that morning, because it was incredibly soft and flaky. There are several layers of the bread, so even though it’s light it’s still capable of holding a ton of veggies.

My very first bite didn’t include any eggplant. That was a little off-putting. Everyone’s had that unfortunate burrito experience where the first bite is all tortilla, right? Fortunately, even though the first bite was all lavash, it still had the delightful, salty zing of the garlic sauce, so my taste buds weren’t bored.

My second bite was lavash plus cabbage. The cabbage is bitter and, by itself, pretty tasteless. However, it goes very nicely with the meatiness of the eggplant and gives the wrap some crunch. Finally, in the third bite, I got to said eggplant! It’s thick and generously seasoned with the same general ingredients that are in the garlic sauce, giving it a rich, salty flavor. Carnivores definitely would not be able to complain that this wrap is “rabbit food.”

Here’s the nutritional breakdown. 380 calories for an extremely filling, satisfying entree? Not too shabby, in my opinion. Plus, the ingredients are fairly simple and straight-forward. One of these days, I will stop exhorting people to take me to Trader Joe’s and just make these myself. Here’s a copycat recipe I found.

Cost: $3.99

Would I buy again: Do I need to say it yet another time?

Rating: 9/10