What is it?

Well, obviously, fake turkey. Specifically, vegan fake turkey. But there are two things that make Trader Joe's Stuffed Roast worth noting. First, it tastes good. If you've tried Tofurky, you know this is is not an easy thing to find. And second, as of this writing, it is (kind of) reasonably priced, at $10 for a 2.5 pound loaf -- enough to feed four well, or stretch comfortably to six. (Again, a major failing point for the infamous Tofurky).

Trader Joe's has created a very appetizing-looking dish, looking very much like a roast of pork (or turkey, if only there were chunks of turkey this large), filled with a core of very serviceable stuffing and accompanied by a good-sized serving of gravy. It all tastes good, and goes well with the traditional trimmings (well, mostly cranberry sauce in my case).

Will the meat eaters like it?

No. Well, probably not. It is in the general range of turkey in flavor, and the stuffing and gravy are particularly well-faked. The texture is amazingly well-done. However, it is easily identifiable as soy-based, and if you want a dead bird, this is clearly not it.

Will the vegetarians, like it?

Yes, almost certainly. Speaking as someone who has been fully vegetarian for less than a year, I was not disappointed in my transition to a vegetarian Thanksgiving. While it is easily identifiable as soy-based, it has a good taste, and does a good job of tasting like Thanksgiving. It has excellent texture and fits in well with the traditional side-dishes. I found that it had just a little too much smoke flavoring for my taste (any smoke flavor is too much for me), and other reviewers have noted that it is a little heavy on the rosemary; I suspect that both of these flavors are actually proportionate to what you might find on traditional roasts, and vegetarians are not used to them for obvious reasons. And at the same time, these are flavors that many people do not expect to find on turkey.

It is worth mentioning that the reviewers that I have read and the vegetarians at my table all found the stuffing and gravy top-notch. Nor was anyone disappointed with the 'meat', except in that it was not exactly like real turkey... which is just part of being a vegetarian. Overall, this was easily the best fake turkey I've come across in taste, appearance, and ease of preparation. Oh, and after eating, I feel like I've eaten a full Thanksgiving dinner; the dish is quite filling. I highly recommend it.


Dietary warning: contains wheat and soy, and is fairly high in sodium.


Trader Joe's Description.

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