The $3.49 Trader Joe’s Shortcut That Makes Weeknight Cooking Feel Effortless

Mirepoix (chopped celery, onion, carrot) is how nearly each soup, stew, sauce, or casserole begins. This traditional trio creates a candy, wealthy, and fragrant base to construct upon. However, it’s undeniably annoying to organize.

There’s peeling, chopping, and having the three separate substances readily available. I all the time maintain Trader Joe’s Mirepoix readily available this time of 12 months. It saves time on weeknights after I need to get a pot of soup simmering quick, and it means I haven’t got half a stalk of limp celery or shriveled carrot lingering within the vegetable drawer.

Why I Love Trader Joe’s Mirepoix

I’m a long-time fan of the fruit and vegetable part at Trader Joe’s, which is completely portioned and priced. I’m suspicious of pre-prepped meals, skipping the ready garlic or carrot sticks. However, the Trader Joe’s Mirepoix is sweet. After a few years of trial, the onions are by no means bitter, the celery by no means limp, and the carrots nonetheless crisp.

Keeping a container of pre-prepped mirepoix readily available is much extra sensible than juggling onions, carrots, and celery. If you solely want sufficient for mirepoix, shopping for the uncooked trio usually prices extra and dangers spoiling within the fridge. And even for these of us who love cooking from scratch, I see this not as dishonest however as a wise shortcut. And slicing down prep time makes it that a lot simpler to get dinner on the desk.

How I Use Trader Joe’s Mirepoix

Mirepoix is normally the primary ingredient to enter the pot, destined to sauté in fats, similar to oil or butter. Additional substances will get layered on prime to create deep taste. With Trader Joe’s Mirepoix, there is not any prep wanted; I dump it out of the container into the pot. However, I favor to convey the container to room temperature earlier than utilizing it to hurry up browning.

Whether I’m beginning a luxurious fall soup, similar to Italian Wedding Soup or Butternut Squash Soup, mirepoix is all the time a key ingredient. You’ll discover it referred to as for in sauces like Classic Espagnole Sauce or  Bolognese.

Mirepoix is the modest starting for cozy classics like Lentil Stew with Sausage and Italian Pot Roast, the place its slow-cooked sweetness weaves into each chunk.

It might appear to be a easy mixture of onions, carrots, and celery, however mirepoix is my quiet ally. I maintain it readily available not solely to avoid wasting myself somewhat chopping but in addition to unlock the sort of taste that makes on a regular basis cooking really feel easy and deeply satisfying.

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