Trader Joe's Just Turned Brussels Sprouts Into Your Favorite Side Dish

What food did you most dread seeing on your dinner plate when you were a kid? Was it a squishy side of soggy spinach? The chalky slab of liver that no amount of ketchup could save? Or perhaps it was the Brussels sprout — the veggie with the nose-piercing odor that your mother would boil into a ball of watery mush? Who knew a tiny green orb could cause small humans so much distress? 

In a survey conducted by SWNS Digital, 30% of respondents confessed to loathing the vegetable as a child despite developing a liking for them as an adult. Is this turnaround simply because you've discovered new ways to cook them, like a roasted Brussels sprouts recipe? This is quite possible. The Daily Meal reveals that it was often "overcooking and overboiling" and the use of frozen varieties that caused the aversion. This may partially explain your childhood distaste, but it turns out there is a more scientific reason. According to Popular Science, children tend to be adverse to bitter-tasting foods like Brussels sprouts. It's not because they're pickier eaters, but is part of a survival mechanism designed to protect them from consuming something toxic. Apparently, most inedibles found in nature tend to be bitter.  

Thankfully, you're a grown-up now and can eat whatever the heck you like, but if you never developed an appreciation for them, Trader Joe's new offering may change your mind. 

It may be hard for a Brussels sprout-hater to believe, but Trader Joe's appears to have found a way to make these stinky green balls taste delicious. If pasta has your seal of approval and you enjoy the occasional slab of bacon, you may not even notice the words "Brussels sprouts" on the product's label. Yes, Trader Joe's Brussels Sprouts and Uncured Bacon Ravioli could be the perfect way to introduce your palate to this previously scorned vegetable without the unpleasant stench and strange texture. 

Instagram sure seems excited, uttering comments like, "This is by far the all-time greatest new product reveal," "Will definitely be trying this one," and, "I'm thinking a pumpkin or butternut squash cream sauce." Some confessed to having already picked this pasta up, while others said they'd definitely be getting some. Reddit was equally enthusiastic. When u/CookieButterLovers posted the product's image in r/traderjoes, respondents proclaimed, "After the sweet corn ravioli, I'll try any TJ's ravioli," I really want to try this, with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese," and, "I might try this pan fried with chili garlic crisp." Clearly, some have already imagined themselves digging into this dish. 

If you have ever paired roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, you realize that this is a match made in epicurean heaven. Perhaps, Trader Joe's has devised the perfect way to overcome your loathing of this otherwise adorable little sprout.