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Just a couple of weeks after Trader Joe’s scored a major hit with its wildly popular sold-out kimbap, the beloved retailer has another hit on its hands with a fan-made pizza recipe people are rating a “10/10.”
This spicy pizza recipe exclusively calls for ingredients purchased at Trader Joe’s. The pie has been exploding in popularity on TikTok, particularly over the past few weeks, as fans recreate and rave about the dish. However, the trend can be traced all the way back to September 2022, when TikTok creator and dietician Blair Cooley (@blaircooleydietician) posted a recipe video for the pizza that has racked up a whopping 142k likes and 1.5 million views.
In the video, Cooley starts by pressing Trader Joe’s pre-made Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough into an oiled, glass pan. In lieu of a traditional pizza sauce, Cooley tops the dough with the retailer’s popular Garlic Spread Dip, Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce, torn pieces of burrata, and some marinated mozzarella balls, which she halves. Cooley also adds a layer of different meats from Trader Joe’s Spicy Uncured Charcuterie Collection and sliced Fire Roasted Red Peppers atop the cheeses. After baking the pizza for 20 minutes at 450 F, she tops the spicy pizza with plenty of fresh arugula, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, some of the leftover oil from the marinated mozzarella balls, and red pepper flakes.
The result? A “perfect” pizza that’s doughy on the inside and crispy on the outside, according to Cooley. Other creators who’ve recreated and tried the pizza in recent weeks have been just as enamored with the end result.
TikToker @laurawanie rated it a “10/10” in a TikTok last week that has racked up 1.8 million views. Another creator, @hello.balance, rated it an even higher “100,000/10” and noted that it was “so easy” to make.
Cooley told Eat This, Not That! that the inspiration for this viral pizza came from her love of cooking, Trader Joe’s, and “absolute love for anything spicy.”
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“As a dietitian, my whole goal is to show people that cooking delicious food at home doesn’t always have to be boring. It can be fun and most of the time even taste better than what you can get out, because it’s exactly how you want it – no modifications needed,” Cooley said. “My husband and I love spending date nights cooking together, and pizza was always one of those items that is so easy to make, but has endless possibilities for toppings. So it’s something new every time!”
While spice does play a big part in the original viral recipe, Cooley noted that spice haters can dial down the heat by swapping the Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce for Trader Joe’s Pesto Rosso and using non-spicy cured meats.
Seeing so many people making and loving the recipe has been a special experience for Cooley, whose love of motivating others to cook led her to pen her own e-cookbook of easy, healthy recipes that require minimal ingredients.
“Whenever I see people recreating a recipe of mine, it genuinely makes me so happy because I grew up cooking with my Italian mom and watching her cook inspired my love of cooking, creating endless memories together. So when I see someone making my recipe, it brings me genuine joy that someone felt inspired to get in the kitchen, and create a delicious meal for themselves and/or loved ones,” Cooley said.
This isn’t the only recipe featuring Trader Joe’s ingredients that has gone viral online in 2023. In fact, a whole trend of lazy Trader Joe’s meals that all require minimal effort and ingredients have been taking the social media platform by storm this year.
