Take Pizza Night To New Heights With Trader Joe's Garlic Spread

Trader Joe's has an uncanny ability to add a little intrigue to your favorite tried and true meals. The grocer has garnered a heavy following not only for its lower price points but for the one-of-a-kind food products you can't seem to find anywhere else. For your next Italian-themed dinner, you could always add homemade Italian tomato sauce to one of the best dry pastas at Trader Joe's, but to add an unconventional burst of flavor to homemade pizza, you'll need one of the brand's supreme flavor-loaded condiments: Trader Joe's garlic spread.

This multi-purpose dip is made of fresh garlic, salt, lemon juice, and oil. You'll find the 8-ounce tubs in the popular grocer's prepared cold section selling for under $5. While this flavorful multi-use dip may be new to certain Trader Joe's shoppers, the powerfully sharp sauce is a spin-off of Middle Eastern toum, the whipped garlic spread used for grilled meats and pasta.

If you're tired of massaging raw garlic into pizza dough or adding enough cloves to your tomato sauce to make a delicious pizza, use this aromatic spread to get the job done. Apply the flavorful condiment as a convenient sauce base, or mix it with other ingredients to create a flavorful dipping sauce for your pizza crust. Conversely, try adding your favorite herbs and dollop the stuff directly onto your freshly baked pie. Believe it or not, Trader Joe's garlic spread can enhance your next pizza in more ways than one.

Mixing a few spoonfuls into your sauce before lathering on raw dough is the easiest way to incorporate this spread into any homemade pizza recipe. Beyond marinara, get creative and mix this tangy condiment into pesto or any other choice pizza sauce. You can use this dip alone as the base layer for your next white pizza with mushrooms and garlicky greens. Frequent Trader Joe's shoppers might even feel inclined to make the viral TikTok pizza recipe that garnered quite a large following in 2023.

@wellnesswithjenna

Trying the Trader Joe’s viral pizza! #TraderJoes #ViralRecipe

♬ original sound – jenna

The garlic spread covers packaged flat bread followed by TJ's Pesto Rosso sauce, a few different kinds of mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. This easily assembled pizza is topped with fresh arugula, balsamic glaze, and hot honey. For a spicy variation, apply garlic spread to uncooked pizza dough, and add a layer of chopped Calabrian peppers or Trader Joe's Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce. According to other TikTok users, assembling this version of the pizza can cost around $34 for all the ingredients. 

For those who prefer starting with raw dough, another TikToker found success pairing the garlic spread with Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough. If you want to skip using TJ's garlic spread as a makeshift pizza sauce, you can also combine the arugula with a spoonful of garlic dip for an extra flavorful topping.

Beyond serving as a central component of your pizza, Trader Joe's garlic spread also makes for a convenient dip alongside your usual accouterments of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. It's also vegan, so you can doctor up your favorite veggie-loaded, dairy-free pizzas with extra allium punchiness. Since the spread is primarily made of garlic, a bit of this zippy, creamy condiment will surely give any pizza night a major flavor upgrade.

Next to improving the flavor of your next home-cooked pizza, keep the Italian theme and use TJ's garlic spread to make a tasty and simple side. Use extra pizza dough and mix this versatile spread with shredded mozzarella and thawed frozen spinach to make veggie-loaded garlic knots. Instead of mincing several garlic cloves for your easy garlic bread recipe, mix TJ's spread with butter and parmesan cheese. Add in whichever herbs you desire and spread over your bread of choice before baking. 

You can also simplify your favorite aglio e olio spaghetti by mixing Trader Joe's garlic spread with a little extra olive oil and cooked pasta to create a fast yet tasty meal in no time. While this garlicky Middle Eastern dip has several uses beyond classic Italian fare, try Trader Joe's garlic spread if you want a surefire way to upgrade your next homemade pizza.