Upgrade Roasted Vegetables With This Beloved Trader Joe's Cheese

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you're looking to score fancy cheese on a budget, Trader Joe's is a great venue for the task. The retailer packs a wide array of dairy delights, with an excellent selection of European products. While it's certainly satisfying to sample these far-flung cheese varieties as they come, don't sleep on their culinary potential, too. For instance, Trader Joe's beloved Raclette Sliced Cheese – which comes sourced from France — makes for an incredible roasted vegetable upgrade.

Crafted in the Alps, raclette is best known for its delectable, mouth-watering potential and complex, rich, and earthy flavor. Such qualities certainly make it a great pairing with roasted vegetables. Top the cheese onto a variable medley of carrots, squash, celeriac, apples, artichokes, parsnips, and onions, accompanied by a trusty dose of potatoes.

Plus, assembling such a cheesy upgrade is easy-peasy. Start by roasting vegetables to perfection in the oven, then simply broil the cheese atop during the final few minutes of preparation. You'll get a beautiful gooey topping that adds both a pleasant melted texture and the distinct nutty flavor. Optionally flavor with rosemary, thyme, or honey, and you'll whip up a mouthwatering weeknight side dish, upgraded from a single Trader Joe's buy.

Reminiscent yet different from fondue, raclette is traditionally melted on a tabletop grill, then scooped onto vessels of choice, whether that's potatoes, cured cuts, or bread. So for peak cheese fun, you can invest in a Raclette Party Grill, melting cheese on one tier and sizzling delicious serving vessels atop. It's a great way to entertain, with several packages of Trader Joe's raclette serving as an evening centerpiece. Yet don't sleep on integrating the cheese into more day-to-day culinary applications, too.

Raclette makes an incredible grilled cheese sandwich, especially when you follow grilled cheese tips like using butter and high-quality bread. The dairy pairs well with cured cuts and pickles, enabling a gourmet twist on the comfort food, made exclusively with Trader Joe's ingredients. In a similarly convenient fashion, consider topping the cheese onto a fresh batch of fries– you'll get a mouth-watering pairing of textures without much fuss. And you can even use raclette for a nacho rendition, adding a dose of European flavors alongside salsa or guacamole. Meanwhile, for more traditional flavors, bake the cheese into an entree alongside fingerling potatoes and sausage, ready to be delectably scooped up with bread. Raclette's a wondrously versatile cheese, worthy of addition to any Trader Joe's grocery haul.