Chana Masala Hot Pockets – a Trader Joe’s recipe

I sometimes can’t believe I used to do the majority of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. Whenever I go in there now, it just seems like a place to buy snacks, and only snacks. Maybe some ingredients, if you can find them. They have some good frozen/prepared meals… but mainly they always have a new snack to try. So I try to avoid going very often, else I just end up with a pantry full of snacks and no actual food. But when I found this recipe in Bon Appetit, I realized all the ingredients were easy to find at Trader Joe’s. So then I turned it into an exclusively Trader Joe’s recipe – a quick little “hack” recipe to get four lunches for $7!

This items you’ll need from Trader Joe’s are: pizza dough ($1.69), baby spinach ($2.29), and chana masala ($2.99). So assuming you have eggs and olive oil (and sesame seeds, optional), this is a $7 recipe! It does not get better than that, in this economy.

And these are very tasty! As simple as a hot pocket, but… way better tasting and not unevenly heated.

There’s this guy on the internet who has done a “series” on Instagram of “turning classic American snacks Asian” that are always a fun watch. He does some very high quality work, makes some really good sounding food, and then also gets into the branding of each one. I feel like he should do a re-brand of Hot Pockets! There is a world of possibilities. A bread pocket filled with… anything? Every culture had a bread-and-something meal. He would probably come up with something way better than any Hot Pocket has ever been. I think most snack companies should watch his videos… even if I also think there’s way too many snack options these days. At least make them creative. I might actually buy a Hot Pocket if they had some exciting flavors.

I also think it’s impossible to take a decent photo of a Hot Pocket, homemade or not. Maybe I’m just making excuses because I don’t like how these photos turned out, but… I challenge you to take a good photo of a Hot Pocket. Harder than it should be.

Chana Masala Hot Pockets – a Trader Joe’s recipe

• Author: Audrey

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Description

Yields 4 pockets

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Ingredients

• 1 package frozen Chana Masala
• 1 package pizza dough
• all-purpose flour (for dusting your surface)
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

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Instructions

1. Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Heat your chana masala according to package directions, and then place in a medium bowl. Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high. Add 5 oz. baby spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add into the bowl with chana masala and stir to combine.
3. Divide 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough, room temperature, into 4 equal portions and place on a lightly floured surface. Working one a time, roll each portion into a 5″ round. Divide spinach mixture among rounds, placing in the center of each. Fold one side of dough up and over filling until edges meet up to create a half-moon. Pinch and press edges to seal. Carefully transfer to prepared baking sheet.
4. Brush top of each pocket with 1 large egg, beaten to blend, then sprinkle with 2 tsp. sesame seeds. Bake until crust is golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. Let pockets cool slightly on baking sheet before eating.