When Trader Joe's thought to harness and market the isolated spice blend that makes an everything bagel, well, everything, they created a product that people literally cannot get enough of. The Everything but the Bagel Sesame seasoning has been hashtagged nearly 30,000 times on Instagram alone, proving to be not only a fan favorite, but also culturally relevant.
In a time when food trends veer toward simple and straightforward, a seasoning that instantly makes food more exciting and dynamic is queen. It amps up your avocado toast, it makes cream cheese more interesting, it transforms a plain bagel, and it allows you to incorporate that salty, onion, garlic, texture and flavor into so many dishes, taking it beyond the skin of a bagel and into deep the culinary world. But the seasoning isn't just for breakfast foods.
Below, you'll find a list of foods that will go surprisingly well with Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Sesame seasoning, taking it from breakfast to dessert — yes, really.
1. Mac & Cheese
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To spice up your mac and cheese and make it multidimensional, add some seasoning to the top of it, before baking, mixed in with breadcrumbs. Or, add a pinch of seasoning to stovetop mac and cheese in lieu of salt and pepper to create texture.
2. Greek Yogurt
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Turn boring, plain Greek yogurt into a dip or spread by adding a few shakes of this seasoning and some chives or green onion.
3. Soup
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Don't salt your soup, season it. This seasoning melts perfectly into a bowl of hot soup or helps to create to perfect broth from scratch.
4. Roast Chicken
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Use this seasoning as a rub and let it roast into the meat and really attach to the skin. It's got many of the same elements that traditional chicken spice packs have, but with a familiar flavor that you'll love.
5. Hamburger
Instead of salting your burger while it's on the grill, add a touch of this seasoning for a deeply savory taste.
6. Red Sauce Pasta
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Onions and garlic might be in your red sauce, but adding this seasoning as a topper to your pasta will bring those flavors to the next level and add a fun crunch to each bite.
7. Nut Butter Sandwich
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Yes, really. Any nut butter pairs well with this seasoning. If you like salty peanut butter, you're going to love this flavor.
8. Grilled Cheese
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If you want to make your grilled cheese more interesting, add some seasoning between cheese slices, or enjoy it open-faced with tomato for a fresh contrast.
9. Eggs
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Aesthetically, a pinch of this seasoning on a yellow pile of eggs is stunning. On the tongue, it's the perfect blend of flavors, capturing the spirit of brunch in every bite.
10. Pizza
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Forget ranch dressing, forget the parmesan, or red pepper flakes, Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning is so insanely delicious on pizza, you'll never have a slice without the seasoning again.
11. Potatoes
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Whether you're making a baked potato or hash browns, this seasoning gives warm potatoes the perfect hint of garlic and onion without any of the peelings or teary cooking.
12. Popcorn
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Popcorn is the perfect vehicle for this seasoning. Instead of salt and butter, opt for the seasoning to make your popcorn artisanal. Just remember to floss after this snack.
13. Stir Fry
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Instead of using sauces or marinades, coat your stir fry ingredients with a little oil and then sprinkle them mid-fry with some seasoning. This will give the seasoning a chance to warm up and spread its flavoring, without burning.
14. Tuna
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This seasoning goes great on tuna salad, but also works as a great seasoning for tuna steaks. You can rub it on the tuna before you cook it, and then even garnish it with fresh pinch of seasoning after it's cooked.
15. Fries
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Swap out salt and ketchup for this seasoning and give your fries a serious adult make over.
16. Salad
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Add this seasoning to your salad as a topper to give it a fun texture, or mix it in with olive oil and lemon to create your own light salad dressing.
17. Hummus
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An easy way to make hummus more interesting and give it a texture is to add the seasoning to the top of the spread. This way, the ingredients will stay crisp and not absorb too much moisture from the hummus.
18. Sushi
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Sesame seeds and poppy seeds already go well with sushi, and the addition of garlic, onion, and salt will bring out the flavor of the fish in a bold way.
19. Peanut Butter Ice Cream
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Hear me out! Peanut butter is a really versatile ingredient, it works well with savory foods, and it also adds a richness to sweet foods. The combination of a peanut butter ice cream and the seasoning has a similar effect as cold peanut noodles, but sweeter.
The moral of the story is that Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend is going to be delicious on anything you might add salt to — and ice cream. So be creative, and spice up foods that you're less excited to eat.
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