My Favorite Kroger Find Is So Good I Always Get 2 at a Time
I am buying two bags at a time to keep up with my family’s demand for them.
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Every year, my family and I make a big batch of tamales on Christmas day and then spend the next week eating them for almost every meal. I picked up the tradition from the Mercados, a family with Mexican roots who lived near my parents in central Pennsylvania. Their mom, Becky, graciously let me tag along as their family set up a super-efficient assembly line to crank out dozens of tamales, perfect for Christmas because you open them like little presents. Since they are a labor of love, tamales have always been relegated to the holidays for me, but recently, I found a ready-made version that my family and I love from Del Real Foods.
I’ve tried a plethora of frozen and ready-made tamales over the years in the hopes of finding a shortcut to one of my favorite foods, but none of them have hit the spot for me. Del Real Tamales are slightly different because they come fresh, not frozen.
Available at Kroger (and many other grocery stores), Del Real’s tamales come in the refrigerated section in a bag of six, and I regularly buy two bags at a time to keep up with my family’s demand for them.
What I Love About Del Real Foods Tamales
We’ve tried the pork and chicken tamales, and we tend to prefer the chicken tamales in red sauce, though both are satisfying and (at least to us) authentic-tasting. The tender dark meat chicken is well-seasoned, and the sauce is sultry with a little kick from red chili peppers (it’s not enough to scare off my spice-averse six-year-old). What I appreciate most is how easy they are to prepare: They’re ready to go after about a minute in the microwave.
Lately, they're my back-pocket option for when either one of my kids doesn't like what I've made for dinner; they can just pop them in the microwave, and a minute later, they're getting much needed non-candy calories. I've also served them as a straight-up family dinner, and that's been a win as well. They're even lunchbox-friendly. So, win-win-win in the words of Michael Scott.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham / Retailer below
How To Serve Del Real Foods Tamales
When we make tamales the star of the show for dinner, we like to add a few side dishes to round out the meal. I stick to the Mexican/Tex-Mex theme and serve them with chips and salsa, plenty of guacamole and/or queso, refried beans covered in melted cheese, or possibly some Mexican street corn. I also love getting a bright, fresh salad on the table—something like this jicama salad or El Salvadorian curtido, which is meant for pupusas but works equally well with tamales.
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