Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend is like the Beyoncé of spices.
As soon as the popular healthy grocer introduced it, shoppers were going crazy for it, including freaking out whenever it went out of stock.
Those meltdowns were for nothing, though, since it’s super easy to make yourself, according to chef Carla Contreras.
Contreras is a Nutritious Life Certified chef and health coach with a stacked resume—she’s been a private chef for prominent families, ran a meal delivery company, and even competed on Cook Your Ass Off (where she met our founder Keri, who was a judge!) and season 12 of Chopped. And she’s sharing her recipe for homemade Everything Bagel Spice, here, so you can experience the magic even if you live nowhere near a TJ’s.
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How to use the beloved seasoning in your healthy kitchen?
Contreras says you can put it on pretty much everything, especially anything you’d normally eat an everything bagel with (duh), but also some things you wouldn’t. Sprinkle it on scrambled eggs, avocado (or non-avocado) toast, slices of smoked salmon, your lunch salad, grilled chicken, and even popcorn.
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And to take it up another culinary level, try her chef trick: “For that just-baked bagel flavor, place one tablespoon of the spice in a dry, cold sauté pan. Heat on medium for 2 to 3 minutes or until you smell the garlic and onion,” she says. “This is not a cooking project you walk away from. Stay close so you don’t burn it.”
Click here for the full recipe, and we’ll see you at brunch.
(Photos: Carla Contreras)