TESTED: this is the tastiest (AND GROSSEST!) kale stamppot from the supermarket

As soon as the first grey, rainy autumn day has come and gone, we do a little dance, honestly. Because that is – as far as we’re concerned – the start of stamppot season. Making your own stamppot with crisp, fresh kale and steaming potatoes is always tastier, we know that. But what if you don’t have time to cook, don’t feel like it, or a ready-made stamppot is simply one of your guilty pleasures? Then you buy one at the supermarket. This time, FavorFlav’s test panel tastes the ready-made kale stamppot meals from the supermarket. Where can you buy the tastiest one, and which one is better left on the shelf?

Most supermarkets stock several kale stamppots. At Albert Heijn, for example, with and without bacon bits, with just sausage, and you can even buy a frozen meal with kale stamppot, smoked sausage and gravy.

Kale stamppot from the supermarket

To keep the test fair, we bought the same type of own-brand kale stamppot everywhere: 500 grams with smoked sausage. The basic model, so to speak.

Three times Daily Chef

Stamppots from Aldi, Albert Heijn, Vomar and Jumbo appeared on the testing table. We also checked the shelves at Lidl, but the run on kale was clearly visible there; it was sold out at several branches. Also important to know: the kale stamppot bought at Vomar is also sold at Dirk and Coop. This one is from the Daily Chef brand.

Vomar, Dirk and Coop: crunchy kale

We start with this Daily Chef stamppot. The first thing that stands out about this meal is that there are bacon bits on top. Not the most appealing: Robert: “They look rather pale, as if they haven’t been fried.” The kale looks just as drab as the dreariest winter day. “It’s a bit of a mush,” says Rick. But what Maikel, among others, is enthusiastic about is the sausage: “That looks good at least.” People are optimistic about the smell too: “It really does smell good,” Robert thinks. Once the Dutch-style meal is served, pieces of potato suddenly appear. “So surprisingly, it’s less of a mush,” says Rick. The taste, on the other hand, is somewhat sour. Lauretta: “It reminds me a bit of the taste of green beans from a jar.” As expected, the bacon bits are tasteless, but the sausage is juicy. And don’t forget the gravy. “This one is a bit salty, but when you mix it through the kale, it works well as a whole.” Finally, Robert and Rik think the kale has remained nicely crunchy and hasn’t been ground into baby food. Lauretta: “All in all, much less disgusting than expected and secretly quite tasty!”

Aldi: Worth repeating

Then number two. Compared with the previous one, the colour is much more appealing dark green. The attractive packaging also makes us want to try this kale stamppot. Lauretta: “It looks tasty.” With the first bite, the entire test panel immediately notices that the whole thing is incredibly bland. Lauretta: “Someone clearly couldn’t find the salt shaker.” Still, everyone agrees that this microwave meal tastes fresher and that you can really taste the kale, without any sour flavour. The gravy, on the other hand, is far too salty. “The sausage is really very tasty,” says Rick. Maikel: “Nice and crunchy!” Rick adds that you can really taste the smoky flavour. Robert: “It could even have been a HEMA smoked sausage!” In short: the stamppot itself is bland, but it has a fresh flavour, a tasty sausage and gravy. We do miss the coarse stamppot texture, but you can buy this kale stamppot with confidence.

Albert Heijn: does that sausage have an STI?

Preparation: microwave (700 watts, approx. 6 minutes), oven (180 °C, approx. 20 minutes) or bain-marie (using a pan and boiling water, approx. 25 minutes), suggests Albert Heijn, but headstrong as we are, we first slice the – shockingly orange – smoked sausage into pieces and fry them in the pan. Sharon: “Does that sausage have an STI? That bright orange colour is really off-putting.” But we fry it and add the rest of the kale stamppot. After reheating two microwave meals, we think it’s a good idea to test this one in the pan too. We leave the gravy aside; it has a really strange fake smoky flavour. The kale-to-potato ratio is also striking: it’s genuinely lovely, with extra-large pieces of potato. Without gravy, it’s really dry, so we cheat by adding some homemade butter gravy. And then it really is a tasty bite. Sausage included – orange or not.

Jumbo: authentic kale flavour

We had to come back for it, because Jumbo’s ‘Kale Stamppot with Smoked Sausage & Gravy’ is popular, as the empty shelf space shows. So we do, and the first thing that stands out is the grimy-looking gravy in which half a sausage is floating. The stamppot itself looks fine, with plenty of kale at first glance. But is the empty shelf understandable? We put it to the test here too.

Strangely enough, it really needs more salt, because otherwise the stamppot is incredibly flat and boring. But pepper and salt already improve it considerably. The authentic kale flavour is striking. We don’t dare try the gravy: it’s a thick jelly and it doesn’t taste good. And when we try to slice the sausage, it slips straight out of our hands. What a shame! So we cheat hardcore here – there is no other option. We add one of our own meatballs with butter gravy, and then it’s quite okay. In the evening, the fourteen-year-old editorial team’s perpetually hungry teenage son is also served a plate of the Jumbo. With, as honestly admitted, a real meatball and real gravy. ‘Is it tasty, darling?’, we ask, feigning innocence. ‘Fine,’ he mutters, like a teenager. ‘It’s okay for once, but it’s not my favourite food or anything.’ The plate does get emptied (because he’s always hungry). But honestly: it’s not our favourite either.

For a quick meal

Conclusion: for just over three euros, you can already have kale stamppot at home. Incidentally, 500 grams is not enough for a truly hearty appetite – and who doesn’t want a second plate of kale stamppot when it’s genuinely tasty? Exactly. The Aldi one is the favourite. Good sausage, good, crunchy kale. And the gravy isn’t as bad as at other supermarkets either. If you leave the gravy from the packaging completely aside and use your own gravy – and if you really want to treat yourself: a fresh meatball – you can absolutely bring Aldi’s kale stamppot home.

Also read:

• The trick to the perfect stamppot
• Recipe: how to make stamppot sushi
• Stamppot with vegetarian smoked sausage?