Since this blog was started back in 2016, I've posted more than 1200 recipes or items. This means there is a bit of a food memory here. And somewhere back in 2016 there used to be a somewhat similar product on store shelves. It was Trader Joe's Prosciutto Perline pasta. It was the same pouch shape, but it was in the refrigerated aisle.
It was a family favorite. And then it was discontinued.
I miss that pasta dearly. It made for a quick dinner with minimal effort.
Now the same pasta shape is back, but different.
Taste
Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce is found in the frozen aisle.
The directions for making this in the microwave are spot on. The pasta was tender without being overcooked.
The filling was basic. It tasted like any old cheese filling. I felt like this was a missed opportunity to really jazz these up.
The pink sauce was also pretty basic. Nothing spectacular. It was creamy pink sauce. But nothing noteworthy.
I was kind of wishing the pink sauce away. For me, it was no standout and because the pasta was on the plain side I really wanted to experiment with this more. With the way this bag is set up, there is no opting out of the sauce here.
You'll probably be better off adding a protein dish to round it out a bit and add a veggie to be able to stretch this to 3 servings. Because if you are hungry, this bag can be finished in 1-2 servings without a problem.
Overall
Overall, it isn't terrible, but it isn't a standout. It's solid as a dish. For $3.99, it isn't a bad deal either.
Would I buy this again? While Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce wasn't bad, it didn't rock my world either. It's basic. It's good. It's more than edible. It just didn't blow me away.
And yes, I'm still longing for a refrigerated pouch shaped pasta. Just sayin'.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
A visual rundown
The bag of Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce:
The nutritional information and the ingredients
Instructions
After being cooked you get:
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The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce
Product Name: Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce
Product Description: Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce is pouch shaped pasta with sauce in the frozen aisle.
Price: $3.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce is a new frozen pasta option.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- Quick and easy pasta dish that is cooked right and isn't soggy
- All in one with sauce
- Add a protein for an even better meal.
Cons
- No real wow in terms of taste here.
- This is the only pouch shaped pasta at Trader Joe's currently.
- Sauce didn't blow me away in terms of flavor
This would be a nice twist for baked ziti. Throw some mozzerella in there.
I actually quite liked it. I also added cracked black pepper to it and some Parmigiano-Reggiano. I mean it wasn't out-of-this-world but it was good for frozen pasta. I haven't try the Cacio de Pepe spaghetti yet though. That's still in my freezer but I'm looking forward to it based off your review.
I found it bland and needed a lot of additional help to be worthwhile. Certainly this can be made at home and taste better than this version.
I added lots of freshly cracked rainbow peppercorns and Parmesan and I thought it was delightfully simple and delicious. I actually thought the previous perline prosciutto pasta was rather lacking in flavor. How did you prepare that one? Maybe I wasn’t putting it with the right sauce. Though it’s too late now for me to try it again.
It wasn't bad; however, it did require some additional condiments to add flavor (e.g. hot sauce, bacon crumbles and parmigiano-reggiano). I'm not sure if I'd buy it again, but I am glad that I tried it. It was a fast, easy go to for lunch.
I tried this tonight and added a little cheese and a generous scoop of the TJ’s Italian Bomba fermented hot pepper sauce and loved it!
Hey Vanessa! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and how you enjoyed it!
I heated on the stovetop and added 1/3 cup water as required but way too watery. Guess I should’ve just microwaved it..... would be nice if it included a Parmesan package!
Hey Lisa! Thanks so much for sharing. And yes, I was thinking the same thing.
I thought it was pretty tasty! I added chicken, red pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Thanks for sharing Jen!