Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli

One of my main concerns with anything labeled as gluten-free is how close is it going to be to the original? When it comes to pasta there are some hits and misses. Some things just seem to do a better job at mimicking the real taste of traditional pasta.

The taste

As someone who isn't gluten-free, I can tell you honestly that if someone were to have put this in front of me it visually looked like pasta and it tasted pretty spot on. Other than a subtle taste of corn which gave this a pleasant sweetness I wasn't missing the flour here.

I'm usually pretty skeptical when it comes to these things where you can clearly taste that substitutions were made. While there are subtle differences, they aren't pronounced here.

Yes, if you follow the cooking directions these have a bit more bite to them. Meaning they seem a bit more al dente than most of the other refrigerated pasta on store shelves.

And yes, there was a subtle taste of corn that you might miss if you add a sauce. I had mine with butter so as to not muddle flavors when trying this.

And the cauliflower is subtle here too. But overall, had I tested this with a red sauce or some other sauce that can be assertive I can honestly say you would be hard-pressed to notice any difference between this and its gluten counterpart.

The filling was typical of a cheese ravioli. There was a good amount of it compared to the pasta and made for a nice ratio in each bite.

And for $4.49 this isn't out of line with the other refrigerated varieties. And yes, Trader Joe's hit us with not one but two new refrigerated ravioli: this and the vegan cashew ravioli.

The packaging

The packaging here is similar to other refrigerated ravioli products except it is white. This does make it stand out in the refrigerated section just a bit. However, this package advises you against freezing these.

Overall

The directions on the package were spot on. If you are one of those people who buy ravioli to shove it in the freezer, it does state not to freeze these.

Overall in terms of taste, Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli mimics real pasta nearly perfectly. So whether or not you are gluten-free this is a solid item to buy.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli again. They cooked perfectly and I hardly noticed the difference other than the mild and sweet taste of corn. Best of all, this is priced in line with other fresh ravioli available.