If one good thing is coming from the new products on the shelves, it seems like Trader Joe's has gotten on board with spiralizing veggies. I don't oppose this trend. I love my pasta as much as anyone else. I just don't love how easy it is to consume so many calories in one sitting.
Taste and review
I was really excited to pick up Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals. And then I opened the bag. And then I wondered where the rest was. You know that feeling when you open a bag of potato chips and feel like you somehow got a half-filled bag by mistake. Yup. Same thing here.
To be fair, you could easily go to the refrigerated aisle and pick up a bag of freshly spiralized veggies and a jar of sauce for about the same price. The difference is you'll eat several meals from the refrigerated option.
You see for $3.99, you are getting a bag that has enough for 1 lunch for 2 small sides. I'm really not understanding how they came up with three servings in this bag. There were only two nests of veggies coming out of my bag. What you see in the process pictures below that the pan pictured is a 9" skillet. Not a huge pan in the grand scheme of things.
But what cooked up was delicious. I planned on making it as a side but ended up enjoying the whole thing for lunch. I needed an extra couple of minutes to get the squash to cook, but that may have been because of how mine were frozen together.
The spirals were nice and tender. I wasn't missing the pasta from this dish one bit. The sauce was flavorful and was even better with a very generous-sized bag of Grana Padano cheese (similar to parmesan cheese).
Overall
The taste of this was on point. The texture was on point. My problem was how little came in this bag. Would I buy it again? Possibly. I really liked the taste. But if you are counting on three servings, pick up an extra bag. Or hit the refrigerate aisle and pick up a jar of Trader Joe's Autumnal Harvest Sauce so you can get your creamy tomato squash sauce in.
Product photos
The bag of Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals:
Calories
Ingredients
Directions
Out of the package you get:
After being cooked you get:
A closer look:
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Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals
Product Name: Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals
Product Description: Squash spirals in a tomato sauce with squash and separate cheese packet.
Price: $3.99
Summary
Trader Joe's Harvest Spaghetti Squash Spirals are a seasonal frozen offering that would make 1 meal or 2 sides.
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- If you like squash, you'll probably find yourself enjoying this item
- Generous packet of cheese that goes in at the end so you can decide how much to put in
- There is nothing wrong with the taste on this one, unless you don't like squash. Then skip this.
Cons
- There wasn't much in this bag.
- This is a seasonal item
It nice that it is gluten free. A twist on pasta.
Hey Alek! It was a nice twist on pasta. I'm always hesitant to mention it being gluten free. It's not labeled as such and according to Trader Joe's website it can still have some trace amounts of gluten in items that are gluten free. Here is more on that: https://www.traderjoes.com/dietary-lists/gluten-free
I just made this and threw in some colossal shrimp and kale and spinach and it's the best dinner I've had in while (I'm doing weight watchers so looking for any option to "swap" for better/lighter versions). I am VERY skeptical of where the intention of three servings came from, because it is roughly 1 cups of product once it's done cooking alone (I know I eat big portions, but like, it's not actual pasta, you should be able to eat a bit more than real spaghetti...) I felt like the directions were spot on (a nice change because I regularly curse their test kitchen). I just used spray olive oil instead of a tablespoon of the real stuff because I'm on a diet and the cheese had PLENTY of fat in it. I think it's a perfect meal if you throw in some protein (chicken/shrimp/chickpeas/pecans).
Hey Kristin! Thanks so much for adding this! I totally agree. Stay tuned for tonights review. I'm getting to Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Pizza Crust. Thanks so very much for stopping by and sharing!