The pros: Trader Joe's Italian Fusilli is basic pasta. Nothing more and nothing less. Price wise it is in line with other pastas at roughly a sale price of just under $1.
The cons: There is nothing really special about this pasta. It's just basic pasta. The packaging might lead to more challenging home storage or breakage.
The verdict: Some of Trader Joe's pastas are very basic. Others are something special. This pasta falls into the category of basic. There is nothing notable, standout, or unusual about this pasta. Fusilli comes from the Italian word "fuso" which means spindle. This pasta is in the shape of a little corkscrew. This product is made in Italy and is priced at $0.99 for a full pound.
Pasta you buy on the shelves is different from pasta made at home. There are no eggs present in this product. This is all durum semolina. Cooking took approximately 10 minutes to al dente. In our household, this was mixed in with some sautéed Broccoli Rabe and garlic. The shape of this pasta would hold a sauce very well also. If you need a basic pasta, then this is a safe item to reach for. It's nothing special or different. If you want special or different you'll have to pay more and reach for the items like Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper Pappardelle, Trader Joe's Spinach and Chive Linguine, or Trader Joe's Garlic and Basil Linguine. Those were standouts and hard to find flavors in most grocery stores. Otherwise, if you need pasta feel free to reach for whatever is easiest based on where you normally shop.
Here is the visual run down of what you are getting if you buy Trader Joe's Italian Fusilli:
The bag:
The nutritional information and the ingredients:
How to prepare:
Would I buy this again? This is a take it or leave it item. There is nothing bad about it, but nothing standout either. It's not worth making a special trip for and is on par with other brands of pasta.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for an alphabetized list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
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