Trader Joe's Mushroom and Truffle Flavored Pesto

The taste

Last year there was a truffle pesto, but I wasn't wild for it. It wasn't a green pesto either. It was the jarred cashew truffle pesto. But once that touched hot products it had an overwhelming taste of nut butter. Not my thing and I haven't seen it back this year.

This is refrigerated and meant to be enjoyed relatively close to when it is purchased. The first time I had it I wasn't quite sure what to think. I didn't love it yet, I kept eating it.

But the more servings of this I had the more I enjoyed this.

The first thing you'll notice about this is it is quite oily. Without the greens, this is more of a loose pesto. On the flip side, if you wanted to serve this with anything but pasta like for example, eggs, it is easier to add at the very end.

The oil here is both olive oil and truffle flavored oil. So if you were hoping for some chopped-up truffles, you probably aren't getting them for under $5.

But what matters in the end here is taste. And the taste was pretty good although different from many pestos I've had in the past.

First off, the first flavor that hits you is mushroom with a side of truffle. Then all the cheese hits. And since they picked a harder cheese it seems that was the most textural element here. The pine nuts weren't very assertive here. They were chopped quite fine.

This pesto is a whole lot of umami. So if you are looking for something to balance it, then that will need to be in your dish already. It is salty enough to allow the flavor to be pronounced and the mushrooms do announce themselves.

But with pasta, a little went a long way. This package could easily coat a pound of pasta. Always reserve a touch of pasta water that way if you need to thin the sauce out you can.

But overall, this wasn't bad and much better than the cashew pasta of last year. But temper your expectations if you are looking for that pop of truffle. This is also a gentle truffle flavor.

It really is the mushroom and cheese that carry the day here.

The packaging

This is available in a basic plastic container that contains a film over the top to prevent tampering.

Overall

This was pretty good. I actually liked it more and more each time I had it. It isn't something I'd stock up on. But something I would buy a second time.

Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Mushroom and Truffle flavored pesto once again before the season comes to a close.

Did you try it?  Let me know what you think in the comments section!