The pros:Â Â Trader Joe's Winter Snowflake Pasta is one of many seasonal and whimsical shapes of pasta that Trader Joe's offers on a rotating basis.
The cons:Â This pasta is special because of its shape, but there is nothing else that stands out about this product. For me, the cooking directions were off.
The verdict: Â Trader Joe's seems to have a pasta for every season. Late Spring brings the colorful Trader Joe's Trofie Colore Pasta. October brought us Trader Joe's Fall Zucchette Pasta with its cute little pumpkin shapes. Now, winter is getting into the game with this pasta. Now, I pointed out a few flaws with the zucchette pasta and this too suffers from the same flaw.
The cooking directions are way off. If you go by the directions alone, then you will have undercooked pasta. I needed at least another three minutes (or so) past the time listed on the package. Most likely because this shape does not allow the center to cook evenly. Yes, there is space for the boiling water to do its job, but as the pasta expands, those openings close.
These did a much better job of holding their shape that the zucchette pasta. However, unlike the zucchette pasta, there are no colorings or flavorings here. That's fine by me too. I couldn't taste is much on the Fall pasta. Now, these eat in almost the same way as say wagon wheels. Which is another kid friendly shape.
If the kids in your life love pasta, then they'll love this. If they need a bit more imagination, then you can have some serious fun with this. Alfredo sauce can become snow. Or grate some cheese and pretend it's "snowing." Obviously, this will only work with certain age groups, so this might be best for the younger set. Nonetheless, this is just another fun shape of pasta albeit the same taste and flavor that you might expect from boxed pasta.
For $1.99 this is a good option as long as you test your pasta before draining it. Watch for cooking time because this may take a bit longer. Otherwise, it's another fun and reasonably priced pasta for the season.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The bag of Trader Joe's Winter Snowflake Pasta:
The nutritional information:
The ingredient and how to prepare:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? For me, Trader Joe's Winter Snowflake Pasta is a one and done product. However, if I had kids around the house, then I would consider reaching for this again.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
Alek says
It would be a fun holiday dish. Mac & Cheese. Like you said about parm cheese snowing. Maybe carrots cut up for the "snowman" nose
becomebetty says
That is another really cute idea too!
Zoe says
Thank you for the tip. I just made a pot today and they were far from ready. Silly me trusted them and threw the pasta in a container to go. Well let’s say lunch was a little crunchy. Will try 8-9 minutes next time.
becomebetty says
Hey Zoe! Good to know it wasn't just me who has this issue. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving feedback