Trader Joe’s Pasta: One Family’s Review

We're big fans of Trader Joe's in my family, especially as the seasons change and new seasonal flavors begin popping up on the store's shelves. And while TJ's always has standard pasta and sauce options in stock, it's the seasonal Trader Joe's pasta and accompanying sauces that hit the spot at our house. So when I spotted the Fall Zucchette Pasta and Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce on a recent trip to this beloved grocery store in my hometown of Nashville, I snagged one of each to whip up for dinner.

Trader Joe's Pasta and Sauce Nutritional Info & Ingredients

While this sauce contains tomato puree, it's the pumpkin puree, butternut squash puree and carrot puree that give it the creamy texture. Additional ingredients like dried garlic and parsley as well as cayenne pepper, rosemary, and sage give it the delightful fall flavors.

The serving size of this sauce is 1/2 cup, and one serving contains 100 calories. While it's low in cholesterol and contains zero trans fats, it is fairly high in sodium (22% of the recommended daily value per serving) and contains 4g of added sugars. And for the dairy-averse or lactose intolerant, be mindful that this sauce does contain dairy.

For the Zucchette butternut squash pasta, the ingredient list is much shorter and contains durum wheat semolina, dehydrated butternut squash and paprika oleoresin, which gives it the festive fall color. One package contains seven servings, which struck me as a lot given the bag size. However, once cooked, it was quickly evident that this would easily feed a decent portion to seven people — maybe more.

One serving of the pasta contains 210 calories. While it offers little other nutritional value, the carbs clock in at a whopping 41g.

Ideas to Serve With Trader Joe's Pasta

Any home chef knows that whipping up a batch of pasta and sauce is incredibly easy. Simply throw a pot of water on the stove to boil. As I waited for the butternut squash pasta to cook, I got out a saucepan to start warming the Trader Joe's pasta sauce. For an added boost of iron, I threw in a handful of fresh spinach, which wilted while the sauce warmed.

Once the pasta was drained and returned to the pot, I poured the spinach-laden sauce in and gave it a good stir. I tossed together a Caesar salad kit (also from TJ's) and buttered and browned a loaf of bread to go with the meal. The total cooking time was less than 15 minutes once the water was boiling. Everyone was thrilled, and my 9-year-old daughter gave it a 10 out of 10 on her rating scale. I'll take it!

The image featured at the top of this post is ©MomsWhoThink / Ashley Haugen.