Trader Joe's Shoppers Are Getting Creative With Its Gluten-Free Cheese Ravioli
Gluten-free alternatives to popular grain-based products don't have a great reputation for having the best texture. This is due to the absence of gluten molcecules, which give foods like pasta and bagels their signature shape and chewy consistency, explains Prospector. As a result, gluten-free products such as bread and baked goods can have a texture that sometimes feels off and less enjoyable to eat. However, Trader Joe's has put in work to cater to its gluten-free audience, releasing products such as chocolate muffins and almond flour tortillas that have pleased many fans, whether they have celiac disease or not.
TJ's fan @traderjoesfoodreviews recently shared an Instagram showing off a new item: the store's gluten-free cheese ravioli, which they called "very delicious taste wise." Though the popular review page did not give the product the most favorable review, due to several pieces falling apart in the water, other users took to the comments to give some recommendations for ways to enjoy the pasta. Perhaps if the reviewer had prepared the ravioli using one of these methods, they would have given the product a higher score than 7.5/10?
Gluten-free ravioli needs to be cooked with care
According to Trader Joe's, the chain's new ravioli have a gluten-free dough made with eggs, rice, corn, and cauliflower, and they're filled with five different cheeses. "Made it for dinner last night and was such a hit!! Both my picky eaters devoured their dinner. Love love love that it's GF," wrote @_mamas_timeout on @traderjoesfoodreviews' post about new product. Others called them "10/10" and "so dang good."
On the other hand, a few users had a similar experience as the original reviewer, with their ravioli falling apart in the boiling water. As Gluten-Free Foodee explains, gluten-free pasta is typically more delicate than wheat pasta and often loses its shape while cooking or when stored as leftovers. To combat this, the blogger recommends using a very large pot and checking on the pasta a couple of minutes before the instructed time to avoid mushiness.
On Instagram, some users had different cooking recommendations entirely for the TJ's ravioli. "I cook my raviolis and tortellini right in the sauce on low in covered skillet. No falling apart. Might work for these?" suggested @marie.batel. A different user also successfully cooked theirs in pasta sauce — but in the oven with a top layer of cheese. Finally, two users voted for the air fryer method. "I dipped these in an egg/GF flour mixture and then tossed them in breadcrumbs and airfried them," one wrote. "They were so dang good!"