Trader Joe's Garlicky Pasta Is The Perfect Base For Creative Noodle Dishes

We all love Trader Joe's for its vast array of wildly tasty prepared foods. Whether it's frozen snacks and meals, or packaged noodles or rice, the company is exceptional at putting out products that customers love and that make their lives easier. The latest dish to find a cult following is Trader Joe's Garlicky Pasta — and it's popular for a good reason. This pasta is a great base for myriad easy meals at home.

The new pasta offering is described as having a "creamy, umami garlic sauce" and long, spaghetti-like noodles. It's a fairly recent addition to the company's lineup and can be found in the frozen section alongside regular favorites like orange chicken and frozen penne alla vodka. They're tasty enough on their own, but the real magic of these is how simple it is to dress them up into something a little more elevated and a lot more delicious. 

Butter and garlic are out in full force, but there are some more interesting flavors in the mix, including both fish and oyster sauce, as well as Pecorino Romano cheese. The addition of savory fish sauces makes them reminiscent of Vietnamese garlic noodles from the San Francisco Bay area. Helen An first began serving the dish in 1978 at her San Francisco restaurant, Thanh Long. In an interview with SFGate, she explained "The first time I cooked the garlic noodles, everyone loved it."

To keep with the San Francisco energy, the easiest way to dress up the garlicky pasta is to include some seafood. Traditionally served alongside Dungeness crab, adding some crab meat to the finished product can get a similar flavor profile. Shrimp offers another way to bring added seafood to the dish, and if you're looking to get really creative, the pasta can work with some salty roe mixed in, too.

If seafood isn't the direction you want to go, there are plenty of other options. The rich umami notes make these noodles perfect for other Asian-inspired flavors. Diced green onion, soy sauce, and some steamed bok choy are one way to amp up the base pasta. Stir-fried vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and string beans are another, vegetable-focused option. The base ingredients in the garlicky sauce will help give the meal a rich, savory flavor even though it's full of vegetables.

The Pecorino cheese in these noodles adds to an umami-forward flavor profile. When combined with the butter in the sauce, it gives the pasta a bit of an Italian twist. A quick way to elevate the garlicky pasta into a meal is simply by adding more butter (the higher quality the better), more pecorino or parmesan, and some more garlic for a rich, indulgent dish of cheesy, garlicky noodles. Throw in some roasted red peppers or sundried tomato for extra umami and a splash of color. This Trader Joe's product is a hit because you can add as much or as little as you want, making them a super versatile choice for easy meals.