What could be better and better for you than noodles? Fake noodles of course. I ain't knocking fake noodles. In fact, I've contemplated getting a spiralizer for some time to encourage more veggie intake around here.
TJ's is well known not only for delicious specialty junk food products but also healthier foods for your convenience. Spiralized veggies have been trendy for the past few years, and most supermarkets these days are hopping on board with that because you can charge $5 or $6 for a box of spiralized squash (that would either wise cost you maybe $2 plus some time to make twice the amount).
It didn't go over so well last time I tried to trick A. I was really up front this time and left it up to him whether or not he wanted to eat it. I made it right before I went off to work and came back the next morning with the leftovers still sitting on the stove. He didn't even touch it. Note taken.
Similar to the riced cauliflower, these carrot spirals are also made in Italy. Just carrots and a little sea salt.
I prepared them according to package directions right from the box. It comes in a completely frozen brick and requires some gentle stirring but not too much because you don't want to break the strands. Gorgeous orange color, in case you didn't know carrots were orange. Makes enough to serve four, allegedly. Or in my case it was enough for two big lunches to take with me to work.
I served some slow cooker pork ragu on top to have these as noodle substitutes. Perhaps because my body is wired to eat carbs, the moment I bit into these noodles I automatically wished I were eating real pasta, or at least that I had mixed in real noodles with the noodles. It also wasn't a great food for powering me through night shift- I was ridiculously hungry when I got home from work. Some people can truly eat zoodles or these carrot spirals and be okay with it not eating pasta. If that's you, more power to you. If I were to eat these again, I think they would taste better with a thicker sauce because with the thinner sauce I used it was a little too soup-y. Also, the carrots already have a natural sweetness, which doesn't work as well with a tomato-based sauce because all that does is make everything more sweet tasting. I'd try it with a different savory sauce, maybe a cream sauce or something, for a more balanced flavor. Texturally, it cooks down to a decent al dente-esque consistency, which resembles actual noodles more closely. Taste wise though, I wish these were a little more neutral tasting so it could pair with any sauce seamlessly. Maybe spiralized parsnips would do the trick?
And actually, these would taste just fine on their own with some light seasoning like a little salt 'n pep and some garlic powder. At $2.99 a box, it's a fun way to eat vegetables at a cheaper price compared to the average supermarket alternative. I personally wouldn't repurchase this regularly, but for a convenience food this isn't a bad deal at all.
TL;DR: Trader Joe's Carrot Spirals. Coodles doesn't sound as nice as zoodles. Good as a veg, not bad as a fake pasta. 6.5 out of 10.
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