Trader Joe's Pesto Tortellini

After 5 years of loyal patronage, it's about time I started a Trader Joe's blog. So thanks to the friends that have spoken and my own soft spot for trying new things, here it is!

I picked up this Pesto Tortellini from the refrigerator case last week, with the intention of making a few lunches for work. My coworkers are under the impression that I can't cook because my loving mother sends me off nearly everyday with a lunchbox. I'm not a baby, just blessed and enjoying this for as long as possible. :D

$2.49 for 3 servings doesn't sound too bad. Boil for 5-6 minutes and you've got yourself a lunch! Somehow, it was too good to be true.

Pardon the poor picture quality, but the cross section shows a rather wimpy-portioned filling. I picked up the pesto flavor because I LIKE pesto. Pasta experts, please enlighten me. Is it normal to skimp on the filling? I bit into this expecting a sudden burst of olive oily, basil-y, pine nutty goodness. What I got instead was a flavorless ball of dough. 

What's worse is that I packed it for lunch/dinner for evening shift that day with some mixed greens, roasted red pepper, balsamic vinegar, and parmesan cheese (which probably wasn't the best preparation. Perhaps this would taste better doused in sauce or better yet --pesto!). It was a nonstop busy shift, so I didn't sit down for dinner until about 10:30pm. Oh how the disappointment flooded back! I had forgotten how flavorless it was! And I seem to be doing this over and over again. I forget how blah it is until I have it again. Just the other night, we threw the rest into hotpot soup to get rid of the leftovers. Even Mommy Mantou commented how bland these "dumplings" were, and she eats food on the bland side. That's saying something. 

After this letdown, I'm hesitant to try the other flavors. Will not be repurchasing. Sorry Trader Giotto's. 

TLDR: Trader Joe's Pesto Tortellini. Too much dough. Not enough pesto.  2 out of 10.