I Tried 6 Store-Bought Tortellini & One Could Pass for a Restaurant’s
Store-bought tortellini (usually found in the refrigerated section) is perfect for throwing together quick and easy dinners that taste way more delicious than they have any right to. Most take between three and seven minutes to gently boil to al dente perfection, with fillings that range from the classic cheese to meat and spinach. I picked six different versions of tortellini from the grocery store to see how they compared in terms of texture, filling-to-wrapper ration, and overall delicious: Here’s how they fared, ranked from least to one that is restaurant-quality.
Buitoni Mixed Cheese Tortellini
Buitoni used to have my all-time favorite refrigerated pasta product (the apparently discontinued Spinach and Ricotta tortellini) but sadly nothing really replaces that one, quality-wise. The Buitoni Mixed Cheese Tortellini was dry, with way too much dough compared to filling and tasted bland. I couldn’t pick up on one cheese, let alone a mix of cheeses.
Trader Joe’s Spinach Tortellini
Trader Joe’s Spinach Tortellini apparently has ricotta in it, but didn’t really pick up on any. This might be good with a decent sauce and a lot more cheese, but otherwise it was a little disappointing. To the nice Trader Joe’s employee who helped me, if you’re reading this, I promise I didn’t overcook it!
Trader Joe’s Cheese Tortellini
Trader Joe’s Cheese Tortellini was better than the spinach option: The dough was nicely al dente after cooking, and the filling was savory—I just wish there was more of the filling, because it got lost in the wrapper. The balance was off in terms of cheese/pasta but this is another option that could be easily fixed with a good sauce.
Rana Spinach & Cheese Tortelloni
Rana Spinach & Cheese Tortelloni was pretty good: The texture of the pasta was nice and the filling was great in terms of how much there was, but the overwhelmingly flavor I got from this pasta was sweetness. Now, the other Rana product…
Rana Chicken Mozzarella Tortelloni
…was delicious. Rana Chicken Mozzarella Tortelloni is a savory, delicious pasta dish that can easily be enjoyed just by itself (although a little black pepper takes it to the next level). The filling is creamy and generous and the wrapper is perfectly thin with a firm texture.
O ‘Sole Mio 4 Cheese Tortellini
I absolutely loved the O ‘Sole Mio 4 Cheese Tortellini, which is the clear winner by a mile. This tortellini is absolutely delicious; you can taste the different cheese elements and there is enough filling where you feel as if you’re enjoying cheese tortellini and not just mostly dough. They puffed up nicely while boiling, and the overall texture was perfectly tender and creamy. Try it!