Trader Joe’s is batting a thousand when it comes to vegan ravioli. I thought the spinach and cashew version was great. And they’ve got another winner on their hands with Trader Joe’s Vegan Italian Bolognese Ravioli. The filling is lentil and mushroom-based with sun dried tomato in the mix, so it’s packing a good amount of flavor on its own.
One of my local TJ’s merchandised it with the vegan kale, cashew, basil pesto, which could be tasty. But keeping with the Bolognese (but vegan) idea, I made a simple marinara with another recent fave — Trader Joe’s Marzanino Tomatoes. I’ll drop the “recipe” at the end.
(At $2.99 for a 14.1 oz can, the Marzaninos are pricier than Cento, but they’re smaller and sweeter and the texture has been better than the canned San Marzanos I’ve gotten from Costco). And they’re great for making a smaller amount of sauce.
Back to the ravioli. Ingredient-wise, they’re pretty reasonable. Sodium isn’t too crazy and you do get a little fiber in there thanks to the lentils. Just like with the Spinach Cashew ravioli, the pasta has a nice texture. But be careful not to overcook them, or boil them too hard. Only one really fell apart in the water, so that’s not too bad.
The filling, too, has decent texture. There are some whole lentils in there, so it isn’t too pasty. Like I said, I really liked these. Would I buy them again? Definitely.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
While the marinara is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil for the ravioli. Add the pasta to the sauce once cooked and top with a little extra basil and cheese, if desired. Fold the cooked pasta gently into the sauce. Dinner in under 30 mins.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil.
Saute onions until they're becoming translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Stir in the tomatoes, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Add the basil leaves, then simmer for ~10 minutes.