Thursday, March 17, 2016

Trader Joe's Organic Black Bean Rotini

Every few weeks, Trader Joe's likes to introduce new products by putting them on an end cap.  That also makes me nervous because when they bring new stuff in is when they yank old favorites.  As I was perusing the latest adds, I saw this.


What really intrigued me was when I read the nutritional information.


That is 14g of protein  and 15g of fiber per serving!  This is a no grain pasta so I'm thinkin' you paleo peeps could use this?   The only thing that scared me was the email I got from TJ's the next day describing this as "a great tasting pasta with terrifically toothy texture."  Toothy eh?  That's like when people describe something as "earthy."  It gets my Spidey senses spiked to be suspicious.

So I cooked it for 9 minutes (they recommend 8-10 minutes) and put it in a bowl.


I didn't care for the gummy texture so I put it back in a strainer and ran it under cold water to rinse that off and it was acceptable.

Now I had to throw together some stuff that we had on hand that I thought would compliment it.  I rarely have this but was glad I did.


I boiled up 8 ounces of chicken and sprinkled with ground chipotle pepper.


In addition to that, I added 2 tablespoons of poblano salsa.


I gave it all a goodly toss and put it in a dish to warm up after our workout.


I warmed it up covered at 400 for about 20 minutes.  The Mr dug in and I thought he was going to rocket to the ceiling.  His eyes lit up and he started raving at how much he loved it.  Well, I guess I don't need to ask if he wants to buy it again!

It does taste exactly like black beans because well, it is black beans.  I think it really lends itself to Mexican cuisine.  They try to pair it up with marinara sauce but after having tried it, I think that would be kind of gross.  Just ask yourself if you'd pour pasta sauce over black beans because that's what it would taste like.  Anything that pairs well with black beans would do well with this pasta.

So let your creativity come forward and get some extra protein with a nice "toothy" pasta!


Have you tried TJ's black bean rotini?

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9 comments:

  1. This was awesome. I highly recommend it and it's very filling too. What a meal! But I agree, it needs a cheese sauce or something like that. Wouldn't work well with marinara I don't think.

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  2. I started eating black beans after trying a recipe for chicken enchiladas. I prefer them mashed and realized I don't even need to add the chicken anymore. It is such a cheap, low fat and filling meal. I would totally be on board to try this rotini, but no trader joes--oh well.

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  3. Thanks for the review! I've wondered about pastas made from beans as far as flavor and texture. What you said about combining with things that taste good with black beans definitely makes sense. Thanks for the tips!!

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  4. No TJ's around here - but this definitely looks like something I would like.

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  5. I could see sweet potatoes, corn, and with a little dressing and sliced jalapenos....

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  6. oh, yum -i'm definitely trying this, and so glad you posted it. i didn't know about, but i love black beans and pasta.

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  7. I bought some, but haven't made it yet. Just got the BEST idea of what to make! Pasta salad! Add some diced red peppers, fire roasted corn from TJ's, black olives, possibly some chicken, fire roasted jalapeños or diced green chilies, and the delicious cilantro dressing from TJ'S on it! I cannot wait to try this now! I'll probably pick up some queso also to use on the other half of the bag like you did. Thanks for that idea! Also, not sure if you've tried it, but the quinoa and brown rice pasta from TJ'S is also really yummy. I would cook it a bit less than they say to though because the texture got a little soft for my taste, but it's really good!

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  8. I made this pasta last night with TJ Soy Chorizo, black olives, onion, TJ Fire Roasted Green Chilies, tomatoes, a yellow pepper and some corn. Added some of the pasta water and chili powder to make it saucy and tossed it all together. Awesome!

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  9. I made this last night. On the chicken I used Trader Joe's Chile lime seasoning, cumin, chili powder. I also sautéed onions peppers and threw in some chopped tomatoes and Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn. Mixed the queso and chunky salsa and heated in microwave to warm up. Before serving a chopped cilantro and cut up an avocado. Sooo good. Next time a squeeze of lime.

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