This 2-Ingredient Trader Joe’s Dinner Tastes Like My Favorite Olive Garden Pasta

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Pasta in skillet with beef-less bulgogi.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

There are some grocery items that, when combined, taste so much better than the sum of their parts. It almost feels like a trick — like you’re getting away with something. Like maybe one plus one equals way more than two.

This is certainly the case with Trader Joe’s Spicy Alfredo Fusilloni Pasta. I picked it up during a recent shop, and it became the base for a two-ingredient dinner that feels a bit like highway robbery, flavor-wise. Thankfully, it’s totally legal — and a bag of this luscious pasta clocks in at under $5.

Someone holding bag og Spicy Alfredo Fusilloni pasta.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

Trader Joe’s Spicy Alfredo Fusilloni Pasta Makes the Most Delicious 2-Ingredient Dinner

Upon shaking the bag out and observing its contents, you’ll find the real star of the show: the gigantic fusilloni noodles. My hands are by no means dainty, and these plush noodles are easily bigger than my thumb, with a sauceability (this is an actual term, don’t @ me!) I haven’t encountered since the creation of the cascatelli noodle.

And speaking of sauceability, the sauce included in this frozen entrée is a buttery, cheesy, spicy combination that hits all the best parts of the taste bud pinball machine. To me, it tastes like baseball nacho cheese (a high compliment) with a bit of a peppery-funky kick from the gochujang, a Korean fermented chili paste.

Ever the maximalist, I decided to double-down on this dinner by adding Korean Beefless Bulgogi, another one of my favorite Trader Joe’s frozen finds, to the mix and turn this meal into more of a feast.

Bowl of pasta next to package of beefless bulgogi.

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

The Best Way to Enjoy Trader Joe’s Spicy Alfredo Fusilloni Pasta

I love Korean BBQ, and I love Olive Garden — in equal parts. I say all this to explain what came over me when I first made the creation that I’ve deemed my own spiced-up version of the popular chain restaurant’s Calabrian Steak (and Shrimp) Bucatini. And to be honest? I may be onto something. Even a friend who came over for dinner was impressed.

The Beefless Bulgogi has that smoky, savory-sweet tenderness that works so well with the buttery pasta noodles. To re-create it, simply start with heating up the Beefless Bulgogi per the directions (I use the saucepan method). Once the “beef” is cooked thoroughly, add the contents of the Spicy Alfredo Fusilloni Pasta and continue to stir and incorporate until the sauce bubbles and the noodles are cooked through. It shakes out to about 50/50 bulgogi to noodles, so feel free to add as much bulgogi as you like and save the rest for a rice bowl, taco, or — in my case — another “Never-Ending” fusilloni bowl.

Find it in stores: Spicy Alfredo Fusilloni, $4.39 for 16 ounces at Trader Joe’s

What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s frozen dinner hack? Tell us about it in the comments.