While we were on vacation in Maui, we picked up several quick and easy meals and side dishes from Costco’s pre-made meal section. One of the sides we tried was this Kirkland Signature Tortellini Pasta Salad, which isn’t available in Canada, we only have the Kirkland Signature Mediterranean Pasta Salad. We served it alongside steak one evening, and I’m sharing my thoughts on it in the review below!
Location in Store
This is located in the pre-made deli section of Costco in Maui, Hawaii, near the Kirkland Signature Quinoa Salad and the Kirkland Signature Enchilada Bake. The item number is 41407.
Taste
The pasta salad is tasty, but it’s very heavy. With all the sausage and cheese, it feels more like a main dish than a side. It has a mild amount of heat along with plenty of cheese, olives and tomatoes.
The pasta salad is well seasoned but definitely on the salty side, and it’s also a bit greasy from the oil. I think it would benefit from more vegetables and fresh herbs to help balance the richness. Because it’s so filling and flavorful, I’d recommend serving it as a main dish rather than a side. The dressing tastes like a fairly standard Italian dressing.
Cost
The tortellini pasta salad costs $6.49 USD per pound, so the total price depends on the weight of the container you choose. My container cost $16.94 USD, which isn’t cheap but it’s a pretty large container.
Convenience
The pasta salad needs to be kept refrigerated and has a sell-by date that’s about three days from the date it was packaged. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it. I think it’s best enjoyed as a lunch or main course for dinner since it’s quite hearty. It would also be a great dish to serve at a summer barbecue or potluck. We had it as a side with steak, but no one took a large serving because it’s so filling.
Nutrition
Calories
A 145-gram serving contains 300 calories, 18 grams of fat, 800 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, three grams of fibre, four grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. Since most people don’t weigh their portions, you may end up eating more or fewer calories than you realize.
Ingredients
The ingredients list is fairly long and includes everything you’d expect based on what you can see in the pasta salad. I do wish they had used olive oil or avocado oil instead of vegetable oil and skipped the preservatives, but that’s pretty typical for most store-bought pasta salads. The salad contains wheat and milk, and may also contain soy, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, and sesame.
Scoring
Taste: 7/10
Cost: 7/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 5/10
Overall
Give it a try!
This pasta salad was good, but not great. I definitely prefer the Kirkland Signature Mediterranean Pasta Salad that’s available here in Canada and would choose it over this one any day. Even if this Kirkland Signature Tortellini Pasta Salad were available at my local Costco, I probably wouldn’t buy it again.
Have you tried the Costco Kirkland Signature Tortellini Pasta Salad? What did you think of it?
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
