The $3 Trader Joe's Cheese So Good, It Doubles As A Creamy Pasta Sauce

Pasta lovers everywhere know the importance of choosing delectable, melty cheeses that give this dish a creamy texture and complement its other ingredients. If you're looking to add a new cheese to your repertoire, look no further than Trader Joe's. The grocery chain, which is known for its unique finds, sells a seasonal, limited-time Caramelized Onion Goat's Milk Cheese for $3.29, offering flavors of brown sugar and toasted onion that balance the tangy richness of goat milk. While it can be enjoyed on charcuterie board crackers and bread as a snack or spread on sandwiches for lunch, adding it to pasta makes a great dinner that cooks up easily.

To incorporate it into your next creamy pasta dish, heat olive oil in a pot and add the cheese log along with some reserved pasta water, then cook until the cheese is thoroughly melted. Use a pasta shape that will allow the creamy sauce to cling, and add fresh vegetables like broccoli, spinach, or tomatoes. The acidity and slight bitterness of such vegetables works well with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the tart goat milk, creating a more balanced plate of pasta. 

Many Trader Joe's shoppers who've tried this product are impressed by its flavors and ability to mesh well with numerous foods. People who already like goat cheese will likely have a more favorable opinion. Goat cheese can be an adjustment for those who are only used to cow cheese, especially due to how different it can taste based on age. This cheese's flavor is comparable to French onion soup with a sweet twist. When using it as a sauce, you could swap the reserved pasta water for sherry cooking wine and add thyme or mushrooms to lean into its French onion soup taste. 

Others don't like the sweetness, claiming it overpowers the goat milk. One Reddit user said, "Yeah it would have been great if they just stuck to the natural mild sweetness of actual caramelization. Instead they overdid it by adding sugar." The cheese does contain 3 grams of added sugar. If you still want to see how this product tastes as a pasta sauce while passing on the extra sweetness, adding a sharp cheese like parmesan creates a more savory flavor, as does black pepper, herbs, or minced garlic. You can also sprinkle in more salt to account for the added sweetness.