Turn Pasta Into The Most Comforting Fall Meal With This Trader Joe's Soup

Pasta is a versatile dish that can reinvent itself for any season. Whether it's a hearty bowl of spaghetti and meatballs from your favorite restaurant in the winter or a lightly-dressed, veggie-forward pasta salad for a summer party, you can use what's in season to turn it into just about any kind of dish. In fall, swap out a typical jar of pasta sauce for Trader Joe's pumpkin butternut squash bisque, and you'll have a cozy autumn dinner in no time.

The Trader Joe's soup is seasonal and costs $4.79 for a 20-ounce container. The soup contains pumpkin puree alongside butternut squash, onions, and carrots, as well as aromatics like sage and brown butter. A few spices, including nutmeg and black pepper, round out the flavor. It's ready to eat from the container, so all you have to do is heat it up, making it an easy and flavorful fall pasta sauce. To build a quick pasta dish, just cook some pasta in salted water, then drain it and toss with the soup; you might want to reserve some pasta water if you want to thin the bisque a bit; it's better than using fresh water. 

While the soup can stand on its own with the pasta for an easy dish, it wouldn't hurt to add some protein into the mix for more balance. Grilled chicken is a safe option here because it adds protein but doesn't impact the flavor much. Another great choice could be mild Italian sausage, which has a rich flavor profile and, depending on the kind you buy, can be enhanced with seasonings and add-ons like fennel and garlic, which would both pair well with the butternut-pumpkin soup.

Besides meat, cheese is another way to build on the soupy pasta. Make it even thicker by adding grated sharp cheddar to the soup as it heats, or grate some fresh parmesan over the pasta once it's cooked and plated. For an easy side pairing, add ultra flavorful garlic bread or a hearty slice of focaccia alongside the pasta dish.