I am working my way through the Costco pasta selections and decided to give the Kirkland Five Cheese Tortelloni a try. The tortelloni are made with fresh pasta that cooks quickly and is filled with five different cheeses.
The Kirkland Tortelloni is easy to cook and comes in two packages that each contain 1.5 pounds of pasta, three pounds total.
Keep Reading and we will cover:
- Tortelloni Cooking Instructions
- How Does the Tortelloni Taste
- Calories in the Five Cheese Tortelloni
- How Much Does Tortelloni Cost at Costco
Cooking Instructions
The cooking instructions for one package (1.5 pounds) of the Kirkland tortelloni are:
- Bring six quarts of water to a gentle boil.
- Add a pinch of salt to the water.
- Add pasta to the boiling water and let cook for two minutes.
- Drain the pasta.
- Toss with olive oil or melted butter and add sauce of choice.
I tried following these instructions but found I need to cook the pasta for an extra minute.
Taste Test
I was a little underwhelmed by the pasta. There was nothing bad about the tortelloni, I just thought they were bland.
I had my hopes built up for the Five Cheese filling which has the following cheeses:
- Ricotta
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Marscapone
- Mozzarella
- Pecorino Ramano
Unfortunately, I found the filling was overwhelmed by the thick pasta. The pasta itself was tender and tasted fine, but the cheese flavor gets buried.
We served the tortelloni with olive oil and diced leftover Master Carve Ham. The meal was perfectly acceptable but nothing we were excited about.
I might just stick with the Gluten Free Four Cheese Tortelloni I found at Costco the other day. The gluten free version has thinner pasta which really allows the savory cheese filling to shine.
Kirkland Five Cheese Tortelloni with Ham
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Kirkland Five Cheese Tortelloni from Costco
- 1 cup Diced Cooked Ham
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Bring six quarts of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.
- Add the tortelloni to the water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the tortelloni and toss with the olive oil.
- Stir in the cooked diced ham and serve!
Notes
Serving Suggestions
The tortelloni are neutral enough in flavor to be served with a variety of sauces. If you are still in the Costco warehouse then you can pick up a couple jars of Rao’s Marinara to dress the pasta, or, if you really want to bring the flavor, grab a jar of Costco’s Basil Pesto!
A nice twist would be to bake the tortelloni in alfredo sauce with a mozzarella and parmesan cheese topping.
You could also use the tortelloni to make a lovely pasta salad with marinated artichokes hearts, olives, feta and tomatoes.
Another great use would be to serve the pasta in a bowl of hot tomato soup for a comforting treat.
Calories and Nutrition
One cup is a single serving and you get about 14 servings between the two containers. One serving has the following Calories and nutritional information:
- Calories: 270
- Fat: 8g (10% DV)
- Cholesterol: 50mg (17% DV)
- Sodium: 510mg (22% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 37g (13% DV)
- Protein: 13g
The nutritional information for this pasta shows it has more calories and sodium than Costco’s Spinach and Cheese Ravioli which is currently my favorite Costco pasta.
Storage
This is a fresh pasta and must be refrigerated. There is a “Use or Freeze By” date marked on the front of the package that is usually a little over a month from the date of purchase. The package indicates that the pasta can be frozen for up to one month without a loss in quality.
If you freeze the pasta then you can cook it directly from frozen by adding another three minutes onto the cook time.
Any leftovers should be consumed within three days.
Price of Five Cheese Tortelloni at Costco
I bought the three pound package of tortelloni at Costco for $10.99 which works out to a cost of $0.229 per ounce.
For comparison I found that Giant Food Stores is selling a 20 ounce package of Rana Five Cheese Tortelloni for $8.49 which works out to a cost of $0.42 per ounce.
This means that you will save $0.19 per ounce (45%) when you buy your cheese tortelloni at Costco.
How long must I cook the Tortelloni if it is frozen?
Could 3 minutes be enough?
At my Costco they were serving samples. I loved what they did with pesto. After cooking three minutes per your recommendation I added butter, pasta water, pesto sauce, cut up fresh tomatoes and a little fresh basil from the garden. I topped it with fresh ground pepper and freshly grated Parmesano reggiano. It was delicious and I easily tasted the cheese filling. I am not sure I would like this as well with a tomato based sauce.
Sounds delicious!