Whole & Simple Gnocchi with Pesto + Fusilli with Pesto
I get excited whenever I see Whole & Simple meals in the limited-edition Aldi Find freezer. The Whole & Simple house brand at Aldi encompasses foods that contain mostly whole, easily recognizable ingredients. I like to stock my freezer with this product line when I spot it at Aldi.
With some exceptions, Whole & Simple is a product line mostly known for its boxed single-serving microwavable meal bowls. They’re perfect for quick workday lunches or any time you want an easy meal that isn’t ultra-processed. Aldi rotates different limited-time flavor combinations through the freezer case, with past variations including shrimp bowls, pad Thai and yellow curry bowls, and tahini and chickpea bowls.
This week, I picked up some pesto gnocchi and pesto fusilli pasta bowls. I ate the gnocchi one for lunch the same day I bought it, and then my pasta-loving teenager came home from school and just had to try the fusilli version as an after-school snack.
These are Aldi Finds, so they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to sell them again later. Aldi does not have online ordering for products that are out of stock at your local store.
I bought the Whole & Simple Gnocchi with Pesto and Whole & Simple Fusilli with Pesto for review purposes for $3.99 each at my local Aldi. They’re sold in 9-ounce packages, which comes out to about 44 cents per ounce.
These are products of Italy.
If you’re looking out for allergens, these both contain wheat, milk, and soy.
The backs of the boxes have directions for cooking these from frozen in a conventional oven or in a microwave.
To bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the outer carton and plastic film. Place the tray directly on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the product reaches 165 degrees. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
To microwave, remove the outer carton and plastic film. Place the tray on a microwavable plate and heat 2 1/2 minutes at 900W. Stir and heat for 2 1/2 more minutes at 900W or until product reaches 165 degrees. Let cool 1 minute before serving.
I microwaved both of these. My microwave cooks at 1100 watts, and the directions say to cook at 900 watts. I was concerned about overcooking the food. So, I experimented with reducing the cooking time. I found that cooking it for 2 minutes initially, then stirring and cooking for an additional 1 1/2 minutes got the food plenty hot. Your mileage may vary depending on your microwave.
Keep reading for nutrition information and what we thought when we sampled each variety.
Whole & Simple Gnocchi with Pesto:
The box describes this as “potato gnocchi with creamy basil sauce.” It was excellent. The gnocchi are pillowy, doughy, and exactly what I expected. The creamy basil sauce was savory and hit just the right notes, with a nice blend of cheese, basil, garlic, and salt. I would absolutely buy this again. It’s so delicious that it’s probably good it’s not in stores all the time.
Ingredients for the Gnocchi with Pesto include potato gnocchi, cream, water, ricotta, basil, grated medium fat hard cheese, sunflower oil, extra virgin olive oil, corn starch, garlic, salt, and soy flour.
One 255-gram serving has 490 calories, 24 grams of total fat (31% DV), 10 grams of saturated fat (50% DV), 760 mg of sodium (33% DV), 57 grams of total carbohydrates (21% DV), 3 grams of dietary fiber (11% DV), 14 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 13 grams of protein.
Whole & Simple Fusilli with Pesto:
The box describes this as “spiral pasta with creamy basil sauce, kale and tomato.” This is the one my teen ate, but I made them let me try a couple of bites for review purposes. My teen enthusiastically approved of this, and I agree it’s good. It has classic spiral pasta with a creamy sauce, with basil and bits of tomato and kale. I’m partial to the gnocchi version above, but this one is perfectly delicious as well.
Ingredients for the Fusilli with Pesto include precooked pasta, water, cream, tomato, ricotta, basil, grated medium fat hard cheese, kale, extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, corn starch, salt, garlic, and soy flour.
One 255-gram serving has 450 calories, 23 grams of total fat (29% DV), 9 grams of saturated fat (45% DV), 530 mg of sodium (23% DV), 48 grams of total carbohydrates (17% DV), 3 grams of dietary fiber (11% DV), 3 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 13 grams of protein.
The Verdict:
We bought and reviewed both the Whole & Simple Gnocchi with Pesto and the Whole & Simple Fusilli with Pesto. These are products of Italy and are both fantastic if you like pesto and pasta. We especially like the gnocchi one, but the fusilli pasta is good, too. In both dishes, the creamy basil pesto sauce is delicious.
We always appreciate how the Whole & Simple product line offers quick microwavable meals perfect for at home or at work. The fact that they contain mostly whole, easily recognizable ingredients is a bonus.
