Trader Joe's Just Brought Out a New Pasta Shape That Holds More Sauce
Let's be honest with each other: not all pasta shapes are created equal. It's true; they just aren't! And look, I'm not being a hater; I'm just being a realist. Forget the angel hair, give me bucatini. Don't taunt me with elbows; serve up some seashells, please. The wrong pasta shape is like serving your Aperol spritzin a wine glass; it is just a totally different experience. However, beyond that, different pasta shapes actually serve a purpose. Pasta shapes impact how different sauces grip the noodle, not to mention affect cooking behavior, texture and your overall flavor perception.
There is definitely both an art and a science to pairing the right pasta shape with the right sauce, and some pastas tend to hang on to sauce better than others. This includes Trader Joe's newest pasta offering to hit its shelves this summer: Trader Joe's Organic Cavatappi Pasta. It is literally designed to hold more sauce, totally transforming your meals.
Organic Cavatappi Pasta, $1.99 at Trader Joe's
Cavatappi, which comes from the Italian word for "corkscrew," was created specifically for TJ's by an expert supplier based in Italy, one who uses a classic dye to ensure this spiral pasta maintains its grippy, toothsome exterior texture. It is essentially a form of extended elbow macaroni, made complete with ridges. This helps maximize sauce retention. In fact, cavatappi holds onto sauce from three angles, including its spiral structure, its ridged exterior and its hollow interior. This delivers a more potent pasta-eating experience.
Related: I Tried Trader Joe's $5 Instant Coffee and It's Shockingly Delicious
Trader Joe's recommends pairing its cavatappi with a zesty marinara or yummy Alfredo sauce, but it also says it would be a marvelous base for baked macaroni and cheese, not to mention pasta salads, a staple of summertime picnics and barbecues. This is definitely a new TJ's find you'll want to try out.
Trader Joe's Organic Cavatappi Pasta is now available at Trader Joe's stores. It retails for $1.99 for 16 ounces.
Related: 9 Discontinued Trader Joe's Frozen Meals Shoppers Are Still Mourning
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 9:10 PM.