10 Walmart Marketside Prepared Pastas, Ranked

There's no labor of love quite like pasta making. It's a culinary art, not because it's overly complicated or because it calls for an entire cupboard's worth of ingredients, but because it requires patience and finesse — and quality flour never hurt. I've only ever attempted the craft under the supervision of a trained chef during cooking classes. And even then, I've ended up with uneven noodles. Plus, don't get me started on the stuffed pastas, which present an entirely new challenge of measuring the right amount of filling and creasing the edges so none seeps out.

Is it all worth it? I can't lie: Yes, it is. But, concurrently, the entire saga makes me grateful for fresh, store-bought options — the kinds that go from the package to the pot to your plate in mere minutes and satisfy those pasta cravings — some of which you can find readily available in Walmart's grab-and-go section. The store's Marketside brand has you covered for all kinds of stuffed pastas, from ravioli and tortellini to sacchetti. All of its options are a win in terms of both convenience and price, but I wanted to see which of those picks offered hearty, Italian-inspired, and rich flavors all wrapped up in tender pasta. So I sampled several options from the brand and ranked them based on their quality and taste. They may not replace the experience of handmade pasta, but I found a few pastas that come close.

I like spinach — I really do. I like it creamed, baked into dishes like quiche or Greek spanakopita, and used as the base of a leafy green salad. But here, tucked inside ring-shaped pockets of tortellini, I can't say I'm a fan.

The deep green hue of the spinach stuffing showed on the outside of the pasta. It was a bit menacing, really. It was dark enough to the point where it looked black, as though it were made with squid ink. The vegetable was front and center in the taste, dominating with its earthy, almost grass-like notes. A trio of cheeses, including ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, were also thrown in, as well as sea salt and black pepper, though it's hard to pick up on any of those auxiliary flavors. When you split one of the tiny pouches down the middle, you realize that what you're eating looks like a pile of green gunk, and the taste isn't much better. While the pasta itself was fresh and lightly chewy, I couldn't get past the spinach's flavor.

If you're harboring Popeye-sized love for spinach, you'll gravitate toward this pasta pick. But I guess I'm not in that camp, and I found myself disappointed that this tortellini came in a larger pack, meaning I had leftovers to eat.

The chicken and mozzarella stuffed pasta is actually classified as a tortelloni rather than a tortellini. It's a very subtle difference in the name, and there actually is a small disparity between the two recipes as well — although I don't think Walmart fully abided by those traditional differences. Tortelloni is typically larger than tortellini (which checks out here), and it's usually vegetarian, containing just cheese and veggies (which does not check out here).

Marketside puts its own spin on the pasta, which would have been fine and dandy if I had enjoyed the medley of ingredients that was waiting inside. I actually wavered back and forth between whether I liked it or not, and finally landed on not. The pink poultry base tasted like that of canned chicken. Despite an assemblage of ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and even Asiago, the cheesiness was lacking, and the only other flavor I could pick out was that of piney rosemary.

The tortelloni wasn't a favorite of mine and landed just above the spinach tortellini. But the good news is that you can blanket it with a creamy Alfredo or robust vodka sauce — just as tortelloni is meant to be — in order to cover up any unsavory flavors.

A well-made gnocchi warms the soul and coats your insides with a layer of wholesomeness. However, I didn't get those warm, fuzzy feelings from Walmart's recipe.

I could tell as soon as I pulled them off the stove that the texture wasn't quite right. Even after following the cooking instructions to a tee, simmering the fresh (not shelf-stable) gnocchi for just about two minutes, the dumplings still turned out bloated and waterlogged. This translated to a very strange texture and taste. They were extra gummy, grainy, and excessively potato-y. It was like eating a helping of pure mashed potatoes that had been formed into ridged ovals — and not fresh mashed potatoes, but the instant kind. The recipe — which included just dehydrated potatoes, wheat flour, eggs, sea salt, olive oil, and turmeric oil for color — may help explain this taste sensation.

To help save the dish, I coated my bowlful with a hearty amount of butter, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, and it tasted just fine, which is why it surpassed the previous tortellini and tortelloni offerings. But nothing could fix that strange texture. It's a shame, too, because this was one of the Marketside pastas that I was most excited to try.

The lemon and burrata ravioli is just one of five different Marketside raviolis that I tried. It turned out to be my least favorite of the bunch, but that doesn't mean it was a bad pasta. In fact, it could have been one of my favorites, with just a few upgrades.

My main beef with this vegetarian ravioli is that calling out "burrata" in the title is misleading. Burrata is certainly a buzzword, so I understand why Walmart would want to make this distinction. People (myself included) can't resist a burrata-based dish, no matter what it is. But in reality, this ravioli was just stuffed with standard mozzarella. It didn't have that same buttery richness of burrata; it was far milder. This isn't the first time I've encountered this either. Other store-bought raviolis have this same issue, including the offering from Target's Good & Gather brand.

Aside from the burrata debacle, it's a palatable option. It's actually considered mezzaluna rather than ravioli because of its half-moon shape. It was bright, with an almost refreshing taste from the lemon zest. You also get an extra dose of flavor and acidity from a hidden ingredient: fresh vine-ripened tomatoes. Served with a lemon butter sauce to bring out even more of those citrus notes, or even a simple drizzle of brown butter and sage, it would make for a flavorful springtime meal.

Marketside ups the ante with its five cheese (yes, five) tortellini. Let's count all five, shall we? You have ricotta (a given for most stuffed pastas), mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and aged Asiago. You also have "Parmesan cheese flavor," which includes ingredients like organic butter, sweet cream, sugar, onion powder, and garlic powder. Plus, we can't forget about a final sprinkling of black pepper.

Even with all these filling ingredients, each ring-shaped tortellino is just as small as the spinach and ricotta version. However, the taste is an improvement. The aged Asiago is predominantly to thank. While most of the other white cheeses fly under the radar, the Asiago offers a sharper, almost funky flavor that leans into Gorgonzola cheese territory. It really improves what would otherwise be a very mellow pasta dish. I only wish there were more of it, and more cheese stuffed into each pocket in general. The ratio of tender pasta to fillings is slightly skewed — which is the main reason this tortellini falters to the middle of the pack. The silver lining is that this also makes the pasta highly versatile, meaning you can pair it with any kind of sauce you want, from a light olive oil and garlic sauce to a robust and spicy arrabbiata.

This selection is such a drastic improvement from the spinach and ricotta tortellini. I don't really understand how simply changing the pasta shape makes such a big difference, but somehow it does. Perhaps because the size of these square raviolis is so much larger, the spinach isn't as condensed, and a larger helping of cheese helps to neutralize the overall taste. Whatever the case may be, it's a pasta that I would gladly eat again.

The pasta is egg-based, so it's firmer and holds up well in the boiling water. It tasted rich and fresh, and once you break into its center, you're met with a mixture that's not unlike spinach and artichoke dip (minus the artichoke, of course). With ingredients like spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, and black pepper, it's no wonder the two dishes share a similar flavor profile.

It's a satisfying ravioli; the only thing I wish is that it had a bit more oomph to it. Personally, I would have doubled the garlic to really make the flavor pop. But I suppose I can also settle for surrounding it with garlic on the outside in the form of a garlicky basil pesto or bold marinara sauce.

This particular pasta gave me major fits in the cooking process. It comes with the same exact instructions as many of the others: all you have to do is boil it in water for about three to four minutes, so that wasn't an issue. However, by the end of minute one, a few of the raviolis had already burst open, spilling an orange substance into the water and creating a ring around the pot. By the end of the three minutes, nearly half of the pockets had lost their filling — a major bummer.

I had to give Walmart the benefit of the doubt, hoping this was just a one-time snafu, and focused instead on the taste of the intact raviolis. What I found was that they tasted pretty good. With vine-ripened California tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, and basil acting as the main ingredients (supported by Parmesan, parsley, black pepper, and sea salt), it has a Caprese-like freshness to it. I also couldn't help but be reminded of a Margherita pizza, but one that's been packed up into a round, bite-sized dumpling. Overall, it's light and feels like a pasta dish that won't bog you down or put you into a food coma. It's pleasant enough, but several other Marketside pastas brought more flavor to the table.

The quintuple cheesiness returns with this ravioli. Even though these raviolis emerged fairly flat from their boiling bath, I found that each one was full of just enough cheese. Once again, you have ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and aged Asiago all teamed up. The result is a creamy white cheese blend that tastes mostly of mild ricotta and mozzarella until the pungency of the aged Asiago kicks in. It's a flavor I really wasn't prepared for, but I'm glad it was there. And it tastes even stronger here than it did in the five-cheese tortellini. There's also a good balance between the filling inside and the egg-based pasta on the outside. It makes for a tasty meal and, as such, it ranked high on my list. The only two that ranked above it did so because they were able to incorporate more flavor diversity, which I always tend to gravitate toward.

I was happy that this pick came in a larger 18-ounce package (most of the other raviolis come in 9-ounce packages). I only made about half of the pack, so I'm pleased to have the rest for another easy lunch or dinner.

I love the shape of sacchetti pasta. Sometimes called a "beggar's purse," it always looks to me like a collection of tiny money sacks. I also like that there's typically a good amount of stuffing loaded into the bottom portion, so it's not laden with empty promises. Fortunately, Walmart's version lives up to these expectations when it comes to both appearance and taste.

The Marketside brand notes that its sacchetti are comprised of artisanal linguine, made simply with wheat flour, water, and eggs. It's fresh, with a delicate texture and a little bit of bounce. What's more impressive, though, is what's hiding inside each small pouch. It offers nearly as much fromage as the previous five-cheese ravioli, packing in ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, and Pecorino Romano, so it's plenty cheesy. Then, you also get a bright pesto flavor from the combination of a basil blend, garlic, and Parmesan.

I enjoyed this pasta even more than I thought I would. It's one of the most full-flavored picks from the Marketside brand (just behind my top pick) and one of the only ones that could nearly stand on its own. All you really need is a drizzle of olive oil, a spritz of lemon juice, and perhaps a pinch of coarse salt, and you're in business.

That brings us to my favorite Walmart Marketside pasta dish: the Italian-style beef ravioli. It's like all the goodness of hearty northern Italian cuisine, all wrapped up into sunshine-shaped dumplings. It was unexpectedly delicious.

When I saw the words "Italian" and "beef," I was thinking more along the lines of a spiced Italian beef sausage. Instead, it's more similar to a Tuscan braised beef, and I was more than satisfied with this swap. The meat is tender and surprisingly plentiful, meaning no bite has to go without. Its taste is front and center, yet the other ingredients do a great job supporting it. The filling is supplemented with tomato paste, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, red wine, butter, and heavy cream, so it's equal parts creamy and rich. Not to mention, you get an added dose of flavor from the mirepoix — a veggie blend of onions, carrots, and celery.

Extra savory and filling, it's like a fusion between pot roast and pasta. It was clearly a winner, and the only issue I had was trying to decide what kind of sauce to serve it with. Do you allow the ravioli's natural flavors to shine with a basic tomato sauce? Do you double down on beef with a comforting Bolognese? Or maybe play on the earthy notes with a mushroom cream sauce? It's hard to choose, but also hard to go wrong.

I found all of these stuffed pastas on one trip to Walmart. If you're wandering around the deli and produce section of the store, unable to find them (like I was), check the store's grab-and-go section at the very front, where it also stocks drinks, snacks, and other ready-to-eat picks. I'm not sure I would have stocked pastas that you still have to boil in this area, but that's just me.

When I got all the pastas home, I boiled them according to the instructions on the package — usually about two or three minutes. Then, I tried them all sans sauce at first in order to get a feel for their flavor. I evaluated how well they held together in the boiling water and then subsequently took note of the pasta's texture afterward, making sure to call out anything that ended up too mushy or soggy and giving favor to more al dente pastas that had a slight chew to them.

From there, it was onto the fillings. I wanted a decent ratio of fillings to pasta and bold flavors on the inside of each piece. I looked for cheesiness, freshness, and whether the taste of the pasta actually matched its title and description. As for the stuffed pasta, I looked for ones that could stand on their own or with a light sauce pairing; only a few of these Walmart picks met that criterion.