Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes Review

Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes

Pesto comes from the word “pestâ,” which means “crush.” We suppose that makes sense, given that pesto is usually made from crushed pine nuts. The Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes, however, doesn’t contain any pine nuts, which means it’s less than ideal if you’re looking for an authentic pesto dish.

This meal does come with microwave instructions, but we opted to cook it on the stovetop. You don’t have to do much more than toss some oil, water, and the contents of the bag in a pan and stir it for nine minutes. Of course, boiling pasta and tossing it with pesto and tomatoes isn’t all that difficult either, so we’re not sure heating up this frozen dish saves you much time.

Taking our first bite also made us wish we’d just made a homecooked meal. The pasta is great; it’s got a nice al dente texture and tastes better than your average boxed rotini. The pesto, however, is incredibly salty. It’s hard to even taste the basil or garlic, because the salt dominates everything else.

Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes

The cherry tomatoes are also subpar. They obviously aren’t fresh, and some of the tomatoes taste like they didn’t have the chance to ripen before they were frozen. The acidity of the tomatoes could have helped to counter the saltiness of the pesto, but these tomatoes aren’t tasty enough to do much of anything for the dish.

Archer Farms claims that there are three servings here, but we can’t see how this could really feed more than two people. There’s just not enough pasta here for three plates, even if you’re pairing the dish up with a salad. The pesto is also on the thinner side, which means the dish doesn’t feel that substantial.

Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes isn’t disgusting, but it’s hard to recommend this frozen meal. If you want to enjoy a nice pesto pasta, grab a box of rotini, a pre-made package of pesto, and some fresh cherry tomatoes. It’ll taste better than this dish, you’ll have leftovers, and it won’t be much harder to make. You might even save yourself some money.

To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this Target-exclusive frozen pasta, check out our package scans below.

Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes
Archer Farms Pesto Rotini with Cherry Tomatoes
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