20 Italian Imports You Can Find at Trader Joe’s

You can find plenty of Italian products at your local Trader Joe’s, but it’s safe to say that not all of them are coming to you directly from Italy itself. Some of them are merely inspired by Italy and made right here in the United States. While there’s nothing wrong with that, the products on this list are as tried-and-true Italian as they come, made in Italy by Italian suppliers.

Trader Joe’s sources these products from all over Italy. The suppliers they use work hard and take great care to acquire and prepare their goods before sending them off overseas. Some of these suppliers even grow the products themselves and several of them have been in the pasta business for over a hundred years — now that’s authentic.

If you’re looking for real Italian products at low prices, these 20 products from Trader Joe’s sourced straight from Italy should be added to your shopping list — pronto!

Just because a cheese is labeled “Parmesan” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily from Italy. In fact, in the European Union, cheese can’t even legally be called “Parmesan,” unless it’s made in the geographical region of Parmigiano Reggiano, Italy. Well, this cheese from Trader Joe’s is as authentically Italian as you can get. Trader Joe’s uses a century-old cheese company in Parma as their supplier of Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio cheese. Looking at the blocks of these differently shaped blocks of cheese piled atop each other at a Trader Joe’s is a lovely sight to behold. They run for around $17.99 per pound, so although this cheese isn’t cheap, you know it’s going to be amazing — it’s aged for 36 months before finding its way to your grocery aisle, after all.

The Vegan Spinach & Cashew Ravioli may not contain actual cheese, but it’s still cheesy — and authentically Italian. This dairy-free ravioli is imported straight from Italy and made for Trader Joe’s by a trusted pasta supplier with over 140 years of experience in the business. The ravioli is not only perfect for an easy dinner (it takes under four minutes to cook), but it is seriously good. The filling has a velvety texture — you wouldn’t be able to tell it was cheese-less if it didn’t say so on the packaging. It doesn’t need much dressing up to taste delicious, either. Toss it in some olive oil, add a little bit of seasoning (and perhaps some of Trader Joe’s dairy-free shredded Parmesan cheese alternative) and you’re good to go.

Just like it says in the name, the Salame di Parma Mild Salami comes straight from the source in Parma, Italy. In fact, it’s specifically from the Italian Apennine Mountains, a region with a climate perfect for air-drying and aging meats. This mild salami is thin, floppy, and very salty with notes of olive and spice. It’s one of those hefty types of salami, where each slice looks like several salamis that have assimilated to form one super salami slice. It would pair well with many of the items on this very list, such as the Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio and the Green Olive Flats Italian Lingue Crackers. Add the Organic Conversation Olive Trio and you’ve got the beginnings of a pretty fantastic charcuterie board.

The Italian Sparkling Mineral Water from Trader Joe’s comes to you straight from Italy, specifically from the mineral spring of Val di Meti. This particular spring is famous for its ability to produce excellent mineral water, and it’s used to do just that for many mineral water vendors around the world. You’ll notice that this particular Italian Sparkling Mineral Water looks extremely similar in packaging to a certain other brand name of mineral waters, but the real test is … does it taste the same? Well, the answer is yes. Trader Joe’s, however, has always been the place to go when you’re looking for a good price on a great knockoff grocery item. At just $1.99, this mineral water is a steal.

This trio of organic olives comes to you straight from Italy’s southern region of Puglia and it’s made up of three tasty types of olive: Nocellara, Bella di Cerignola, and Leccino. The olives in the Organic Conversation Olive Trio do have pits, so one should be careful as they snack on them. They’re also quite bitter compared to past Trader Joe’s olives, such as the discontinued and quite popular Greek olive medley. They’re still pretty good, and it’s nice to have a variety of olives in one jar, as you’re sure to not get bored of them. Add them to a charcuterie, a salad, or eat them just as is right out of the jar while having a conversation with a friend, as the name suggests.

Limone Premuto Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a lemony, zesty treat, straight from a little town near the Adriatic Sea called Andria in Italy. If you’re a fan of lemon and olives, this is the product for you because those are its only two ingredients. This olive oil is cold pressed and made with fresh Sicilian lemons before being shipped to the United States. It can be added to so many different foods like fish and chicken dishes. It’s also perfect for drizzling on bread, salads, or even your favorite hummus to brighten it up a little. One Trader Joe’s sign even suggested drizzling it over vanilla ice cream — that’s a pretty versatile olive oil right there (and it’s only going to cost you around $7.99).

These crunchy, sugary cookies are made in Italy and sent to your neighborhood Trader Joe’s. They are as simple as they are delightful, and made of only three ingredients — egg whites, apricot kernels, and sugar. The Crunchy Italian Amaretti Cookies are also so fancy they’re individually wrapped inside the box not once but twice. This might just be for a lovely aesthetic, or it could be because these round, crunchy little cookies are messy and the sprinkles on top of them will get everywhere unless you’re careful. That said, they’re worth the mess. There’s a subtle tartness to them and they are very sweet with a bit of a bitter, yet welcome aftertaste that lingers in your mouth long after eating it.

It’s right there in the name — the Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Basil Leaf are Italian-grown and packed. Plus, they go on quite the journey around Italy before being sent to Trader Joe’s around the United States. Their adventure begins in Puglia, where they’re grown, followed by a trip to Naples to get packed with basil leaves and tomato juice. It’s a quick trip, though, with only 12 hours in between being harvested and getting canned. After that, off they go across the pond to your neighborhood Trader Joe’s. Remove the stems and crush the tomatoes to make a sauce for pizza, add them into a casserole or soup, or use them to create your own version of a classic marinara sauce to lather on your pasta.

We love a tiny, Italy-imported bag of cookies at Trader Joe’s, and just like the Amaretti cookies, these little guys also only have three ingredients: hazelnuts, egg whites, and sugar. Unlike the Amaretti cookies, however, they are the tiniest cookies ever. They’re so tiny, in fact, that the serving size is 40 cookies. The Nocciolini Tiny Hazelnut Meringues are extremely crunchy and hard, but they’ll melt if you keep them in your mouth long enough. For a cookie so small, the crunch is almost surprising. It’s not a bad surprise, though — these cookies just have a big personality. If you don’t like hazelnuts, these aren’t for you because they certainly hit your taste buds with that strong nutty flavor.

The Organic Italian Artisan Gigli Pasta comes to your grocery aisles from Bari, the capital of Italy’s Puglia. It consists of 100% organic durum wheat semolina and sourced from farms in the area. It’s made in small batches and dried at low temperatures, which gives it a more rustic look. And, no, the “Gigli” in the name is not a reference to the 2013 movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck — it’s Italian for “little bells” or “bellflowers.” This, of course, refers to its texture and overall ruffled look and how the pasta is shaped like little bells and has a bell-like hollow center. Try it with a classic marinara sauce or Trader Joe’s Rosatella sauce (which is also on this list).

Trader Joe’s has sold many different kinds of wafer cookies in the past, but these Double Chocolate Wafer Cookies specifically have something special about them. First of all, when they say “double chocolate,” they mean double chocolate. These little cubes are chocolatey without being overly sweet or sickening, and they melt in your mouth in a delicious way. They are subtly decadent yet still feel very light. There is a light nutty taste to them, as the chocolate cream layered inside of the tiny cookies have a bit of hazelnut infused in them, but honestly, it’s overpowered by the chocolate. Mostly importantly, they are imported directly from Italy, so they’re as authentically Italian as a cookie can be.

Behold, the perfect rectangular cracker to place meats and cheeses upon: the Green Olive Flats Italian Lingue Crackers (whew, what a name). They’re extra long so you can pile on the toppings, and, of course, they are imported from Italy. These crackers are a unique, crumbly delight. They’re thicker than your regular cracker and more like long, flat pieces of dried bread. They sort of melt in your mouth and the olive taste is extremely prominent in the best sort of way. Some pieces are thicker than others. which is pleasant (really varies it up), and they pair very well with several items on this very list (Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio, for example). Try them with any type of cheese or meat on top for the perfect snack dinner.

This specific Prosecco from Trader Joe’s, known simply as Prosecco, is directly from Northeastern Italy and ready to be mixed with orange juice at your next brunch function — or enjoyed all on its own. Prosecco is another one of those food items, like Parmigiano Reggiano, that under EU law must be made in certain regions of northeast Italy. It’s simply called “Prosecco” and branded by Trader Joe’s, but as we know, the store is known for its partnerships with big names in food (and by partnership, I mean, of course, label swaps). This sparkling wine is surely one of those. To sell this item in your local store, Trader Joe’s claims to have partnered with a “prominent Prosecco supplier,” though which one is anyone’s guess.

Trader Joe’s Seasoned Corn Ribs are an interesting take on corn on the cob, meant to resemble ribs (but for vegans). Made and sliced with care in Italy by Trader Joe’s Italian supplier, these curved sticks of corn are certainly unlike any other frozen vegetable product around. Look, they definitely look like spines — it’s true. But, if you can get past that, they’re very good and a way to change up your corn-eating style, if that’s something you’re interested in doing. They’re entirely plant-based and taste like regular corn, despite their shape, and make for a great quick side dish. You can make them in the oven, toss them in the air fryer, or even heat them up in the microwave.

The Pronto! Amaro Aperitivo has no business being as good as it is — not for an Italian liqueur that’ll cost you around 10 bucks, which is much less expensive than most amaros, which can cost almost $50 a bottle. This liqueur is perfect for experimenting with cocktails and spritzes of all sorts, and it’s exactly what you need to mix into your Negronis, Paper Planes, and Black Manhattans. It’s on the sweet side with a distinct herbal taste. It’s slightly floral as well, and of course, classically bitter. It’s also made by a distiller from Italy and sent overseas to a Trader Joe’s near you. Add it to a cocktail, drink it neat, or add a bit of orange juice to it.

The Rosatella Pasta Sauce is as creamy as it is tangy — and it’s pink. Most importantly, though, it’s made in Italy, specifically in the Piedmont area before being sent overseas to Trader Joe’s. This pasta sauce is packed with flavor. It has a decadent base of milk and cream, with added tomato paste, Grana Padano PDO cheese, onion, and seasonings. It’s a lot thicker than the usual marinara pasta sauce while also being very smooth and quite similar in texture to vodka pasta sauces. It would taste as wonderful on a pasta dish as it would on a pizza — you might even want to use it as a creamy dip for grilled bread. For around $3.99 for a 14-ounce bottle, it’s a pretty good deal.

The Organic Papperdelle Pasta Nests are as authentically Italian as pasta can get. According to Trader Joe’s, they are sourced from one of Italy’s most renowned pasta makers, who goes the extra mile to mill their own durum wheat semolina. The pasta is divided up into convenient little nests, and then dry-bundled together for easy preparation and portioning. Papperdelle is a wider cut noodle — it’s flat and long, making it perfect for creamy sauces like Alfredo because there’s more noodle surface for it to stick to. Try it simple with a good mushroom cream sauce (or substitute the sauce for a can of cream of mushroom soup). Alternatively, you can fancy it up by turning it into a beef ragu.

Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi is sourced from Italy, from a supplier who grows its own cauliflower (and also makes regular gnocchi). It’s made up of 75% of the cruciferous vegetable and tastes very similar to potato-based gnocchi. The key to delicious cauliflower gnocchi is the method in which you cook it. Just because the bag says it’s microwavable doesn’t mean it’s going to taste right. For the best cauliflower gnocchi possible, saute it in a pan on the stove in some olive oil or butter. You can also bake them in the oven. Both methods will result in a crispier, more appetizing gnocchi that tastes like pasta, rather than what you’ll get from the microwave (a chewy mess of cauliflower goo that is also somehow tough?).

If you’re in the mood for an Italy-imported gnocchi that isn’t cauliflower-based, Trader Joe’s has your back. However, like its cauliflower-based predecessor, the Outside-In Stuffed Gnocchi isn’t exactly your typical gnocchi, either. Usually, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce would go on top of the dish, but this gnocchi has them stuffed inside of each potato dough ball (sort of like elevated pizza rolls in pasta form). This is great news because it means they’re basically ready-to-eat without adding much to them at all. Toss them in some margarine or olive oil, add your favorite seasoning, and you’ve got yourself a tasty, simple meal. They even cook well in the microwave to make life even easier than it already was (when it comes to cooking this gnocchi, anyway).

A frozen pizza imported from Italy? You bet.The Roasted Garlic and Pesto Pizza with Deep Fried Crust is made in Naples, Italy in a traditional fashion that takes several days and results in a crust with the perfect balance of crunchiness and chewy airiness. Plus, Trader Joe’s made sure this pizza was extra authentic, as it’s based it off of a specific pizza from an actual Italian pizza shop. Fried pizza — or pizza fritta — is one of Naples’ most loved street foods, and it comes in many different forms. It also has a storied history as a wartime food during World War II, with many people believing this is where it originated and others arguing it was around far before then. Regardless, fried pizza stuck around and is still popular today.