When I was a kid, I’d experiment with all sorts of ingredients in the kitchen. I’d add pickle juice to my jasmine rice, and cheese to my Cheez-It crackers to create a makeshift (7-year-old) version of pizza bites. The latter was much tastier than the pickle-rice combination, and yet never in my wildest childhood dreams could I imagine that nearly 20 years later Cheez-It would launch an actual line of frozen pizzas.
I, of course, rushed to try the new cracker-inspired (and shaped?) cheese pizza. Here’s my full review.
Credit: Ali Domrongchai Credit: Ali Domrongchai
What You Should Know About Cheez-It Italian Four Cheese Pizza
Cheez-It has teamed up with Palermo’s, a family-owned purveyor of pizzas based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to launch a line of frozen pizzas featuring a thin, Cheez-It-flavored crust. The 16-ounce pizzas come in three varieties: Italian Four Cheese, Original Pepperoni, and Cheddar Jack Supreme. I am a cheese pizza girl, and was the most excited about the four-cheese flavor that features a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses. (I have the others sitting in my freezer; I’m excited to try them!)
The new line dropped earlier this week and is gradually rolling out at retailers nationwide, including Kroger and Walmart, for around $6.99 to $9.99. It’s unclear how long the pizzas will remain on shelves, but (spoiler alert!) I hope they’re here to stay.
Credit: Ali Domrongchai Credit: Ali Domrongchai
My Honest Review of Cheez-It Italian Four Cheese Pizza
My oven was already preheated before I even got my box (I’m prepared!). I put my pizza straight onto the oven’s center tack to bake for the allotted 10 minutes. The cheese was hardly melted after my timer went off, so I kept it in there for another five minutes until the cheese looked gooey and started to get some color.
Credit: Ali Domrongchai Credit: Ali Domrongchai
Once the pizza was out, I could hardly wait for it to cool down before taking my first bite. One of my concerns going into this pizza was if it could actually capture the iconic Cheez-It flavor, and not just taste like cheese-flavored bread. I was very relieved to discover this pizza really tastes like one big Cheez-It with marinara and more melted cheese on top. It’s amazing.
Credit: Ali Domrongchai Credit: Ali Domrongchai
The pizza itself is very thin, like a cracker, and there’s enough marinara sauce to add that tomato-y flavor but not enough to make the crust soggy. The cheesiness from the mozzarella-cheddar-Parmesan-Romano mixture is delicious and complements the Cheddar-flavored cracker base like a dream. It’s incomparable to other frozen cheese pizzas; in fact, it’s entirely in its own category.
Find in stores: Cheez-It Italian Four Cheese Pizza
Have you tried the new Cheez-It pizzas? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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