You should always expect a few surprises when you head to Aldi. The German retailer is famous for being the place where you can get all your essentials at a bargain price, but it also has a wide array of rather unexpected items, from overlooked hidden gems of snacks to artisanal products that you might not expect this affordable supermarket to stock. As well as this, Aldi is well-known for offering a host of foods from around the world, and giving shoppers access to new flavors and luxury items that won’t break the bank.
Nowhere is this as clear as in its Italian food selection. Aldi has a huge range of Italian and Italian-American foods available in the store, which range from the basics like marinara sauce to fancier goods like imported extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze. It also has a vibrant selection of Italian meats, flatbreads, and pastas that you may not have seen on your last shopping trip, but which you’ll definitely make a stop for on the next one. From the pantry aisle to the frozen section, let’s check out all of those Italian foods you need to grab at Aldi.
Read more: 6 Aldi Soups Ranked From Worst To Best
Specially Selected Premium Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A bottle of Aldi Specially Selected Premium Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Aldi
It wouldn’t be an Italian dinner without some olive oil, right? This plant-based oil is a staple in every Italian kitchen, and that’s something that Aldi knows well. However, Aldi doesn’t just offer the basic stuff: It also delivers on the higher-end with its Specially Selected Premium Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Imported, as you might have guessed, from Sicily, this EVOO is made using cold-pressed olives harvested on the island. With its Protected Designation of Origin seal printed right on the bottle, you can be sure that this stuff is the real deal.
It’s important to note that this isn’t the kind of olive oil you should be pouring into a hot pan. Its robust olive oil taste means that it’s way better suited for using for drizzling or in dressings. However, that’s exactly why customers love it. “Has a great punch and a grassy finish. Love it on salads and as a finish oil,” said one happy purchaser on Reddit. You’ll be happy with the price, too: It’s just $11.55 for a 17 oz. bottle, a steal for a product like this.
Deli Sliced Italian Trio
A pack of Aldi Deli Sliced Italian Trio on a white background – Aldi
Good deli meat and cheese can be hard to come by in supermarkets, and especially in more affordable ones like Aldi. All too often, you can feel as though you’re getting a watered-down version of the real thing, and paying an inflated price for the privilege. Thankfully, Aldi manages to keep its deli meat high quality, and doesn’t charge you the earth for it. Its Deli Sliced Italian Trio costs $9.15 for over 500 grams of meat, and in each pack you get genoa, pepperoni, and provolone cheese.
Plus, just like other deli meats, its Sliced Italian Trio is super versatile. Aldi customers love throwing the meat and cheese into a hot sub or making stromboli with it, and you can also use it to top a pizza, boost the protein content of your pasta, or make your salad more interesting. You could also throw them into a muffaletta for an ultra-hearty lunch. Additionally, Aldi stocks a Hot Ham Trio, which subs out the genoa for (as you might suspect) hot ham.
Hot Italian Sausage Links
A pack of five Aldi Hot Italian Sausage Links – Aldi
If you want a good Italian sausage sandwich, you need good sausages — and that’s where Aldi brings it home. Its Hot Italian Sausage Links are both meaty and affordable, and gives you serious flavor and genuine spice. A pack of six Hot Italian Sausage Links comes in at $4.29, and for that price you get 19 oz. of meat, making each link pretty substantial. The sausages have an attractive and fresh pinkness to them that gives way to a deep, caramelized brown when cooked.
If you were in any doubt about whether these sausages were actually worth it, listen to the people who buy them. “The hot Italian sausages are to die for,” said one person on Reddit, with another chiming in and saying, “I’ve stood on this for years. It’s perfect on the grill or the air fryer.” Others have swapped tips about how to use them. “I take the casings off and make a rockin’ pasta dish with it,” said another Redditor, while others discussed how they use them in zuppa toscana, Sunday sauce, and in (of course!) sausage subs.
Specially Selected Classic Balsamic Glaze
A bottle of Specially Selected Classic Balsamic Glaze on a white background. – Aldi
Don’t underestimate the power of a balsamic glaze. This amped-up version of balsamic vinegar is the ideal ingredient in salads, pasta dishes, or just squeezed over some cheese on a cracker. However, you need to make sure that you’re getting the good stuff when you buy it: If you go for a substandard version, your glaze will be overly sweet and lacking in any complexity or nuance.
Enter Aldi’s Specially Selected Classic Balsamic Glaze, a product that goes big on flavor while keeping the price low. For just $3.29, you get a glaze that’s made with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, complete with a D.P.O. label. Reviewers have noted that this glaze has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, and customers have traded tips about how they use it. “I do the roasted red pepper hummus, a flax and oat pita toasted on an open flame, with a drizzle of balsamic glaze every day as a post-work snack,” said one person on Reddit, providing a recipe that left us drooling. If you want to try something a little different, Aldi also offers a strawberry version of the glaze, which adds a touch of extra sweetness into the mix.
Roseland Italian Marinated Pork Tenderloin
A pack of Roseland Italian Marinated Pork Tenderloin on a white background – Aldi
Need an easy dinner for your family which requires virtually no thought, and even less preparation time? It’s time you tried Aldi’s Roseland Italian Marinated Pork Tenderloin. For just $3.79 you can get a pound of pre-seasoned tenderloin (although the actual price of each piece might be slightly higher, depending on how much it weighs). Aldi adorns each tenderloin with an Italian spice mix, taking the stress out of choosing how to flavor it out of the equation, and it puts just the right amount of salt on it too. Throw it on a sheet pan with some potatoes and vegetables, pop it in the oven, and you’ve got dinner in no time.
Alternatively, try serving it with some stuffing, gravy, and a dinner roll. That’s the great thing about this pork tenderloin: Its flavor is definitely Italian, but it’s not so heavily seasoned that it can’t be paired with different tastes. If you want to try something different, Aldi also does an Asian marinated pork loin, which is infused with teriyaki flavors and available at the same price.
Specially Selected Garlic Provola Flatbread
A box of Specially Selected Garlic Provola Flatbread on a white background – Aldi
In our humble opinion, a good meal needs accompaniment. We believe that Aldi thinks that too, which is why it’s made its Specially Selected Garlic Provola Flatbread so darn tasty. Although this flatbread is on the pricier end of the scale, at $4.29 per box, we personally think it’s worth it: Each box of bread has a rustic, homely appearance and an irregular crust that gives way to a pool of cheesy garlic sauce and melted cheese. It looks like it was made from scratch, without any of the inconvenience of doing so.
It’s fair to say that people are pretty big fans of this flatbread. “Tried this for the first time… SO GOOD!”, said a happy customer on Facebook. Of course, since this is just bread, you don’t have to eat it as it comes. People online have traded tips about what they top their Specially Selected Garlic Provola Flatbread with, with sliced chicken, vegetables, and extra cheese all proving to be popular toppings. Oh, and don’t forget to put a dipping sauce next to it, for maximum flavor.
Mild Pork Italian Style Meatballs
12 Mild Pork Italian Style Meatballs in a plastic package – Aldi
Supermarket meatballs can often be completely and utterly disappointing. The bagged kind, the ones you find in the freezer section, can feel barely like meat at all, while the fresh kind frequently lacks any flavor or texture whatsoever. It seems like Aldi was keen to avoid these pitfalls with its fresh meatballs, and thankfully its Mild Pork Italian Style Meatballs are pretty great. Folks who have tried these meatballs have praised their texture, and their strong sausage flavor makes a nice change to the beef variety that’s so often available in supermarkets. Their slightly irregular shape makes them look homemade, which gives your meal a nice touch. Plus, they brown beautifully.
Aldi’s Mild Pork Italian Style Meatballs come in at $3.49 for a 16 oz. pack, and every tray has 12 meatballs in it — but these things are hearty, so think twice before you over-purchase. As for what you can use them for, the world’s your oyster. Tuck them into a meatball sub, throw them into a stew, or add them to spaghetti. The choice is yours.
Specially Selected Marinara Pasta Sauce
A bottle of Specially Selected Marinara Pasta Sauce – Aldi
If a supermarket can’t get a jarred marinara sauce right, then you probably shouldn’t trust its other Italian items. It appears that Aldi is covering all its bases here: It stocks a grand total of four marinara sauces under its private labels, and also sells other name-brand marinara options. However, it’s the Specially Selected Marinara Pasta Sauce that we’re into. While all of Aldi’s marinara sauces are pretty good, the Specially Selected is clearly the highest-quality option, with people comparing its flavor to Rao’s and praising its richness and savory tang.
If you were in any doubt about whether this is a quality product, just take a look at its ingredients list. Aldi’s Specially Selected Marinara Pasta Sauce has a delightfully minimal list of components, including Italian tomatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic purée, and seasonings, and there are no artificial additives or preservatives. At $4.29 per jar, it’s slightly on the more expensive side, but that’s the price you pay for quality. Plus, if that’s a little too much, you can always opt for Aldi’s Priano or Reggano options, both of which are loved by customers.
Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Toasted Beef Ravioli
A box of Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Toasted Beef Ravioli – Aldi
We know that toasted ravioli isn’t a strictly Italian dish: It’s actually an Italian-American invention whose origins are pretty disputed, but most people can agree that it’s a St. Louis staple that’s since spread across the nation. However, its base ingredient is indisputably Italian, and honestly Aldi’s version is too delicious not to mention here. In each box of Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Toasted Beef Ravioli, you get an array of crispy morsels which fare especially well in the air fryer. They’re perfect for a quick lunch or dinner, or an after-school snack to keep the kids happy.
It should be mentioned that Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Toasted Beef Ravioli is a little on the pricey side: It’ll cost you $4.75 per box, so you might want to purchase wisely (especially since you’ll want to eat them all in one go). That being said, you can keep your sides pretty simple. These toasted ravioli go well with one of Aldi’s marinara sauces, or you can whip up a quick ranch or Buffalo dip. And don’t worry if you don’t eat meat; Aldi also has a four cheese version that hits the spot just as well.
Bremer Chicken Penne Primavera
A plastic bag of frozen Bremer Chicken Penne Primavera on a white background – Aldi
We’re always a little dubious about frozen pasta. Too often, it turns into mush the moment you cook it, and it can simultaneously be flavorless and overly salty. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Aldi’s Bremer Chicken Penne Primavera, which manages to hit the spot while remaining pretty affordable. For five dollars you get a big bag of pasta, chicken, and veggies, which is an ample size for two people, and is especially filling thanks to the combo of pasta and protein. Thaw the whole thing before throwing it in a skillet or in the microwave, and you’re good to go.
You get a great variety of vegetables in this pasta: Carrots, red bell pepper, peas, and broccoli are all inside the bag, so you’ll have no trouble getting your five a day. The pasta manages to stay well-formed and avoid any unpleasant sogginess, while the flavor delivers. This pasta primavera is an ideal option for when you need a quick lunch or dinner without having to think too much about it, but also want something that feels nutritious.
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