I'm a private chef who tried 15 frozen meals from Aldi, and there are 9 I'd definitely buy again

Tori HazelettMay 9, 2023, 02:02 IST

I'm a private chef and mom trying some of Aldi's frozen meals to see which I'd buy again.Tori Hazelett

I'm a private chef and Aldi fan — I can't believe I've missed out on some of these frozen meals.
Some of my favorite frozen dishes include orange chicken, seafood bowls, and meaty lasagna.

I wasn't expecting much from these Priano stuffed shells, but the price made them a must-try.

Priano stuffed shells are from the frozen section.Tori Hazelett

These cheesy delights were delicious.

The frozen Priano shells were really impressive.Tori Hazelett

I was interested to see how an Aldi skillet-pasta meal compared to national brands like Bertolli.

I found Priano chicken Florentine and farfalle in the freezer aisle.Tori Hazelett

I didn't like this one.

The flavor of the sauce wasn't for me.Tori Hazelett

I was incredibly skeptical of the Specially Selected mussels.

Frozen seafood is so hit or miss.Tori Hazelett

The sauce could have been a bit richer for my taste, but the shellfish was tender and delicious.

Frozen mussels can be tasty.Tori Hazelett

The Whole & Simple Mediterranean-style chicken and quinoa bowl was pretty big.

I was impressed with the portion size of this single-serve microwavable meal.Tori Hazelett

I didn't love the quinoa bowl, but it tasted very fresh for a microwaveable dish.

The Mediterranean-style bowl wasn't flavorful enough for me.Tori Hazelett

I was excited to try the chicken fried rice from Aldi's Asian-inspired brand Fusia.

The Fusia chicken fried rice seemed promising.Tori Hazelett

The flavor of the sauce was fine, but the texture was a miss.

The Fusia chicken fried rice let me down.Tori Hazelett

After the rice, I wasn't optimistic about the Fusia orange chicken.

Many brands offer frozen orange chicken.Tori Hazelett

This orange chicken was incredibly good.

The Fusia orange chicken really impressed me.Tori Hazelett

The packaging made Mama Cozzi's stone-baked veggie pizza look very appealing.

Mama Cozzi's pizzas are popular at Aldi.Tori Hazelett

The pizza was OK.

I wished each slice had more cheese.Tori Hazelett

I've found the Deutsche Küche line from Aldi to be hit or miss, but I was excited to try the chicken schnitzel.

Chicken schnitzel is usually pretty tasty.Tori Hazelett

The schnitzel came out tender and juicy — likely because of the cooking method.

The chicken schnitzel had a great crunch.Tori Hazelett

The Specially Selected shrimp and scallops with champagne sauce came in terracotta dishes.

You had me at the terracotta dishes.Tori Hazelett

I served the bowl with salad and baguette, and it worked as a delightful dinner.

I can't wait to recreate the seafood bowls.Tori Hazelett

These breaded chicken-breast filets are famous for being an Aldi staple that rivals Chick-fil-A.

Aldi's "RBC" takes about 40 minutes to prepare.Tori Hazelett

This chicken was worth the wait.

Aldi's Red Bag Chicken lives up to the hype.Tori Hazelett

The Earth Grown black-bean chipotle burgers are vegan.

Aldi's freezer section has a great selection of vegan options.Tori Hazelett

Both the texture and flavor of the black-bean burgers impressed me.

The black-bean burgers actually crisped up.Tori Hazelett

There are so many frozen lasagnas out there, but I'd never tried the Bremer option from Aldi.

This Bremer bistro lasagna has meat sauce.Tori Hazelett

The bistro lasagna with meat sauce was a hit with my family.

Knowing there's an all-in-one meal that can feed the entire family tucked safely in the freezer can be a great reassurance.Tori Hazelett

I bought a large bag of Specially Selected shrimp-and-crab ravioli for $2.50

The Specially Selected bag had about four portions.Tori Hazelett

With a quick fresh tomato sauce, these ravioli made for a good meal.

The seafood ravioli held up well while cooking.Tori Hazelett

I'd never actually seen plain frozen eggplant cutlets before.

Season's choice eggplant cutlets seemed versatile.Tori Hazelett

I found these cutlets to be greasy.

I might try to cook the eggplant cutlets differently next time.Tori Hazelett

The coconut-top-crusted flounder looked delicious, and fish from Aldi rarely disappoints me.

Specially Selected coconut-top-crusted flounder sounded tasty.Tori Hazelett

I was pleased that the crust wasn't overly sweet, but the filets lacked crunch.

The coconut wasn't overpowering.Tori Hazelett

I made King Charles' cheesy baked eggs recipe. It was surprisingly simple but tasty, and I'd make it again with a few tweaks.

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