Aldi Dropped 7 New Prepared Meals, And I Was The First To Try Them — Here's My Review

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As we enter the busy fall and holiday seasons, I’m continuing my quest to make weekday lunches and dinners easier without sacrificing quality. I love the routine and ritual of daily cooking, but inevitably, there are days that call for takeout or a pre-prepared meal. And apparently, I’m not alone on this quest for quality convenience. Demand for prepared foods is up 9%, and Aldi is adding more options to the mix with seven new refrigerated prepared meals, including five single-serve options priced under $8 and two family-size meals under $15.

The meals begin hitting shelves in early October and will be available nationwide by January 2027. Aldi also plans to rotate the meals every month starting next year.

Before developing the final lineup, Aldi tasted more than 100 prepared meals sold across the US to see where there was room to raise the bar. The result puts quality ingredients, rich flavors, and freshness at the forefront. All of the pasta is sourced from Italy and made with 100% Italian durum, while the meals use whole-muscle chicken, slow-smoked beef brisket, and real cheeses. Aldi also says most of the sauces are made in-house, with an emphasis on including enough to avoid the dry noodles and proteins you sometimes get with ready-made meals.

For this taste test, I prepared all five single-serve meals according to the package directions without making any modifications, paying attention to taste, texture, protein quality, portion size, and overall value. Here’s how the five ranked from my least favorite to my favorite. Although I have to preface this by saying that ranking them was tricky. I truly enjoyed all five and didn’t have anything negative to say about any of them.

The two family-size meals — Chicken and Bacon Mac and Cheese and the Meat Lovers Pizza Bake — weren’t available for me to taste ahead of the launch, so I’m not including them in my ranking, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for both once they hit my local Aldi.

Note: These meals were provided to me for free by Aldi, but all opinions are my own.

Aldi Single-Serve Prepared Meals Ranking

5. Chicken Burrito Bowl

4. Butter Chicken and Rice

3. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

2. Beef Bolognese with Spaghetti

1. Beef Brisket with White Mac and Cheese

What I loved across all five meals was the attention Aldi paid to the details, from the quality of the protein and where the pasta was sourced to the use of real cheese and homemade sauces. Each meal has plenty of protein, and I appreciate that they’re made fresh, not frozen.

The Aldi team also told me they intentionally avoided ingredients you wouldn’t find in your own cupboard, and I think that simplicity came through in the taste. At under $6 to $8 each, they’re an easy option to keep on hand for days and nights when you just don’t want to cook. I’m excited to hear which meal ends up being your favorite once they hit shelves this October.

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