Aldi Spinach & Cheese Manicotti (Priano) Review

You will need extra ingredients. Duh.

I was in a hurry (as usual) when I grabbed this Priano Manicotti from Aldi, so I didn’t realize I needed sauce and cheese (and a baking dish) to make this. Duh. I thought it was a “heat & serve” meal, because it was sold next to the other prepared entrees at my local Aldi. But, it’s really just a tray of naked noodle cocoons wrapped around cheesey goo. You have to prepare it at home with your own extra ingredients, and then bake it before serving.

Don’t get me wrong — it’s STILL a time-saver. With baking and cooling time, it was ready to eat in about an hour. And there were far fewer dishes to wash than making this from scratch.

Anyway. I bought a $2 jar of Priano Marinara sauce, and I found a block of mozzarella on sale for $3 (at Publix). And I used some precious parmesan shavings that I bought for my caesar salads. Hmph! So the total cost to make this was about $11-12. At that point, and with the preparation effort, I’m not sure this manicotti was a worthwhile buy. At least, not compared to purchasing a frozen family-sized entree, like lasagna. Particularly because there is no meat. It definitely wasn’t some kind of magical bargain.

The manicotti are petite, and made from flat noodles that are wrapped around ricotta filling. The spinach is almost non-existent. In fact, I briefly considered that I’d hallucinated when I read the label — and perhaps there wasn’t any spinach at all. But my package clearly says “Spinach & Cheese.” Spinach is listed BEFORE cheese. Where’s the spinach, Aldi? Where??? I found a few tiny specks per bite, but I honestly thought they were parsley bits or some other seasoning. Mystery herbs.

There are 10 small manicotti per tray. I ate two as a meal, but I had a massive amount of cheese on it to bulk up the calories. And dessert afterwards. Otherwise, I would have needed three manicotti for a semi-decent meal. The label says there are “about” 4 servings of 3 “pieces” per package — which is pretty sneaky — since 4 servings would be 12 manicotti, not 10. If you have a family of 4, only two of you are getting a real “serving.” Hunger Games style.

How to Cook Priano Manicotti

To make this, I poured half a 24 ounce jar of marinara sauce into the bottom of an 8 x 10 baking dish. Then I arranged the manicotti in two rows of 5, and topped with the rest of the sauce.

Because my cheese was in block form, I sliced it and laid the slices on top. I used a full 8 ounces of mozzarella, but I could have gotten away with half that much for a less cheesy result. I also sprinkled about 1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese on top.

I baked mine uncovered in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35 minutes, and then let it cool for another 10-15 minutes before serving.

BTW, my opinion of the Priano marinara sauce is that it has a wonderful thickness, and an enticing smell, but it is far, far too sweet. I also added salt and pepper to mine, because it was oddly bland.

The manicotti pasta is delicate and tender, without being soggy or too soft. Due to the added bread crumbs, the ricotta filling maintains a pleasing structured shape after baking, but is still soft and creamy. I would have personally preferred less ricotta taste and more evidence of other cheeses — there is technically romano and parmesan, but it overwhelmingly tastes like ricotta. I think some added pepper helps bring out the flavor, too — it’s slightly bland.

As previously mentioned, the spinach appears to be AWOL. There are only a few confusing bits of…something greenish…inside the filling. I am still not sure it is spinach. I mean, it probably IS. But, how can we be sure???

Dramatic Conclusion

In conclusion, I am not sure I would purchase this again. I don’t hate it, but it wasn’t a great value, and it doesn’t deliver as much flavor (or spinach) as I’d hoped. Still, it was tasty, and not difficult to prepare.

Nutrition Facts and Price

There are 16 grams of protein per serving, but is that if you eat 2 manicotti? Or 3 manicotti? Nobody knows. There are also 10 grams of fat, and 2 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of sugar per mystery serving.

The 19 ounce tray of 10 manicotti cost $5.55 at my local Aldi. Per serving (without the extra ingredients), this is $1.39.

After preparation, the price per serving is closer to $2.75-3.

The Priano marinara sauce cost $2.09 at Aldi. I used Galbani Mozzarella cheese from Publix, which is normally $4.29. The Bel Gioioso shaved parmesan is $3.99 (at Publix), but I only used a portion of the package.

Ingredients in Aldi Priano Manicotti

Here are the ingredients from the label:

• Filling
  • Ricotta Cheese (Whey, Milk, Bacterial Culture, Salt, Citric Acid)
  • Toasted Wheat Crumbs (Wheat Flour, Yeast)
  • Romano Cheese (Milk, Bacterial Culture, Salt, Microbial Enzyme, Lipase)
  • Parmesan Cheese (Milk, Bacterial Culture, Salt, Lipase, Microbial Enzyme)
  • Spinach
  • Salt
  • Spices
• Pasta
  • Enriched Durum Wheat Semolina (Enriched with Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
  • Water
  • Liquid Whole Egg

I’m impressed by how natural and simple these ingredients are. Good job, Aldi! I’m sorry for what I said when I was hungry.

This manicotti is made in Canada.

Shelf Life

My tray of Priano Manicotti expired about 12 days after purchase. I had to throw away one serving, because one of the manicotti was bitter, like it had already spoiled. The rest were OK.

The End.

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More Reviews of Aldi Products You Might Like (or Hate)

Check out a few other reviews of Aldi stuff I’ve written:

• Aldi Italian Take & Bake Bread
• Aldi Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Aldi Tiramisu
• Aldi Cheese Truffle Knöpfli

Author’s note: I have no affiliation with Aldi or Publix and I wasn’t compensated in any way for this review.