Aldi Bremer Frozen Lasagna Review
Author’s note: Not sponsored by Aldi or anyone else. These are my own weird little opinions. Enjoy.
Shockingly stingy meat, Aldi. What were you thinking?
Yes, I’ve resorted to scolding Aldi on the internet. I’ve got to get my jollies somehow.
I bought the “party size” Bremer frozen Lasagna at Aldi, after seeing rave reviews of the smaller size on the internet for years. This beast is a 5.25 pound block of beef/pork lasagna. Almost equivalent to a twin-pack of frozen Costco Lasagna (which I previously reviewed).
Meat
I cannot stress enough how disappointed I was by the meager meat. Downright miserly. Heartbreaking, even.
There are a few small blobs of tender ground meat in each slice. I liked the texture of it, sort of fluffy and light. It has more of a pork vibe than beef. Although, the ingredients list beef first? I would describe it as a mild taste, not at all spicy like Costco’s Italian sausage lasagna.
Sauce
The sauce is sweet and sticky. Syrupy, almost. It reminds me of ketchup, or Chef Boyardee canned sauce. Little “tomato” texture. Slight oregano flavor. As a salt-lover, I appreciated that this one didn’t need extra salting. But that’s the nicest thing I can say.
Noodles
The noodles have ribs which help keep the sauce evenly distributed throughout the slices. These are thinner noodles than Costco’s lasagna, but the texture is somewhat gummier. There appear to be 3-4 layers of noodles, but the slices are still painfully “flat.”
Cheese
This lasagna lacks an inner ricotta cheese filling. And this is a huge bummer. There are just noodles and sauce. (And elusive meat bits).
The melted cheese on top is “nice” — a moderately thick, stretchy-firm mozzarella layer. But not enough to compensate for the lack of cheesy innards. Alas.
Ingredients
The short, simple, straightforward ingredient list was one of the big reasons I purchased this lasagna:
- Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste)
- Water
- Cooked Pasta (Water, Semolina Wheat Flour)
- Low Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (Cultured Part Skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes)
- Cooked Ground Beef and Pork Blend
- 2% or less of: Modified Food Starch, Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Wheat Flour, Onions, Sugar, Spices, Dried Garlic.
Honestly, the worst thing here is probably the modified food starch. Pretty impressive, overall. Too bad it didn’t produce a better result.
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 1 cup (242 grams) and contains 280 calories. Not really what I consider “meal level” calories, honestly. You get 8 grams of fat (3.5 grams saturated fat) and 15 grams of protein. There are 36 grams total carbohydrates per serving, of which 3 grams are fiber and 7 grams are sugars (but just 2 grams “added sugars”). There’s 8% your daily value cholesterol, and a whopping 44% your daily value sodium per serving.
Price and Servings
The 84 ounce package cost $13 at my local Aldi. Since there are 10 servings per container, each serving would cost a very frugal $1.30. Respectfully, I can’t see anyone thriving on a 280 calorie meal, and so I think you are realistically getting half that number of servings.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my box allowed approximately 1 year to consume.
Cooking Instructions
It comes in an aluminum pan with a sturdy removable lid. The package provides an option to bake from frozen, or to thaw before baking. In both cases, the lasagna is placed on a baking sheet first, and then “tented” with the bent lid:
- Frozen: Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 70 minutes with the tented lid on, and 20 minutes with it off. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
- Thawed: Thaw in refrigerator 48 hours. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes with tented lid on, and 20 minutes with it off. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
I thawed mine for 3 days, because it needed a little extra time. And then I baked mine for an additional 7 minutes, because the top was still pale and goopy.
Leftovers
I think lasagna is generally the perfect “leftovers” food. Aldi’s lasagna definitely serves better the second day — the slices remain tidy stacks. But the noodles are gummier.
I ate half my pan and threw the rest away. That’s unusual for me — I will gladly eat the same thing 7 days in a row. I just couldn’t choke this down. Ugh.
I do like that the lid goes back on the pan for easy storage.
Dramatic Conclusion
I’m actually trying to imagine who eats this lasagna and goes, “Mmmm! Just what I wanted.” Who are you? Seriously. Help me understand.
Respectfully, I would get more satisfaction from just a pile of freshly cooked pasta and a jar of average sauce.
Sorry, Aldi, I don’t like your lasagna. It is edible. And it’s a decent value. But still not worth it, in my opinion. I would rate it much higher if there was more meat. And a better sauce texture would go a long way. And a cheese layer inside would be fab. Alas.
It’s definitely “party sized.” But, if you’re serving this at your party, please don’t invite me.
The Awesome-o-Meter rates this a dismal “Why, Tho.”
The End.
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