{"id":133,"date":"2024-01-20T18:50:39","date_gmt":"2024-01-20T18:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/squarespace.joannawhiteart.com\/wp\/2024\/01\/20\/aldi-manicotti-spinach-cheese-priano-review\/"},"modified":"2025-04-20T19:07:35","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T23:07:35","slug":"aldi-manicotti-spinach-cheese-priano-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2024\/01\/20\/aldi-manicotti-spinach-cheese-priano-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Aldi Spinach & Cheese Manicotti (Priano) Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Priano<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I have no affiliation with <\/em>Aldi<\/em><\/a> or <\/em>Publix<\/em><\/a> and I wasn\u2019t compensated in any way for this review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will need extra ingredients. Duh.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was in a hurry (as usual) when I grabbed this Priano Manicotti from Aldi, so I didn\u2019t realize I needed sauce and cheese (and a baking dish) to make this. Duh. I thought it was a \u201cheat & serve\u201d meal, because it was sold next to the other prepared entrees at my local Aldi. But, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2014 it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Looking for a super-frugal pasta option? Check out my review of Priano Mushroom and Cheese Tortelloni<\/a>, which only costs $1.49 at Aldi.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Speaking of frozen lasagna, perhaps you might enjoy my review of Costco’s Italian Sausage Lasagna<\/a>, which costs just $1.42 per serving \u2014 and is full of protein.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019d hallucinated when I read the label \u2014 and perhaps there wasn\u2019t any spinach at all. But my package clearly says \u201cSpinach & Cheese.\u201d Spinach is listed BEFORE cheese. Where\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cabout\u201d 4 servings of 3 \u201cpieces\u201d per package \u2014 which is pretty sneaky \u2014 since 4 servings would be 12 manicotti, not 10. If you have a family of 4, only two of you are getting a real \u201cserving.\u201d Hunger Games style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to Cook Priano Manicotti<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Layer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 there is technically romano and parmesan, but it overwhelmingly tastes like ricotta. I think some added pepper helps bring out the flavor, too \u2014 it\u2019s slightly bland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As previously mentioned, the spinach appears to be AWOL. There are only a few confusing bits of\u2026something greenish\u2026inside the filling. I am still not sure it is spinach. I mean, it probably IS. But, how can we be sure???<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dramatic Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, I am not sure I would purchase this again. I don\u2019t hate it, but it wasn\u2019t a great value, and it doesn\u2019t deliver as much flavor (or spinach) as I\u2019d hoped. Still, it was tasty, and not difficult to prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nutrition<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition Facts<\/strong> and Price<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 19 ounce tray of 10 manicotti cost $5.55<\/strong> at my local Aldi. Per serving (without the extra ingredients), this is $1.39.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After preparation, the price per serving is closer to $2.75-3.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients<\/strong> in Aldi Priano Manicotti<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are the ingredients from the label:<\/p>\n\n\n\n