- Insider gathered a list of 17 Aldi shoppers' favorite ingredients to get for dinner.
- Frequent shoppers are big fans of the award-winning Atlantic salmon with a Mediterranean-herb rub.
- Mama Cozzi's pizzas and Kirkwood chicken were also popular among Aldi fans.
As part of our Aldi Diaries and taste-test series, Insider has gathered grocery lists from a culinary judge, an employee, a cheesemonger, busy parents, and more shoppers to see what they love to get for dinner.
Read on for some of their favorite staples to get at the budget-friendly chain.
Rachel Fernandez picks up dinner staples to suit her vegetarian lifestyle
Fernandez uses canned beans because they're incredibly cheap and versatile
Fernandez uses black beans for tacos, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) for hummus or curries, red kidney beans for chili, and cannellini or white beans for stews.
She notes that you can also swap out almost any kind of canned bean in a homemade hummus recipe for a tasty bean dip.
The Tuscan Garden artichokes can bulk up a range of dinners
With multiple different options — regular, marinated, and artichoke salad — these jars are the perfect addition to any meat-free salad, pasta dish, or pizza that needs more of a hearty bite.
Read Rachel Fernandez's full Aldi shopping list: I'm a vegetarian who's shopped at Aldi for 4 years. Here are 16 products I always buy.
George Arkley grabs ingredients that fit into the Mediterranean diet
Arkley uses The Tasty Catch Co marinated king prawns for barbecuing
Aldi has plenty of options if you're looking for king prawns,
Arkley prefers the ones marinated with garlic, chili, and coriander for salads and barbecues. Because the marinated options tend to be on the higher end of his budget, The Tasty Catch Co king prawns are a bit of a splurge for her.
The store also sells frozen king prawns that can be tucked away for a rainy day or last-minute paella.
There are several options for cheap and easy microwaveable grains
The Mediterranean diet involves eating a lot of fresh food, which Arkley said can get expensive and tedious to make.
She uses whole grains like quinoa, lentils, and couscous to bulk out her meals so that the fresh ingredients go further.
The Worldwide Foods microwaveable grains at Aldi are quick and easy to prepare. Once the grains cool, Arkley mixes them into a salad to add a little more substance and texture.
For example, she often adds coconut-chili-and-lemongrass grains to a salad with mango, mackerel, and chickpeas.
Read George Arkley's full Aldi shopping list: I've followed the Mediterranean diet for years. Here are 11 of my favorite things to buy at Aldi.
Katie Kelly keeps coming back to Aldi for more dinnertime staples
The Simply Nature mixed greens make a great side salad
Aldi's organic mixed greens are a better price than options Kelly has found at other stores, and she easily goes through a bin a week.
Simply Nature mixed greens are a staple that she uses to make side salads with dinner.
The Never Any! chicken is free of added antibiotics and hormones
Kelly frequently eats chicken for dinner, and she really likes using the Never Any! brand from Aldi.
It's free of added antibiotics and hormones, and she loves buying the thinly sliced breasts since each piece cooks so quickly.
Read Katie Kelly's full Aldi shopping list: I've shopped at Aldi almost every week for 5 years. Here are 15 things I keep coming back for.
Solo shopper Courtney Nuss shops for dinner on a budget
She prepares Atlantic salmon on the weekends
Nuss takes the time to cook a couple of quality meals over the weekend, so she picks up some salmon. She can usually get two or three meals from what she purchases. Otherwise, she makes it when she has dinner with a friend.
Nuss likes tossing some olive oil, lemon, and spices on it and cooking it in the oven. It's easy to make quickly, and it's delicious with some cooked veggies.
Nuss uses Priano conchiglie pasta for a weekly Italian night
A bag of Priano pasta is one of Nuss' favorite items Aldi carries.
Each bag comes with 16 ounces of bronze-cut pasta so she squeezes multiple meals out of these.
She throws a Mama Cozzi's supreme pizza in her cart every Aldi trip
Mama Cozzi's frozen pizzas are giant and generously loaded with all of Nuss' favorite toppings, like pepperoni and peppers. It either gives her leftovers for days or feeds a group when she has friends over.
Read Courtney Nuss' full Aldi shopping list: I'm a solo shopper at Aldi. Here are the 16 things I always buy while staying under budget.
Military wife Amanda Turner drives 90 minutes to grab groceries for herself and her toddler
She understands why the Kirkwood "Red Bag" chicken has a cult following
Fans of Chick-fil-A are constantly on the hunt for chicken-sandwich dupes, and Turner believes Aldi nails it with the Kirkwood breaded chicken-breast fillets (fondly referred to as "Red Bag Chicken" by fans).
The cooked, seasoned filets have a hint of spice and pickle flavor.
To get a perfect crunch, place one in an air fryer for 15 minutes, or cook it in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes — Turner switches to broil for the last couple of minutes to get it extra crisp.
Pre-marinated chicken pieces are perfect for her busy weeknights
Since moving to West Texas, Turner is more obsessed with tacos than ever before.
Aldi sells packages of precut and pre-marinated chicken breasts that she loves to toss with sautéed peppers and onions, toasty corn tortillas, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and a few slices of avocado.
Read Amanda Turner's full Aldi shopping list: I'm a military wife who drives 90 minutes with my toddler to shop at Aldi. Here are 12 things I always buy there.
Shopper Su-Jit Lin has tried a wide variety of Aldi's dinner-appropriate items
Appleton Farms' brown-sugar ham blew Lin away
Lin scoured several Aldis to find the seasonal Appleton Farms brown-sugar ham, a fan-favorite Aldi item. Once she took it and baked it, the ham made Lin's kitchen smell sugary and savory all at once.
When it was finished, Lin thought the slices were juicy, tender, and not too fatty. The entire ham was rich with a flavor only a bone-in piece of slow-cooked meat could have, which was enhanced by the glaze dripping down the folds.
Earth Grown's veggie burgers are another fan-favorite item from Aldi
Lin tried the Earth Grown veggie burgers, which came in a plain flavor and a Southwestern-style version. The plain flavor was made with nine different vegetables and the Southwestern-style one listed ingredients like brown rice, black beans, and jalapeño.
Lin would use the burgers as a topping on a salad or a side for dinner.
Read Su-Jit Lin's full Aldi taste test: I tried 18 of Aldi's fan-favorite foods, and would buy more than half of them again.
Lin was impressed by the bold flavors in Mama Cozzi's BBQ-chicken pizza
When Lin first saw Mama Cozzi's BBQ-chicken pizza, she noticed that the toppings were generous, with big chunks of seasoned chicken and thick, juicy pieces of pre-charred red onion.
Once it was baked, Lin thought it was super crispy and that the thin crust kind gave it more of an artisan feel.
The big chunks of chicken were tender with varying levels of Buffalo spice. The thick cuts of red onion were succulent, offering lovely caramelized flavors. She thought the flavors of the topping went perfectly with the sauce, which was as sweet and tangy as promised.
Read Su-Jit Lin's full Aldi taste test: I compared 8 frozen pizzas from Aldi and Lidl, and only 2 of them truly blew me away.
Shopper Joe Opaleski and his partner spend only $20 a week at Aldi
He gets ingredients to make quick, easy, and filling black-bean burritos
If Opaleski is burnt out from a long day of work or hungry after a run in the heat, he turns to black-bean burritos.
To make them, he picks up Dakota's Pride black beans, Pueblo Lindo flour tortillas, and Happy Farms sharp cheddar cheese. He seasons the beans with cumin, salt, and pepper before adding to the tortilla.
According to Opaleski, they're delicious, cheap, and take less than five minutes to make.
Read Joe Opaleski's full Aldi shopping list: My partner and I spend $20 a week at Aldi. Here are 14 things we love to buy and how we use them.
Whitney Sandoval shops for gluten-free foods for her 3 kids
She likes the texture of liveGfree's pasta
Some gluten-free pasta can easily become overcooked and mushy for Sandoval, but the liveGfree rice noodles are harder to overboil.
She substitutes this alternative in all of her favorite pasta dishes.
The L'oven Fresh keto-friendly wraps are grain-free
Made from cauliflower and almond flour, the L'oven Fresh keto-friendly wraps are a wholesome, low-carb alternative.
Sandoval likes to use them for breakfast tacos or smaller sandwich wraps or to create a crunchy crust for homemade pizzas.
Read Whitney Sandoval's full Aldi shopping list: I'm a mom of 3 who avoids gluten. Here are 16 foods I always buy at Aldi.
Mom Megan Schuett grabs food she knows her kids would want for dinner
The Kirkwood dinosaur chicken nuggets are a must
A box of the Kirkwood dinosaur chicken nuggets is essential for Schuett, who wants to make sure her kids eat.
She usually pops them in the air fryer so they're extra crispy on the outside. For her, the 48-ounce bag of nuggets is worth every penny for happy kids at mealtime.
Read Megan Schuett's full Aldi shopping list: I spend $100 a week at Aldi to feed my family of 4. Here are 15 items we love to buy and how to use them.
Solo shopper Jailynn Taylor spends only $50 a week at Aldi
Taylor adds the Fusia teriyaki sauce to stir-fry dinners
With her busy schedule, Taylor tries to eliminate any extra steps while cooking, including making sauces. The Fusia teriyaki sauce is her solution.
She said she goes through a bottle of Fusia's teriyaki sauce at least once a month and uses it over chicken, shrimp, and veggies.
Taylor loves that Park Street Deli barbecue pulled pork can be cooked in the microwave
Park Street Deli's pulled pork can be warmed up in the microwave, so it's an excellent buy for when Taylor doesn't feel like cooking an elaborate meal.
She pairs it with it toasted brioche buns, a pickle slice, and wedged potatoes for a dinner of champions.
Read Jailynn Taylor's full Aldi shopping list: I shop at Aldi for just myself and spend under $50 a week. Here are 12 of my favorite things to buy.
Matthew Lesky has worked at Aldi for years so he knows which products are perfect for dinner
The Park Street Deli street-corn dip is a tasty side
The Park Street Deli street-corn dip made waves with its debut a few years back.
If you're a fan of truly spicy elote, Lesky thinks this might be a bit of a bust for you, so he recommends adding chili powder or Tajín to spice it up.
For his Midwestern taste buds, it's just spicy enough, and he's always tempted to eat a whole container by himself. He recommends pairing it with the Specially Selected pita chips for a tasty dinnertime side.
Read Matthew Lesky's full Aldi shopping list: I've worked at Aldi for 4 years. Here are 10 of my favorite things to buy there.
Culinary judge Meredith Ochs gets her groceries at Aldi
Ochs stocks her pantry with the Pueblo Lindo dried beans
Aldi doesn't carry a ton of dried beans but she'll grab a bag or two of whatever she can find. Sometimes that's Pueblo Lindo black beans.
High in fiber and protein and free of fat and sodium, dried beans can be used in a variety of dinnertime recipes. Ochs buys the dried kind since canned beans may have added salt.
Read Meredith Ochs' full Aldi shopping list: I'm a culinary judge who shops at Aldi. Here are 12 things I recently bought and loved.
Matt Ng is a busy dad who likes to shop for great deals for his family
The Fiesta fajita kits are a huge hit in Ng's household
Ng's daughter loves helping make food, so he sometimes gets the boxed Fiesta fajita set. He just needs to chop the peppers, onions, and meat into strips, brown them in a frying pan, and add the spice mix.
His daughter still needs a little assistance wrapping her fajita so she doesn't end up with seasoning all over her clothes. Even so, she enjoys grabbing a helping of cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa to go into her wrap.
Worldwide Foods basmati rice is one of his go-to dinner sides
Though he typically prefers jasmine rice, he said the Worldwide Foods basmati variety is a decent substitute. It accompanies sauce-based dishes perfectly and is great for fried rice.
He likes to add a lot of water to make congee, or what his extended family calls "juk," a type of savory rice porridge. It's hearty, and he adds ginger, scallions, and cooked red meat for some extra depth.
Read Matt Ng's full Aldi shopping list: I spend $100 a week at my UK Aldi to feed my family of 3. Here are 13 items we buy and how we use them.
Aldi shopper Kristina Lopez follows the Mediterranean diet
Lemons are prominent in Mediterranean cuisine
Lopez likes to make Mediterranean-diet-inspired dishes with a twist. Voted the best diet multiple years in a row, the eating style focuses on fresh produce, healthy fats, and whole grains.
One of her grocery staples is lemons, which is often the star ingredient in Mediterranean meals and drinks.
The versatile fruits can be used in entreés like avgolemono, a Greek soup with chicken stock and lemon juice.
Aldi's Mediterranean-herb salmon is an easy-to-prepare, delicious dinner
Aldi's Atlantic salmon is a coveted, affordable treat that's been the star of many of Lopez's meals.
Though salmon tastes great on its own, the Mediterranean herbs give the fish so much flavor. She likes to pair it with a medley that includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, green beans, and zucchini.
The Mediterranean-herb salmon also goes well with Greek lemon potatoes or pasta in a light sauce with lemon and garlic butter.
Read Kristina Lopez' full Aldi shopping list: I follow the Mediterranean diet and shop at Aldi. Here are 17 things I love to buy and how I use them.
Professional chef Tori Hazelett has tried a myriad of frozen meals from Aldi
She's a huge fan of the Fusia orange chicken
Hazelett loves the breading on the Fusia orange chicken, which is light and incredibly crispy. She's described the dish as tasting like ginger chicken, not orange, but enjoys the hint of spice and the generous amount of sauce.
Hazelett believes the Fusia orange chicken is high enough quality that it's a good substitute if you want to avoid getting takeout. She recommends grabbing two bags since one may be too small of a portion for more than two people.
She thought the Deutsche Küche chicken schnitzel was delicious
When Hazelett tried the chicken schnitzel, it came out tender and juicy.
She thought it was definitely improved with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt. Her kids appreciated how well the breading stayed on the patty.
Read Tori Hazelett's full Aldi taste test: I'm a private chef who tried 15 frozen meals from Aldi, and there are 9 I'd definitely buy again.
Food-industry writer Ciara McQuillan has a list of Aldi favorites
She thinks a jar of The Deli pickled pink onions is invaluable
Pickling at home is super easy but that doesn't mean McQuillan always has time to do it. A jar of The Deli pickled pink onions is a fridge staple for her and she wouldn't want to be without them.
She uses pickled onions to add flavor to burgers, a pop of color on tacos, or texture to a grilled cheese.
Read Ciara McQuillan's full Aldi shopping list: I've been writing about food for over 10 years. Here are my 12 favorite things to buy at Aldi.
Former cheesemonger Meredith Bethune turns to Aldi for dinnertime dairy
Bethune uses the Emporium Selection fresh marinated mozzarella balls for summertime dinners
For the ultimate summertime delight, Bethune grabs an 8-ounce tub of the Emporium Selection marinated mozzarella balls. Known as bocconcini in Italian, the balls arrive swimming in a flavorful marinade of herbs, spices, and olive oil, enhancing their tangy taste.
She liked to make a refreshing side salad by tossing the balls with tomatoes, arugula, and basil. Bethune may also scatter them on bruschetta or pizza dough.
Mama Cozzi's pizza dough is always in Bethune's fridge
Bethune stocks up on Mama Cozzi's versatile pizza dough whenever she spots it at Aldi because it delivers a quick, delectable, and budget-friendly dinner that satisfies her whole family.
After she stretches it onto a sheet pan, she can unleash her creativity by slathering on tomato sauce, choosing from an array of cheeses, and adding some Italian dry-cured meats.
Bethune allows the dough to settle at room temperature for at least an hour before baking for ultimate chewiness.
Read Meredith Bethune's full Aldi shopping list: I'm a former cheesemonger. Here are 11 cheeses and pantry staples I love to buy at Aldi.