Bremer Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

The story goes that in the early 1930s, Philadelphia hot dog stand owners Pat and Harry Olivieri decided to serve something different. They loaded an Italian roll with chopped steak and grilled onions, and the Philly cheesesteak sandwich was born. A cab driver stopped and tried one, and he liked it so much that he encouraged the entrepreneurs to stop selling hot dogs and switch to promoting their new sandwich. They eventually graduated from selling the sandwiches at stands and opened a restaurant, Pat’s King of Steaks, which remains in operation today.

The origin story of the cheesesteak is anecdotal, with no documenting evidence, and it’s also possible it may have developed and spread slowly among many different cooks. What we do know is that it remains a popular sandwich to this day. Cheese was eventually added to the sandwich. These days, you can also find several variations on the cheesesteak, with the most common one probably being a pepper cheesesteak, which includes bell peppers and sometimes other peppers. You can also find cheesesteaks topped with mushrooms or pizza sauce, or even ones made with chicken instead of beef.

Frozen microwavable cheesesteaks are among the latest weekly limited-time specials at Aldi, and I had to pick up some to try at home.

Bremer Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. Every store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back. You can’t order these online from Aldi if they’re sold out at your local store.

These cost $4.49 at the time of publication for a 10-ounce package that contains two sandwiches. That comes out to about $2.25 per sandwich.

If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain wheat, egg, milk, soy, and sesame.

These sandwiches have a lengthy ingredients list, and they have a lot of fat, saturated fat, sodium, and carbs. One sandwich has 400 calories, 19 grams of total fat (24% DV), 9 grams of saturated fat (45% DV), 0.5 grams of trans fat, 890 mg of sodium (39% DV), 37 grams of total carbohydrates (13% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 5 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of added sugars (6% DV), and 17 grams of protein.

The package has directions for microwaving these or baking them in a conventional oven. For best results, the box recommends thawing these in the refrigerator before cooking. The microwave directions include options for cooking these either from thawed or frozen. However, the oven directions are only for cooking from frozen.

To microwave, open the wrapper slightly to allow moisture to escape. If cooking from thawed, microwave on high for 45 seconds per sandwich. If cooking from frozen, microwave on high for 60-90 seconds per sandwich. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before eating.

To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the frozen sandwich from the wrapper and wrap in aluminum foil. Place the sandwich on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes or until hot. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before eating.

I thawed these in my refrigerator overnight and then microwaved them for lunch. They came out nice and hot. They have a good ratio of meat and cheese inside a soft, chewy bun, and the meat is well seasoned. We liked these sandwiches as they are, but it would also be easy to add grilled peppers or onions or other toppings if you prefer a pepper cheesesteak. These are a food to enjoy sometimes and not all the time due to some of the nutritional content, but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy these again next time they’re in Aldi stores.

The Verdict:

Bremer Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches feature seasoned beef and melted American cheese on a soft roll. If you thaw them in the fridge ahead of time, these cook in less than a minute in the microwave, making them a quick and easy meal option. Our taste testers all approved of these.