Macaroni and cheese is the most popular version of mac and cheese out there, but what if you want something more deluxe without making it from scratch? Well, Kraft has its own version of Shells and Cheese under the Velveeta label.
Aldi has its own version, too.
Cheese Club Shells and Cheese comes in a 12-ounce box. It’s a Regular Buy, meaning it’s in store year-round. Prices vary, but in general it’s usually more expensive than the Cheese Club stuff made from powder. Inside the box is the usual: the shells as well as a packet of fairly thick cheese sauce. Each serving size is about 1/3 of the carton, and the carton claims the sauce is made of real cheese. (Cheddar, according to the ingredients list.) Nutritionally, each serving contains 360 calories, 11 grams of fat (17% of your daily allowance), and 830 mg of sodium (35% of your daily allowance).
Nutrition information. (Click to enlarge.)
Making this is not only simple, but it’s actually easier than making the boxed stuff that uses powder. To start, you bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Then, you add the noodles and cook for 8-10 minutes. You then drain the water (do not rinse the noodles), and finally add the cheese sauce and mix. There are no extra ingredients required: no milk or butter, for example.
As for taste? Well, this is pretty good, actually. The cheese-to-noodle ratio is just about right, and the cheese is both flavorful and creamy. I added a little pepper to taste, but honestly, this has enough flavor that I didn’t feel like it needed any additional seasonings at all. The others in my family agreed.
The Verdict:
This is, bar none, our top pick for Aldi mac and cheese: better than the powdered Cheese Club Macaroni and Cheese Dinner, and even better than the Special Buy (ALDI Find) Cheese Club Deluxe variations that occasionally come out. It’s easy to make and, while it isn’t the healthiest food, it’s tasty and doesn’t require any real doctoring to get there. Recommended.
This is by far my favorite shells & cheese. In my opinion it’s better than Kraft, Velveeta, Cracker Barrel, and any other store brand. I went to Aldi only for this and they were sold out, so now I buy a case everytime I get down to 2 or 3 boxes. ☆☆☆☆☆!
THE date on the top of the boxes of cheese club (written in white) is 5/21/2019. Is that’s the date it was manufactured or the date it expires?
Just curious because today’s date is 11/21/2020 and I want to know if I need to throw them out or I fed they are still good to eat . This is the velveta Aldi version.
We’d recommend you contact Aldi about that.
There should be in black ink next to the white date “Best if Used By:”
So, it is past that date.
In a word YUK! has a weird taste. Had to douse it in hot sauce to disguise it so the kids would eat it, they still didn’t like it. Come on cheese club, do better.
FYI: Cheese Club is not an actual company. It’s just a label Aldi puts on its macaroni and cheese products. But you can definitely let Aldi know if you have complaints about their products: https://www.aldi.us/en/contact/
Is this vegetarian ?
Highly recommend! I buy this all the time, and love it. I think it tastes nearly exactly the same as Velveeta Shells and Cheese, and for only $1.35 a box, it’s a steal! I won’t buy Velveeta brand anymore because it just costs wayyyyy too much!