I’m a fairly adventurous eater, and I love to try foods from different cultures and countries. Aldi has a product line called “Journey to …” that encompasses a variety of cuisine from around the world. The discount grocer has sold Journey to Nepal momos, Journey to India butter chicken (which was a winner in our annual AR Awards), Journey to Thailand pad Thai rice noodle bowls, and Journey to Spain paella meal kits, to name a few.
The other week, I found pastizzi from Greece under the Journey to Greece brand in the Aldi Find freezer aisle. The packages state these feature “savory pastry” filled with either spinach and cheese or cheese and tomato. Pastizzi (the singular is pastizz) originate from Malta in the Meditterranean Sea, and they’re made with a pastry similar to Greek filo pastry. They’re often filled with ricotta cheese or curried peas, although these days you might also find them with other fillings such as chicken. The Aldi pastizzi packages state these are “great party appetizers.”
My family and I like pastries of all types, so I picked up a bag in each variety to sample at home.
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back later. You can’t order these online if they’re sold out at your local store.
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi cost $3.99 for a 12-ounce package at the time of publication.
These were manufactured in Greece. They are non-GMO certified.
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi with Spinach and Cheese nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking instructions. (Click to enlarge.)
If you’re looking out for allergens, both varieties contain wheat and milk. They may contain eggs, peanuts, soybeans, tree nuts, mustard, and sesame seeds.
These are made with pasteurized myzithra-whey cheese, which consists of cow, goat, and sheep’s milk whey and salt. These also contain feta cheese.
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi with Cheese and Tomato nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking directions. (Click to enlarge.)
A 3.5-piece serving has 280-290 calories, depending on the variety. A serving also has 16-17 grams of total fat (21-22% DV), 9 grams of saturated fat (45% DV), 360-380 mg of sodium (16-17% DV), 29 grams of total carbohydrates (11% DV), 1-2 grams of dietary fiber (4-7% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 6-7 grams of protein.
The packages have directions for heating these from frozen in a conventional oven or in an air fryer. The packages do not recommend microwave cooking.
To heat in the oven, preheat the oven to 355 degrees. Place the pastizzis in a greased pan or use baking paper. For best visual effect, coat with a little egg or milk. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
To air fry, remove the the packaging and heat air fryer to 355 degrees. (My air fryer temperature adjusts in increments of 10, so I set it to 360 degrees.) Place the pastizzis in the air fryer and cook for about 25-30 minutes.
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi with Cheese and Tomato ready to eat after baking in the oven.
I decided to try heating the cheese and tomato pastizzi in my oven, and meanwhile I heated the spinach and cheese pastizzi in my air fryer. Both turned out very good.
The air fryer directions seem a little long at 25-30 minutes, and my pastizzi were getting good and brown, so I pulled them after about 20-23 minutes, and you’ll want to keep an eye on them so they don’t get overly browned.
The pastizzi I baked in my conventional oven were done after about 20-22 minutes, but I might have been able to leave them in a little longer if I wanted to brown them more. The oven-baked pastizzi did stick to the bottom of the pan some, even though I used a good amount of cooking spray. It wasn’t a problem, but I did have to be careful when removing them from the baking sheet with a spatula so the bottoms didn’t tear off and stick to the pan. I brushed the pastizzi with some whole milk before baking them. They turned out lighter-colored than the air fried pastizzi.
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi with Spinach and Cheese ready to serve after air frying.
My family all liked these, and we didn’t necessarily feel like one flavor was better than the other. The cheese and tomato pastizzi have a slightly more zesty flavor thanks to the oregano they contain. The spinach and cheese pastizzi have a more mild flavor. Both are good, though. These all came out incredibly flaky, and they crumble satisfyingly in your mouth. These went quickly.
The Verdict:
Journey to Greece Greek Style Pastizzi are made in Greece and feature flaky pastry filled with cheese and either spinach or tomato. We like both kinds. They’re great as part of a lunch served with a salad, or you can serve them as an appetizer before a meal.
