My family enjoyed Aldi’s Journey to Spain Paella Meal Kit so much that we had to try its companion, the Journey to Spain Chorizo Rice Meal Kit.
This kit sold for $1.99 for an 8.5-oz. box at the time of publication. The box includes rice, dried vegetables, and seasoning, and you add your own meat if you want to.
It has four servings per container, and one serving if the meal is prepared according to package directions (with added chorizo) contains 380 calories, 18 grams of total fat (23% of your daily value), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 30 mg of cholesterol (10% DV), 530 mg of sodium (23% DV), 46 grams of total carbohydrates (17% DV), 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV), and 12 grams of protein.
Journey to Spain Chorizo Rice Meal Kit nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
The ingredients are more straightforward for a boxed dinner than you might expect with, among other things, items such as long grain rice, dehydrated black beans, dried red and green bell pepper, paprika, dried tomato, garlic powder, and onion powder.
It does contain “spices,” which sounds vague and mysterious, along with the processed ingredient maltodextrin, which is high on the glycemic index, but most of us don’t exactly buy boxed dinner kits for their health appeal.
This dinner is prepared on the stovetop. In a medium skillet, add 6 oz. of chorizo and 1 tablespoon of olive oil (optional). Cook for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked.
Stir in the rice pouch and seasoning with vegetables and beans. Add 3 1/2 cups of water. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil and cook on medium-high heat, covered, for 15-17 minutes or until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
The box says you can add cooked beef or vegetables to enhance the meal.
I used sliced turkey kielbasa from Aldi in place of the chorizo, adding it near the end of the cooking process.
Similar to when I cooked Aldi’s Journey to Spain Paella, it took 5-7 minutes longer than the directions indicated to get most of the liquid absorbed into the chorizo rice mixture, so you may need to allow a little extra time.
The chorizo meal was moderately spicy. While Aldi’s paellla meal kit disappeared quickly from the table, we actually had quite a bit of the chorizo meal left over because it was just too spicy for my family to eat a lot of. It wasn’t bad. It’s flavorful and tastes like authentic Spanish-inspired rice. It just has kick, which should not be all that surprising. If spiciness is your thing, you’ll appreciate this meal.
The Verdict:
Aldi’s Journey to Spain Chorizo Meal Kit came together easily, and you can customize it to be meatless or use a meat of your choice (I used turkey kielbasa). It’s a processed meal, so it’s not the healthiest, but it’s not as unhealthy as some other boxed meals we’ve seen. This meal also, not unexpectedly, has a moderate level of spiciness. Good for those who like some kick.
