Aldi likes to sell novelties, whether it’s dill pickle flavored popcorn or green bean casserole pizza or 1980s music-themed cheese flavors. The grocer especially likes to get in on the fun during holidays or special events. They sell gingerbread house kits for Halloween and Christmas, soda bread mix and corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, and specialty chocolates for Easter.
Aldi also has its head in the game for the Super Bowl. This big sporting event — scheduled for Sunday, February 12th, in 2023 — is as famous for the snacks and foods spectators enjoy during the game as it is for the football itself. This is the time of year when Aldi stocks foods such as spinach and artichoke dip, tavern pizzas, pretzel trays with sweet and savory dips, spring rolls, and other fun appetizers.
A couple of years ago, Aldi also introduced a limited-edition football-shaped take and bake pizza in time for the Super Bowl. If you’ve ever made your own pizza using Aldi ready made pizza dough or the recipe on the back of the Aldi yeast packets (my family’s personal favorite), you know it’s not hard to make a pizza in any shape you want — a heart for Valentine’s Day or a football for the big game, for example. However, for the sake of convenience, you can also buy premade football-shaped pizzas.
I haven’t seen the refrigerated take and bake football-shaped pizza back at Aldi this year. It’s possible it might still show up before the game. However, the other day I did spot a frozen football-shaped pizza. It was sold alongside a frozen heart-shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day. Of course I had to get both to try. Here, I’m taking a closer look at the football pizza.
Mama Cozzi’s Football Shaped Pizza cost $5.79 for a 12-ounce pizza at the time of publication. The package describes this as “a thin & crispy crust topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella & cheddar cheeses & a white cheddar cheese sauce.” This is a product of Italy.
This is an Aldi Find, so it’s only in stores for a short time. Each store receives one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back next year. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products that are not in stock at your local store.
This is sold under the Mama Cozzi’s brand, which is not a company but instead is the private label Aldi uses for pizzas.
If you’re watching out for allergens, this pizza contains wheat, milk, and soy.
One pizza has three 113-gram servings. A serving has 280 calories, 11 grams of total fat (14% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 680 mg of sodium (30% DV), 32 grams of total carbohydrates (12% DV), and no added sugars.
Nutrition information, ingredients, and baking directions. (Click to enlarge.)
The box has directions for baking the pizza in a conventional oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the pizza from the freezer once the oven has reached 400 degrees. Remove the pizza from the packaging and place the pizza on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbling. Let the pizza stand for a few minutes before serving.
My daughter and I had a little laugh when we opened the box and the toppings on the pizza inside had abstract art vibes. I also noticed the crust had a few air bubbles. And technically, this pizza is more of an oval shape than a football shape with pointed ends, but close enough.
Frozen pizza before baking.
This pizza was done after about 18 minutes in my oven. We let it cool for a few minutes, then sliced it and gave it a try.
Pizza after baking.
This is your typical cheese pizza with a a tomato sauce base. The crust is somewhere between thin and thick, a bit chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges. The cheese that makes the stripe on the football has a slightly gooier consistency that’s nice. This is a fun pie if you have football fans in the house or kids who might like to eat a pizza that’s different from the usual.
The Verdict:
Mama Cozzi’s Football Shaped Pizza is a frozen pizza Aldi is stocking in time for the Super Bowl. Aldi has previously sold a refrigerated take and bake football-shaped pizza, so this is a departure from what we’ve seen in the past. This is a classic cheese pizza with tomato sauce, and it’s pretty good. Recommended for football fans and pizza fans.
