Last Updated on February 3, 2023
EDITOR’S NOTE: Read our review of a frozen football-shaped pizza at Aldi here.
If you want whimsical, seasonal- or holiday-themed pizzas, Aldi is the place to go. In the past year, the grocer has rolled out heart-shaped pizza (actually, more like a cheese bread than a pizza) for Valentine’s Day, Christmas tree-shaped or star-shaped pizzas for the winter holidays, and pumpkin-shaped pizza for Halloween. The latest fun and unique pizza shape Aldi is selling is a football-shaped pizza just in time for the Super Bowl.
The Mama Cozzi’s Take & Bake Big Game Football Shaped Pepperoni Deli Pizza cost $4.99 for a 21.4-oz. pizza at the time of publication.
This is an Aldi Find (Special Buy), which means it’s only in stores for a short time, and once it sells out, it’s gone.
I found this pizza in the Aldi Find freezer section at my local store, but in the weekly ad it was listed as a refrigerated deli item, as indicated by the “take and bake” label. So, if you have trouble finding it, while it’s possible it’s sold out or your store hasn’t received it, be sure to check both the freezer section and deli shelves before giving up.
This is a pizza crust topped with pizza sauce, diced pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and a second layer of diced pepperoni.
The pizza before baking.
To prepare this pizza, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the thawed pizza from all packaging and place it directly on the center oven rack (or use a special pizza pan with holes, like I do, because I don’t like the mess of baking a pizza directly on the rack). The directions specify that you should not bake the pizza on the cardboard tray/packaging that it’s sold in. Bake the pizza for 14-17 minutes or until the cheese in the center is melted and the crust is golden.
If you’re watching out for allergens, this pizza contains wheat, milk, and soy. It may contain sesame.
The box also states this contains “bioengineered food ingredients.”
Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
One pizza serves four people, with one serving netting you 420 calories, 21 grams of total fat (27% DV), 8 grams of saturated fat (40% DV), 45 mg of cholesterol (15% DV), 1,020 mg of sodium (44% DV), 43 grams of total carbohydrates (16% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), 4 grams of total sugars, 2 grams of added sugars (4% DV), and 16 grams of protein.
This pizza baked up in my oven in about 14 minutes, and everyone in my family liked it. It honestly is our favorite themed pizza so far out of all the themed/holiday pizzas we’ve tried from Aldi. That’s because my family is pretty traditional when it comes to our pizza preferences, and most of us don’t care as much for exotic sauces or vegetables such as peppers or spinach on our pies. Give us some familiar red pizza sauce, gooey mozzarella cheese, and zesty pepperoni, and we’re happy.
Our pizza after baking.
Some family members also liked that the pepperoni on this pizza is diced into small squares rather than cut into slices, and while this pizza is not at all like a name-brand Totino’s pizza, the diced pepperoni reminded us a little bit of a Totino’s.
It’s perhaps not as economical or as large as some of the other take and bake pizzas at Aldi, but it’s a great-tasting pizza and our family appreciated its novel shape.
The Verdict:
The Mama Cozzi’s Take & Bake Big Game Football Shaped Pepperoni Deli Pizza is a limited-edition pizza to enjoy while you watch the Super Bowl, or to eat any time you want pizza. It features classic pizza sauce, plenty of mozzarella cheese, and layers of diced pepperoni. Recommended.
