Queso fresco and sockeye salmon are two products that always find their way into my Aldi cart.
Kate Morgan
- As a mom, food writer, and recipe developer, I look for groceries that are high-quality but cheap.
- This is why I love shopping at Aldi, where I can find affordable, delicious ingredients.
- There are a few staples I always buy, such as orange juice, Irish butter, and marinara sauce.
I'm a working mom of two voracious toddlers, so when it comes to meal planning and grocery shopping, my priorities are simple: straightforward and cheap.
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That said, I'm also a total foodie — both personally and professionally. I love quality ingredients, and I work as a food writer and recipe developer.
These are the reasons I do all of our grocery shopping at Aldi, where I can get fantastic ingredients at an equally impressive price.
As much as I love trying new and interesting products whenever I can, there are a few Aldi staples that I always end up adding to my cart.
A trip to Aldi is incomplete without Specially Selected all-butter croissants.caption TK
Kate Morgan
Aldi's Specially Selected butter croissants are delicious to eat fresh out of the box, but sometimes I'll lightly toast them. Plus, they're big enough to slice and use for a sandwich.
These never make it through a week in our house — a pack of six tends to disappear quickly.
I always buy Nature's Nectar orange juice.caption TK
Kate Morgan
I'm a pulp lover in a family of pulp haters. Not only is Aldi's not-from-concentrate orange juice delicious, but I love that my location offers several different options.
I may disagree with my family's preferences, but Aldi's reasonable prices mean I can afford to buy both high-pulp and no-pulp orange juice weekly. The last time I went, a 1.6-quart bottle cost under $5.
Aldi's Countryside Creamery Irish butter is a must-have in my house.caption TK
Kate Morgan
A few years ago, I made the conscious choice to start using butter made with milk from grass-fed cows.
There's conflicting research about whether grass-fed butter has more benefits than a conventional stick, but one thing's for sure: I find it a lot more delicious.
I make sure to buy Pueblo Lindo queso fresco for quick meals.caption TK
Kate Morgan
For a quick, easy dinner, I love making tacos with just four main ingredients: meat, slaw, tortillas, and this cheese.
In the morning, I'll put some beef, pork, or chicken in the slow cooker with some salsa and cook until it's easy to shred. I've found this simple meal is seriously elevated by this fresh, salty cheese.
It takes a lot for a pasta sauce to impress me, but the Specialty Selected ones have.caption TK
Kate Morgan
I say this as someone who grew up in my Italian grandmother's kitchen and learned to make and jar homemade tomato sauce before I could even speak: Specially Selected's sauces are delicious.
The marinara, vodka, and tomato basil variants are all perfectly balanced with tomatoey tanginess, sweetness, and just enough herbaceous flavor and salt.
They're so good that, in my opinion, they can totally pass as homemade.
I always buy Priano bronze-cut pasta.caption TK
Kate Morgan
When dough is pushed through bronze dies — as opposed to Teflon ones — the resulting pasta has a rougher surface that can better grab sauce and keep a slightly firmer texture when boiled.
Aldi carries a rotating selection of shapes, as varied as rigatoni and fettuccine. They're all so good, it's tough for me to even choose a favorite.
Señor Rico rice pudding is one of my husband's favorite products.caption TK
Kate Morgan
My husband is a big rice pudding fan, and we've tried just about every store's take on the dessert. He loves the Señor Rico version the best, and I can see why.
This pudding has a great texture and isn't too sweet. Señor Rico's recipe is also simple: The only ingredients are the same ones I'd use to make it from scratch.
It's hard to beat the flavor or price of Aldi's sea scallops.caption TK
Kate Morgan
When it comes to seafood, Aldi really knows what it's doing — the store's Specially Selected jumbo scallops taste like they were just scooped from the sea.
I thaw them, pat them dry, and season with salt, pepper, and a bit of smoked paprika. Then, I melt some butter in a stainless-steel pan and give them a good sear, flipping once.
They're the centerpiece of a meal that comes together quickly and disappears just as fast.
We love that Aldi carries budget-friendly salmon.caption TK
Kate Morgan
I prioritize including protein-packed ingredients in my meals, so I always try to buy wild-caught fish high in omega-3 fatty acids.
At other stores I've tried, fish that fit the bill can be prohibitively expensive (if available at all), but at under $15 a pound, Aldi's sockeye salmon gives me a healthy option that's delicious and affordable.
Aldi's frozen mussels are so simple to prepare.caption TK
Kate Morgan
Aldi's Specially Selected mussels are a secret weapon in my kitchen.
I grew up close to the ocean in a family of enthusiastic shellfish eaters, so believe me when I tell you these mussels — which come infused in a tomato and garlic sauce — are shockingly good.
The best part: They stay in the freezer until you're ready to cook them and then go from frozen to ready to eat in under 10 minutes.
I keep a steady supply of Specially Selected olive oil on hand.caption TK
Kate Morgan
I use olive oil in almost everything I cook, so I go through a 9-ounce bottle quickly.
In my opinion, the quality of Aldi's Specially Selected extra virgin olive oil is stunningly high for its $10 price tag.
Curious about what other shoppers are buying? Check out our other Aldi diaries here.
This story was originally published in September 2025 and most recently updated on September 24, 2026.
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