The Aldi Frozen Meal So Bland You Should Leave It On The Shelf

There's no reason to waste a meal on bad food, even if it's a frozen one you barely had time to heat up and eat before evening plans. In a recent ranking of 12 Aldi frozen meals, there was one dish that we found to be bland and uninspiring: the Whole & Simple Southwestern Style Chicken Quinoa Bowl. Our tester judged all the frozen foods based on ease of cooking, taste, and price. Every one was made according to the directions on the box with no adjustments. We ranked the Quinoa Bowl number 12 of the 12 meals we tried. Incidentally, the other The Whole & Simple bowl was second to last and had the same issues.

You'd expect something with the name Southwestern Style to have a bold flavor, but this doesn't. We recommend adding your own zest with your favorite hot sauce. A fresh herb, like cilantro, or fried sage would also help. While frying up some extra ingredients will take away from the quickness of making the meal, it needs it. This blandness is surprising, as the meal is relatively sodium dense. The recommended density is 1.1mg of sodium per calorie. The Southwest bowl has over 1.6 mgs of sodium per calorie. Since the dish only seasons their chicken with sea salt, there's very little flavor to work with in the first place. It's up to you if this belongs on our list of foods you might want to avoid buying at Aldi.

If you have a little extra time, making your own grain bowls can be quick, easy, and delicious. There's no one way to construct them. All you have to do is make your favorite grain for the base: quinoa, farro, perfectly fluffy rice, or a mix of them all. Then, put some veggies, proteins, and some sauces on top, and you're all set. If you make the grains ahead of time, you can usually have a healthy and nourishing dinner in around five minutes. The compact dishes can also work as an easy to re-heat meal-prep option. 

There's no limit to the flavor combinations you can make, but it sometimes helps to have a theme. You can toss on some black beans, corn, avocado, and chipotle chicken with Oaxaca cheese to make a delicious Mexican-inspired bowl. Or put some sautéed greens, bulgogi, and kimchi with a gochujang mayo for a Korean version of the dish. This is just the beginning of what you can do with a grain bowl! Of course, you can also toss a perfectly fried egg on top of any one of these variations. Adding an egg is always a way to up the protein, and a runny yolk adds an unrivaled richness.