My Favorite Aldi Pizza Is A Bold Flavor Fusion

Picture it: Sweet and savory Korean barbecue sauce. Tender beef. Sharp onions, flavorful mushrooms, a pop of color from broccoli. All situated on a bed of crispy crust and wrapped in a blanket of mozzarella. Don't you want to raincheck whatever dinner plans you had and eat Mama Cozzi's ultra-thin Korean-style bulgogi pizza?

Well, never go to the grocery store hungry. That's what they tell you. Go shopping with a list, and only buy things on that list. Remember that most food products don't look as mouthwatering as the picture that's on the package. All of these things considered, the temptation of frozen pizza is always hanging over any grocery shopper's head. For me, no temptation is greater than Mama Cozzi's bulgogi pizza.

Don't get me wrong, I love frozen pizza. This stuff is a "temptation" only in the sense that I feel I should limit how much processed, pre-prepared food I eat and/or serve to my family. The only "problem" is that I want to buy out the supply of this Aldi freezer find for under $5 every time I see it. Yes, Korean-style bulgogi pizza is a rotating item, only available occasionally. The rarity only contributes to my cravings. If it were around all the time, I might be able to better ignore it. Instead, anytime that box is sitting in the freezer with its pop of green broccoli and those thin strips of glistening beef? My stomach growls in the checkout line.

Why substitute Korean barbecue sauce for tomato sauce? Why eat beef and broccoli on your pizza? Aren't sausage and green peppers good enough? Listen, I understand pizza purity. I live in Chicago, home of the best thin-crust pizza in the world. If you ever need some variety, though? I'm telling you, try the ultra-thin Korean-style bulgogi pizza at Aldi. The flavors are incredible, with the exact right ratio of every ingredient. Sauce, cheese, crust, and toppings are perfectly balanced. The barbecue sauce is savory and sweet, not cloying. The beef isn't too chewy. If anything, I could use a little more broccoli and mushrooms, but that's only half a complaint.

People have been slathering barbecue sauce on pizza since at least 1985. The origins of barbecue pizza show the most American of culinary evolutions. The inspiration for barbecue comes from the Caribbean. Pizza is an Italian food popularized in the States by immigrants and returning World War II vets. Eventually, the two flavors got mashed up. A logical next step was for pizza to begin incorporating Korean barbecue, and Mama Cozzi's pizza gets it right. The extent to which the United States is a true cultural melting pot is up for debate, but nowhere is the power of multiculturalism more evident than in our food. For a celebration of the beauty that can occur when different culinary traditions share recipes, grab some Korean-style bulgogi pizza on your next Aldi run.