'It Barely Tasted Like Lemon' — This Aldi Pasta Sauce Has Customers Divided

Aldi-brand products can easily rival those of expensive grocery stores in both price and flavor. Along with low-cost basics, the German retailer occasionally mixes things up and creates jarred sauces with a premium vibe, too. One such product is Aldi's Priano lemon pesto. Described as "a zesty, vibrant pesto made with fragrant basil and a refreshing lemon twist" on the Aldi website, this pasta sauce can also be stirred into soups or spread onto sandwiches. However, its lemon flavor has customers divided.

One shopper on Reddit was upset because "it barely tasted like lemon" despite it being billed as a lemon pesto, and a second agreed, adding, "we tried some on broiled salmon, after seeing a recommendation on this sub. It was gross. Definitely won't be buying it again."

Meanwhile, another Redditor had the opposite problem, saying, "to me it tasted like lemon Pledge. Furniture polish," while another posted that it tasted "like I smooshed a bland lemon bar in my pasta."

Luckily, one shopper came up with a way to fix the flavor issue: "I made a white wine cream sauce and then added about ⅓ of the jar and served it with shrimp and fettuccine. It toned down the 'lemon Pledge' flavor and was actually delicious. I don't think I'd get it again, though." Another customer didn't mind it once they spruced it up. They described it as surprisingly good when combined with Aldi gnocchi and tubed basil paste.

A second issue that divided customers was whether Priano's lemon pesto could be described as a classic pesto, considering it doesn't contain pine nuts or basil (but interestingly does feature potato as a thickener). Pesto doesn't technically have to include nuts or herbs; it comes from an Italian verb 'pestare', which means 'to pound' or 'crush,' so it's a term that can cover all sorts of crushed sauces made with different ingredients. Plus, many Italian pesto brands contain potato to mimic the creaminess of pasta and pesto dishes that feature chopped spuds anyway. The taters release starch into the cooking water, which lends the finished dish a richer viscosity and gives the pesto a comforting quality and depth. So, while potatoes may be used as a cheap filler in inexpensive sauces, they do serve a specific purpose.

Priano makes a green Alla Genovese pesto sauce, which is more in keeping with classic verdant pesto varieties but it came last in our ultimate ranking of Aldi pasta sauces because it was chewy, bitter, and unappetizing. The Rosso pesto fared better and came in at number four because it had a rich sun-dried tomato flavor despite its saltiness. Aldi also stocks a Calabrese pesto that's made with red peppers.