There was something that looked kind of…boring in the packaging to Mama Cozzi’s Four Cheese Rising Crust Pizza, which is precisely the reason that I have avoided buying it for several years. There just seemed to be many more delicious options that I never felt the need to pick this up; those options range from their often-excellent take and bakes, to their neverending rotation of frozen pizza Special Buy’s that are always available.
But give it enough time, and under the right circumstances, any of Aldi’s main offerings become a good fall-back plan. In this case, it was most of the Special Buy pizzas involved meat, which my vegetarian wife refuses to eat, for obvious reasons (though we did pick up a deep-dish cheese pizza, as well). So we stumbled on this and decided to pick it up, if for no other reason than to have a simple cheese pizza that we could throw in the oven when my wife didn’t feel like cooking. Works for me.
I will admit that I overcooked it a little bit, completely forgetting to check on it after I set the timer for ten minutes too long. Oops. But if anything, this little problem only gave it more flavor than it otherwise would have had; there’s no excuse for anything with four cheeses to taste so incredibly bland. Especially given Aldi’s propensity to offer generally above-average frozen pizzas. Even in the occasional failure, there’s usually something that stands out, but even the crust is listless, boring stuff. I received no joy out of taking a single bite, and we ended up letting just slightly less than half of it go to waste (and we usually down our frozen pizzas).
I was also expecting the crust to rise a little bit more, or to at least look more inviting than it actually is. But it’s just a tasteless ring that surrounds the largely listless cheesy center. Adding insult to injury, this pizza is, if I remember correctly, $3.99. I’ve had far better pizzas for around the same price. Hell, even their cheap national brand knockoffs (which retail for a mere $1.99 last time I checked) still pack way more flavor for a third of the price. If I ever walked into an Aldi store, and discovered this was the ONLY pizza they offered, I would turn right back around, drive to a Little Caesar’s, and be much, much happier.
Overall: 2.5/10. An offensively listless, tasteless pizza. How can something with four cheeses be so incredibly bland? I’d actually put off buying this because even the packaging made it look boring, but when it was one of only a couple options that my vegetarian wife wanted, we decided to give it a shot. I did overcook it, admittedly, but I’m honestly convinced the charred cheese actually gave off more taste than it normally would have had had it been properly cooked. If this was a $2 pizza, it would still suck, but at least a case could be made for it being an “entry level” pizza. But no, this is a $4 pizza, and all it had my wife and I thinking was, “For another dollar, we could have had Little Caesar’s”. This is a complete waste of money, plain and simple.
Hello, I disagree with your opinion of the Four Cheese pizza. I think it is very tasty, and I buy them two at a time.
Cooking the pizza for ten minutes too long at 400 degrees does not make the pizza as intended. I feel shocked that you would not only eat and review the pie, but that you would give it such poor reviews while assuming that overcooking it "only gave it more flavor than it otherwise would have had." I suggest you try the pizza again, cook it per the directions, and give it a fair review. If not for Mama Cozzi, at least do it out of respect for your craft. Good luck!
I mean, I think you can tell when something's going to suck…this thing feels like it's 90% crust, something that even proper cook times won't fix. And it's not like I overcooked it to the point that it was charcoal–it was just slightly crispier than it normally would have been.
And I wish this were my craft…it's just something I do for fun in between working, raising a child, and being a husband. Besides, I've praised Mama Cozzi many times (Cuban pizza is great and taco pizza is amazing, just to name two) and she's a tough woman, so I think she can take it.
I'm sure someday I will give it another shot, but I'm not really too keen on doing it anytime soon. Thanks for stopping by and dropping me a line though!
Actually Momma Cozzi frozen pizza isn't at all bad. You just have to remember it's a frozen pie and make some simle adjustments. I normally add a little garlic powder, oregano and a drizzle of olive oil. They turn ouut much better than anything you're going to get from Little Ceasars.
Oh, I don't mind Mama Cozzi's frozen pizzas at all. I just didn't care for this "rising crust" kind. I've previously reviewed some other ones that I've given high marks to, like their Cuban pizza, and their taco pizza, which is one of the few Special Buy products that I always get every time they are available.
And, even though I must admit to liking Little Caesar's pizzas every once in a while, I agree with you about Aldi's frozen pizzas being better…and usually no modifications are even needed to achieve that goal.
I eat the Cheese Rising Crusts every day(legitimately 1 per day. That's it.). I love them but I have a pretty simple palette and cheese+bread is perfect for that. Also these pizzas are only 2.39 in Cleveland, Ohio where I live.
Are you serious?! I'd grow to like them for that kind of price! I live in Columbus and they're $3.99, which is why I was severely disappointed and have never bought one since. I definitely have a simple palate, too (I mention Little Caesar's pizza in the review, for goodness sakes, haha) but for some reason this just completely missed the mark for both me and my wife. Odd considering we both really tend to like their frozen pizzas.
Love this pizza, great taste for the price. Anyone know if this is a 12" or 16" pie?
It's been a while since I've had it, but if memory serves me correctly it would be much closer to 12" than 16".
Best darn pizzas I can find around, though I havent tried the four cheese cause Im spoiled on Supreme, IF they quit selling em I'll go Postal.They get a 20 on a scale of 1-10.
I haven't tried the supreme yet…I'll have to give it a go.