The $2.49 ALDI Find I Buy Every Time I Go

Feeding tweens often means cooking three regular meals plus three mini meals each day just to keep up with their appetites. So when I find a product that makes any of those meals easier or more satisfying, I buy double. And a product that helps a tween feed themself? I keep it in bulk so I never run out.

This summer a mom friend introduced me to Mama Cozzi's Mini Pizza Crusts and I grabbed a few at ALDI for quick lunches during the week. To my surprise, my tween daughter fell in love with these crusts.

All you need to make a satisfying pizza is cheese and, partnered with the air fryer, my 12-year-old regularly makes them for herself. These pizzas are an after-school snack she loves, but she can also make a quick meal after soccer practice or when she's still hungry after dinner. We’ve even made them a family meal on really busy weeknights.

These shelf-stable pizzas are affordable—just $2.49 for three—and come in both original and thin. Each package includes three individual sauce packets. That means my daughter doesn’t even need to get out jarred pizza sauce (or a spoon!), so there isn’t a ton of cleaning up when she makes herself one (or more) as a snack.

I regularly buy three packages of Mama Cozzi’s Mini Pizza Crusts every other week on my ALDI runs.

How We Make Mama Cozzi’s Mini Pizza Crusts

The instructions for cooking Mama Cozzi’s pizzas are pretty straightforward: heat the oven to 400°F, top with sauce, and cook for seven to nine minutes on a sheet pan, which you can line with foil for easy clean up.

Mama Cozzi’s suggests drizzling the crust’s edge with a little olive oil for extra crispness and I’ve found this to be a must—it helps brown the crust which upgrades its taste and texture.

While plain cheese is my daughter’s favorite, I’ve been known to skip the sauce packet for a little Alfredo sauce, spinach, mushrooms, and feta for a satisfying adult lunch during busy work weeks. The topping possibilities are endless.

How To Air Fry Mama Cozzi’s Mini Pizza Crusts

The real power of these mini pizza crusts was unlocked when I realized that my daughter could cook these herself in the air fryer! While the oven directions are easy enough, it takes longer to heat and she has to get a pan in and out of the oven. With the air fryer, she can use a small square of parchment to make her pizza and easily lift it in and out of the air fryer. Even with a few minutes of preheating the air fryer, she can have a finished pizza in under 15 minutes.

Thanks to their shelf-stable packaging, I probably could (and should) buy these Mama Cozzi’s Mini Pizza Crusts by the case so that I never run out of my tween’s favorite meal.

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