Aldi's Best Budget Boxed Sides You Should Always Have In Your Pantry

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The last thing you want to discover when dinner time rolls around is that your meal is an entree-only deal. Without at least a side dish or two on hand, your menu goes from being a full-throttle feast to a one-plate fumble that barely gets off the ground. It's a good thing Aldi shelves a sensational selection of satisfying sides to keep your pantry overflowing with outstanding options. Load up on enough boxed bites and you can fill your table with the kind of culinary diversity that brings your hungry household clamoring to the table.

Aldi's pantry-ready side dish section is a wonderland of possibilities, all fantastically familiar yet phenomenally flavorful and ready to be whipped up at the last minute. Anyone in search of shortcuts to sensational meals should take notes from this collection of budget-friendly buys and bring home a bevy of brilliant additions to their home cooking routine. Some of them might even rival your homemade favorites. 

Aldi's famous low prices mean you can load up on these accompaniments to make quick work of your down-the-line meal prep. With everything from gluten-free mac and cheese to homestyle potato classics on display, it's a smorgasbord of shelf-stable goods that won't take too big a bite out of your shopping funds. Prices are accurate as of September 2025 and dependent on location.

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Home cooks with a taste for healthful cuisine can keep cans of Simply Nature Heart of Palm Linguine in their collection as a stand-in for traditional wheat pasta. It's a clever keto-friendly substitute for traditional pasta that eliminates the gluten from the noodle-based recipes your kitchen plays on repeat. Aldi's keeps its 12-ounce bag priced at $2.75 or thereabouts, making it nearly half the price of similar products at larger national chains. No matter how you top it, a price like that makes it a tempting sampler for the curious foodie.

Aldi shoppers who've tried the palm linguine say it can be worked into a pasta casserole with Italian sausage and cheese for a winner of a modern noodle bake. The ability of hearts of palm to absorb the flavors of whatever you use them in makes this alternative pasta a prime candidate for a slew of sauces. If you're aiming for a lower-carb diet and you're coming up short with side dishes that fit the bill, having this hearts of palm package in the cupboard will invite you to experiment without straying from your macro totals.

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Rather than going to the trouble of assembling Spanish rice from scratch, give Earthly Grains 90 Second Spanish Style Rice the place of honor on your pantry shelves. You get the traditional seasonings mixed into tender grains that make a perfect accompaniment for taco night. It comes in a microwavable packet for direct cooking, and it's ready in a quick minute and a half to keep your hangry eaters from waiting too long for the dinner bell. It's just $1.55, so it's easy to find room in both your budget and on your shelf for a few pouches.

Customers who've made the comparison say the Aldi version is better than similar products by Knorr, a solid endorsement for a signature label item. The convenience and portability make it a great dish for families on the go, whether it becomes an element of a burrito bar or stands on its own as part of a full-blown fiesta-style supper.

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One of the greatest innovations in the world of boxed side dishes was the addition of a creamy premade sauce to the usual boxed mac and cheese format. Now, Aldi takes the enticing favorite one step further with Cheese Club Shells & Cheese, the $1.55-a-box budget side that splits the price of the Velveeta version in half. Real cheddar in the packet brings bold flavor to the bowl, while the one-step mix-in sauce means you don't need butter and milk to finish up the recipe.

Does it measure up to — or even exceed — the tradition of boxed mac and cheese? It definitely seems to. Reviewers rank it at the top of the list above the other Aldi mac-and-cheese creations. TikTok shoppers share their love for shells and cheese by buying three boxes at a time. And I have personally tried this two-step table topper and found it to be exceptional, an incredibly well-priced take on a classic that can be ready in 10 minutes or so. It's a side dish that deserves to be at the center of the table.

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Shake up your dinner menu by incorporating Earthly Grains Couscous into the usual lineup, and watch your family fall in love with a delicious alternative to your usual rice creations. This wheat-based element is often confused for a whole grain, though it has more in common with pasta than with quinoa or farro. Its nutty goodness and intriguing texture make it an ideal vehicle for exciting flavors like roasted garlic and Parmesan, both of which Aldi offers as affordable pantry-ready options. It's less than $2, which makes it one of the best under-$3 Aldi items, and one that stands shoulder to shoulder with your usual rice and potato candidates.

Aldi fans who've made couscous a part of their dinner traditions praise the easy creation process, essentially pouring the contents of the box into boiling water and fluffing the finished grains with a fork. It provides a simplified way to cook couscous properly, fully flavored and ready to serve all in a single swoop. I've tried the roasted garlic flavor myself and found it to be a first-rate side dish that didn't require anything more than what came in the box. In fact, realizing now how much I like it, I've added it to my shopping list for my next Aldi run.

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Bring a powerful gluten-free protein punch to your most cherished pasta dishes with Simply Nature Chickpea Penne, an Aldi alternative that dials down the cost factor while cranking up taste and texture. Whether you're looking for gluten-free noodles to work into your family's eating habits or hoping to ratchet up the protein factor (it boasts an impressive 12 grams per serving) in your overall diet, you can do it all at once. At just over $3 per 12-ounce box, you get more for your money than you would buying up boxes from the bigger names in the alternative pasta game.

If you're a pasta traditionalist who side-eyes anything other than the basic semolina wheat version of penne, take it from reviewers who note that the taste is close to the original, but with a slightly different texture. They celebrate the ease of incorporating these tubes anywhere you usually depend on standard penne. If you have everything from penne Alfredo to pasta salad planned as a secondary dish for an upcoming meal, you're primed to pick up this novel penne without dropping a pretty penny on a box.

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Throw a little jazz into your dinner time routine with Earthly Grains New Orleans-style Jambalaya rice mix. It helps you sprinkle sneaky magic into otherwise ordinary spreads, pairing perfectly with your favorite homemade gumbo or even as a partner to scaled down chicken dishes that could use a little sizzle. Word on the web is that the spice hits the spot, especially for fans of fiery seasonings. At $1.75 a box, you can give this true American original a place of honor among your other Southern recipes.

Some home cooks recommend adding sausage, tomatoes, and shrimp to recreate an authentic jambalaya jamboree, though others simply toss in a can of black beans. One TikTok user shared a video of their meal prep featuring Earthly Grains with chicken and turkey sausage, pairing it with buttermilk biscuits, an inspired combination that gives affordable comfort food a price tag everyone can cozy up to.

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Versatility is the name of the game when Earthly Grains Instant Rice has a space at the table. Whether you turn it into a pilaf, use it in a casserole, or serve it on the side with a little butter and salt, this box makes it easy to add an unexpected extra dish when your supper selections are looking a little too trim. Customers report having great success sliding Aldi's take on instant rice into the dishes where better-known brands have made their mark. Some recommend flavoring the grains by adding melted butter while cooking or even replacing the water with chicken broth. Even if you go the plain and simple path, at around $2.85 a box, you have plenty of rice to work with for meals throughout the month.

If you're looking to make your simple Aldi side dishes go even further, consider turning leftover unseasoned rice from dinner into an indulgent rice pudding. You can start from scratch or use pre-cooked rice to conjure up a quick and simple traditional dessert that helps keep you from having leftovers to stash in the fridge.

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Unless you're dead-set on impressing a room full of hungry gourmets, whipping up homemade mashed potatoes is an unnecessary slab of kitchen drudgery. Instead, grab a few boxes of Chef's Cupboard Instant Mashed Potatoes for a much simpler pour-and-cook solution that doesn't require a peeler or a masher. Aldi keeps three varieties on hand to give every meal a different spin; pick up basic butter, creamy four cheese, and zesty roasted garlic for a mix that's sure to please a house full of fussy appetites. At $1.09 or so a box, you can afford to give all three the ol' college try.

Even if you're used to a bigger brand, some Aldi customers claim their families can't tell the difference, making the cheaper version a worthwhile purchase. Others recommend working in beef or chicken bouillon for added flavor, and even tossing in bacon or cheddar cheese for a more complete finished dish. Of course, if you have a preferred mashed potato creation, this packet gives you a perfect, well-priced place to start.

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Similar to Stove Top instant stuffing but checking out at a much lower price, Chef's Cupboard Stuffing Mix provides a warm and homey accent dish that comes together in practically no time. The cornbread version offers a more Southern take on this bready bite, while the chicken version is a traditional mainstay that captures the spirit of your most cherished Sunday suppers and Thanksgiving dinners. Word online is that other flavors make appearances on occasion, too. These mixes ring up at just a little more than $1, which is one-third the price of Stove Top. Who needs a holiday with a price like that?

When asked for opinions on this Aldi bargain box, Facebook users are enthusiastic with their praise for all forms and flavors. Some recommend augmenting the contents of the box with additional ingredients to elevate the flavor depending on the meal, while others are enamored with it straight out of the package. Creative cooks even recommend mixing boxes for blended flavors, an affordable bit of kitchen science considering the highly workable price.

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If you cook for anyone who struggles to find gluten-free dishes to feed their family, Cheese Club Chickpea Mac & Cheese provides a ready solution that doesn't break the bank. It's equal to original mac and cheese in every aspect but the basic ingredients, substituting wheat flour for chickpea flour. You can choose from classic cheddar and white cheddar to give your household some tasty choices. The $2.99 price point is a bit higher than the cheaper blue box alternative, but it still slides in under the $3-plus mark that other brands price their chickpea-based products.

Replacing your homemade mac and cheese with this contemporary invention is a slam dunk, according to Aldi patrons who shared their opinions on Reddit. Complimenting the box as among the best mac and cheese they've ever eaten and raving about having celiac-friendly options that taste good and cook up easily, these fans make it sound like chickpea mac and cheese isn't just a financially viable purchase, but a smart culinary move as well.

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Conjure an elegant and welcome addition to any meat-based meal with a box or two of Chef's Covered Scalloped Potatoes stashed in your Aldi side dish toolbox. With so much labor involved in making handcrafted scalloped potatoes, keep a few boxes at the ready for suppers that could use a gourmet touch. Don't be fooled by the $1.29 price; this package packs a punchy potato preparation that takes butter, milk, and water to become a full-grown side dish you'll be confident serving.

Devoted cooks use this box weekly, incorporating it into a larger casserole. Simpler versions include cubes of ham for a smoky flavor, while more deluxe versions featuring half-and-half instead of milk make the finished dish even creamier. If scalloped potatoes have been a part of your dining habits, you have a cheap and easy new way to keep the custom rolling. And if you've been scared off by the seeming complexity of making them from scratch, meet your new favorite kitchen experiment.

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I've tried a few of Aldi's affordable side dishes, the cheese & shells and roasted garlic couscous in particular, and I was impressed with the superior quality they presented, so I made sure to include them on the list. I also sought out familiar and family-friendly items that home cooks might make from scratch, for a selection of time- and money-saving items that don't skimp on satisfaction. And although Aldi carries several national brand items that qualify, I kept my options restricted to the store's signature brands, since these are often of equal quality but lower in price.

Once I knew which products I wanted to include, I checked for reviews and discussions online that would clue me in on how customers feel about them. This guided me to the preferred purchases and steered me clear of anything that might not measure up. From there, I culled my list and gathered the good word about which Aldi side dishes made the best pantry selections for perking up mealtime, while leaving more jingle in your coin collection.