The $3 Aldi Grocery I’m Stocking in My Pantry All Winter Long
Cold weather is rolling in across the country (even for me down in Florida), so I’m making sure to pack my pantry with ingredients made for hibernation cooking. Mid-January is when I reach my stride cooking for the season despite technically being several weeks into winter. When I shop at Aldi, it’s easy (and more affordable) to stock up on all of the groceries that I need to curl up with comforting foods.
Aldi grocery stores have a smaller footprint with a curated selection of staples and limited-edition groceries and home goods that are so in-demand, there are entire Facebook groups and Instagram accounts (ohheyaldi and theamazingaldi are two of our favorites) dedicated to these finds.
I don’t have to be the first shopper through the door for the most important grocery in my winter pantry. Aldi’s Earthly Grains White Rice is one of the store’s mainstays, which means it’s available year-round. It’s one that I make sure to pick up every month — especially in the winter.
What’s So Great About Earthly Grains White Rice?
Aldi’s Earthly Grains White Rice is a mealtime essential because it is just long-grain white rice. That’s it. The simplicity of buying a basic like long-grain white rice is what makes it so versatile and useful in my kitchen. I’m not restricted by added flavorings or seasonings or complex cooking instructions.
The reason why I always buy rice at Aldi comes down to the cost. This 3-pound bag of Earthly Grains White Rice costs just $2.65. That breaks down to just $0.88 per pound. At my local grocery store in Tampa, Florida, I’d pay $1.42 per pound for store-brand long-grain white rice or $1.87 for the name brand. By just picking up a bag of this rice on my regular Aldi grocery run, I can save up to $1 every time. One dollar (plus the other savings I collect just by shopping at Aldi) adds up month after month.
What’s the Best Way to Enjoy Earthly Grains White Rice?
Earthly Grains White Rice is simple to cook on the stovetop, bake in the oven, or make in a rice cooker. You can add extra flavor to rice by making arroz verde, seasoned with fresh cilantro and poblano peppers, or arroz con gandules with homemade sofrito and canned pigeon peas.
You can also turn the rice into comforting congee or warm up with chicken and rice soup, where I substitute white rice for brown and shorten the cooking time slightly. Rice is an essential ingredient in the casseroles and skillet dinners I love to cook this time of year: Creamy chicken and rice casserole was a staple of my childhood, this French onion chicken and rice is a newer favorite, and spicy jambalaya is a dish I could (and do) eat as often as humanly possible.
Rice isn’t just for dinner. You can also serve this starch as a subtly sweet dessert. Rice pudding is made by cooking rice with milk, sugar, and flavorings like vanilla and cinnamon. You can top the pudding with dried fruit, toasted nuts, or a jammy compote.
Find it in stores: Earthly Grains White Rice, $2.65 for 3 pounds
What Aldi staples are you stocking up on this winter? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Further Reading
The One Cookware Brand That Gordon Ramsay Can’t Stop Talking About
Tuscan Chicken Is the "Most Delicious" Dinner of All Time, Says Everyone Who's Tried It
