All avid Aldi shoppers have their go-to products they have to grab on their weekly shopping trip, from Mama Cozzi’s frozen pizzas to snacks that taste just as good as the name-brand version. But, perhaps even more important than the products you buy every week are the limited-time products that you fall in love with—only to learn they won’t be on shelves the next time you hit the German grocer.
Despite the Aldi Finds’ fleeting time in stores, many of customers’ most beloved foods are sold in the “Aisle of Shame.” That means if and when they return to stores, new and old fans alike race to stock up. For me, the joy of finding Mama Cozzi’s frozen breakfast pizzas or a pack of Wahlburgers burger patties is unmatched.
While neither of those items is back this particular week, there is a returning find that I know my mom will be excited to spot in the freezer section. Aldi’s 68-ounce container of Buona Italian Style Gravy & Sliced Beef is back in stores for a limited time.
Aldi’s Buona Italian-Style Beef Is Back on Shelves
Allrecipes / Aldi
My mom grew up in a small city outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Jeannette. Despite its small population, Jeannette is home to several food brands that serve a national audience, including DeLallo.
A few times a year, my mom heads back to Jeannette to grab some DeLallo sauces, homemade breads, and specialty meats, but she always used to make another stop for Italian roast beef at C&S Market. The family-owned shop was famous in Pittsburgh (and beyond) for its secret recipe roast beef, among other homemade offerings. Unfortunately, the original owner retired, selling the store and taking his iconic roast beef recipe with him.
Ever since then, my mom has been searching for Italian-style roast beef and au jus that comes even remotely close to that flavor of C&S Market. Enter: Aldi’s Buona Italian Style Gravy & Sliced Beef.
The frozen tub of Italian beef is made by Buona, a Chicago-based restaurant chain specializing in Italian beef sandwiches. Though still a weekly Find, the Buona At Home beef hits Aldi shelves frequently enough that it’s become a fan favorite, with a loyal following of customers who stock up on when it returns to shelves.
Buona’s Italian Style Gravy & Sliced Beef comes in a whopping 68-ounce container of prepared Italian beef and gravy. The container makes about eight Italian beef sandwiches, with a recipe for the perfect Chicago-style sandwich on the back.
Making the Italian-style beef couldn’t be easier. All you do is heat the tub’s contents in a pot on the stove and serve. It makes for the simplest dinner served on bread rolls with peppers and extra gravy on the side for dipping—or, pair it with another one of my mom’s go-to Aldi Finds, the Inglehoffer Cream Style Horseradish.
The Buona Italian Beef is on Aldi shelves now, priced at about $18.99 for the 68-ounce tub. My mom always doubles up when buying it (one goes in the fridge for dinner this week, the other into the freezer for future easy meals) since it’s only sold for a limited time—and once it’s gone this week, you never know when it may return.
But, hey, if you miss the Italian beef at Aldi this week, at least you can hit the Arby’s drive-thru for its new Italian Beef Dip sandwich to satisfy the same craving.
