This Freezer Find Is the Single Best Thing to Buy at Aldi This Month

During my time on this earth, I have eaten bowls full of regular ol’ potato gnocchi, sweet potato gnocchi, cauliflower gnocchi, kale gnocchi, and dessert gnocchi (chocolate lava gnocchi, to be exact; thanks, Trader Joe’s!). Is that enough gnocchi? The answer is no.

Because today, I was lucky enough to add another variety to my gnocchi tally: Priano Christmas Gnocchi, frozen spinach and potato gnocchi shaped like stars and Christmas trees (an Aldi exclusive). Haven’t seen them before? That’s because they’re one of the December Aldi Finds, which shoppers can find in stores starting December 9, for $3.99 a pound in the freezer aisle.

I got my hands on a bag (thank you, Aldi friends!) and am here to tell you all about it.

While you plan your trip to pick up this parcel of holiday cheer in gnocchi form, let me explain why they’re worth the visit. First of all, the shapes are perfection. They actually come out of the bag looking like stars and trees, which is no small feat in the foods-shaped-like-other-things department. (

Reeses Christmas Trees

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According to the bag’s stovetop instructions (they also have boiling instructions), portion out enough gnocchi so that it all rests flat on the surface of a pan. The instructions also recommend adding 9 ounces of butter for 11 ounces of gnocchi. That’s, um, a lot of butter, so I followed my heart in that department and went for a fraction of that. From there, you’re told to put the lid on your pan and heat the gnocchi on medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes. The bag also said to add water to steam slightly; but I skipped that step because of my experience with Trader Joe’s frozen gnocchi, which taste better when simply pan-fried. After 10 minutes, my trees and stars started to look a little crispy, just the way I like them. (If you want more pillow-y, saucy gnocchi, cook the gnocchi in the suggested amount of butter and add the water to steam them a bit more.)

How’d they taste? The spinach trees are subtle-tasting, but if blindfolded I could identify them — in a good way! The stars are standard gnocchi. And both options crisp up nicely. I can definitely see using them in some of Kitchn’s sheet pan gnocchi dishes.

The instructions on the bag say to pair these with Aldi’s gorgonzola sauce and a sprinkle of Parm. I also think this would taste excellent with a vodka or tomato sauce. There’s no right way to gnocchi — especially when your gnocchi are shaped like Christmas trees! I want to eat these again. And again. Thankfully, this bag contains five servings — enough for me to have a few more bowls of potato and spinach-flavored holiday cheer before the 25th rolls around.

Remember: This is an Aldi Find, and won’t be on shelves forever. If you spot a bag, buy it!

Would you make a trip to Aldi for these special gnocchi?