Find out how much you should expect to pay for corned beef at ALDI and how to make an entire delicious St. Patrick's Day meal around it.
We are on the verge of another St. Patrick's Day. And that means lots of us Americans are going to be eating corned beef. The Irish not as much.
Are you looking to save some money on the meal this year? Wondering if ALDI is a good option? Let us show you how to built a delicious March 17th feast around ingredients from ALDI.
Jump to:
💲 Corned Beef Prices
Got to start with the corned beef first. Here are the prices I found at an ALDI store in March 2023 in Covington, Louisiana.
| Cattlemen's Ranch USDA Choice Flat Cut Corned Beef Brisket | $3.99/lb |
| Cattlemen's Ranch USDA Choice Point Cut Corned Beef Brisket | $2.99/lb |
Those are fabulous prices. Better than what I am seeing in many other grocery stores. The price tags say that it was originally $5.79, but these are marked as an ALDI Savers deal. Likely when the corned beef first showed up this season it was at the higher price. Then went down the week before Thanksgiving. I saw this with turkey and ham prices right before Thanksgiving and Christmas respectively.
Also note if you wish to save money you can buy the point cut for $1 a pound cheaper. Although I think you are paying for more fat and less actual useable meat. I got the flat cut.
RELATED - What is the Difference Between Point Cut and Flat Cut Corned Beef?
🍲 How to Cook
There are several methods to cooking corned beef. One I don't recommend is just boiling it. Some say this is the "traditional" way to do it, but I don't think it's the best way at all. The only good thing about boiling it is some of the excess salt from the pickling process escape into the water but so does a lot of the flavor unless you heavily season your water with spices.
Here are my 2 favorite methods
My goal for cooking corned beef is for it to come out tender yet still sliceable. I don't want it to fall apart like pulled pork.
🥔 Sides
What is best to serve alongside corned beef? Cabbage is always a go-to. It's cheap. Just don't cook it very long. It just needs a couple minutes in boiling water. Really, that's all. Or you can just sauté the cabbage in some fat (bacon fat is so good!). I saw cabbage going for 49 cents a pound at the store I was at.
Mashed potatoes are a must for our family. Red potatoes are often on sale for St. Patrick's Day. ALDI was no exception. They had them for $2.99 for a 3 pound bag. Don't forget the butter and the milk, I like using buttermilk.
You can do what the Irish do and mix your cabbage into your mashed potatoes. This is called Colcannon. Shredded Brussels sprouts or kale also work for this.
Carrots are another good choice for serving with corned beef. Go with whole carrots that have more flavor than the baby carrots. You can get a 2 pound bag for $1.49. Then cook them in a lot of butter!
RELATED - What to Serve with Corned Beef
🧀 Cheese
My family loves having a cheese course with our St. Patrick's Day feast. ALDI has several Irish cheddars and other styles of cheese to try. Here is what I found
| Emporium Selection Aged Irish Waxed Cheddar Round | $3.99 for 5.3oz |
| Emporium Selection Irish Waxed Cheddar with Irish Whiskey | $3.99 for 5.3oz |
| Emporium Selection Irish Waxed Cheddar with Irish Beer | $3.99 for 5.3oz |
| Emporium Selection Cheddar Cheese with Porter Ale | $3.99 for 7oz |
| Emporium Selection Pesto Gouda | $3.99 for 6.5oz |
| Emporium Selection Sage Derby | $3.99 for 7oz |
| Emporium Selection Mild Irish Cheddar | $3.79 for 7oz |
| Emporium Selection Sharp Irish Cheddar | $3.79 for 7oz |
| Emporium Selection Vintage Irish Cheddar | $3.79 for 7oz |
The last 3 cheddars on the list they have in stock year round. The other ones are specials for the St. Patrick's Day holiday. If you got all the waxed cheese you would have all the colors of the Irish flag.
RELATED - My Guide to Irish Cheese
🍞 Bread
Homemade soda bread is a must for my family for St. Patrick's Day. And it's super easy and cheap to make. Here are the ingredients you will need, all of which your ALDI should have in stock.
- 4 cups flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk (you can use some of it in your mashed potatoes)
- 1 large egg
The great thing about this bread is that it's not a yeast bread, so you don't have to wait for it to rise. Just make the dough and bake it.
RELATED - Irish Soda Bread Recipe (Can Be Made with Wheat Flour or Gluten Free)
🧁 Desserts or Treats
To finish the meal off, we need a tasty dessert. For this I completely throw traditional out the window for things that are mint or "magically delicious".
You could make it easy on yourself and just pick up these Mint Oreos. They are even gluten free!
Or these ice cream cones. Chocolate and mint are my favorite combo of all time!
For fun and simple, instead of making Rice Krispies treats use either of these types of Lucky Charms. Just grab some mini marshmallows (99 cents) from a different part of the store.
📋 Meal Plan and Cost
Alright it's time to add everything up and see how much money you should budget for a St. Patrick's Day feast. Some of these items you may have already have on hand like flour but I am including everything here in case your fridge and pantry are bare. The only thing I leave out is salt as I don't like the selection at ALDI. I prefer using kosher salt or Redmond Real Salt.
| Corned Beef Flat Cut Brisket (estimated 2.5 pounds) | $9.98 |
| Green Cabbage (estimated 2 pounds) | $.98 |
| Red Potatoes (3 pound bag) | $2.99 |
| Carrots (2 pound bag) | $1.49 |
| Pick 3 different Irish cheeses | $11.97 |
| Flour for the soda bread | $2.19 |
| Sugar for the soda bread | $2.85 |
| Baking soda for the soda bread | $.69 |
| Butter for the soda bread, carrots, and mashed potatoes | $3.98 |
| Buttermilk for the soda bread, and mashed potatoes | $2.07 |
| Eggs for the soda bread | $3 |
| Dessert or Treats | $6 |
💲 The grand total of your shopping bill is $48.19.
Unless you have a huge or very hungry family you will have leftovers of corned beef, cheese and the sides. You also won't need all the flour, sugar, baking soda, and eggs.
Don't forget to grab your St. Patrick's Day gnome before you leave the store 🙂
Leave a Reply