Cuisine guide

Updated 27 December 2025

Italian cooking staples and what they cost

Essential Italian pantry items priced at Australian supermarkets. Olive oil, tinned tomatoes, pasta, parmesan, and more.

The core Italian pantry

Pasta (500g pack)

Own-brand: $1.50–$2. De Cecco or Barilla: $3–$4. For everyday pasta bakes and sauced dishes, own-brand does the job. It's all wheat and water. Pick the real thing if you want to notice the difference in a simple aglio e olio, but for heavily sauced dishes, price doesn't change the outcome much.

Aldi's own pasta is genuinely good value. Woolworths and Coles stock both budget and premium brands in the same aisle.

Tinned tomatoes (400g)

Own-brand: $0.75–$1.30. San Marzano: $2.50–$3.50. This is where own-brand shines. For pasta sauce, the cheaper tins work perfectly. You're getting tomato and tomato juice, which is what the recipe needs. San Marzano costs more and tastes marginally sweeter, but it's not worth doubling your sauce budget every cook.

Buy Aldi or Coles own-brand, save $1–$2 per tin, and use that money elsewhere.

Olive oil (500ml)

Cooking grade: $5–$8. Extra virgin (good quality): $10–$15. The difference matters here, but not how you think. Use cheap olive oil for cooking and sautéing (high heat, flavour gets buried anyway). Spend a bit more on extra virgin for salads, dipping, and finishing dishes where the oil itself is tasted.

A 500ml bottle of decent extra virgin lasts weeks if you're only using it for finishing. The per-use cost drops fast.

Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)

Real Parmigiano Reggiano (imported, DOP): $35–$50 per kg. Generic "parmesan" blocks: $15–$20 per kg. Both work for cooking and grating. Use the real stuff for finishing risotto or pasta where the cheese is the point. Use the cheaper version when it's one ingredient among many.

A 200g block costs $3–$10 depending on grade. Lasts for multiple dishes.

Other essentials

• Garlic: $1–$2 for a 3-bulb pack. Lasts weeks.
• Arborio rice (1kg): $4–$6. For risotto.
• Passata (700ml): $1.50–$3. Ready-to-use tomato sauce, no draining needed.
• Dried herbs (oregano, basil): $2–$4 each. A jar lasts months.
• Capers (200g jar): $3–$5. Adds punch to puttanesca and other dishes.
• Anchovies (tin): $3–$5. Dissolve into sauce or use whole.

Five classic Italian meals, costed out

Here's what four servings actually costs if you're using mid-range supermarket prices and smart own-brand choices.

Cacio e pepe

Pasta 500g ($1.50) + egg (in stock) + parmesan ($2) + black pepper (in stock) = $3.50 total, $0.88 per serve.

Aglio e olio

Pasta 500g ($1.50) + olive oil ($1) + garlic (in stock) + salt and chilli (in stock) = $2.50 total, $0.62 per serve.

Pasta puttanesca

Pasta ($1.50) + tinned tomatoes ($1) + capers ($1.50) + olives ($1.50) + anchovies ($1.50) + garlic (in stock) = $7.50 total, $1.88 per serve.

Risotto Milanese

Arborio rice ($2) + stock ($1) + wine ($2) + saffron ($2) + butter (in stock) + parmesan ($2) = $9 total, $2.25 per serve.

Bolognese sauce

Ground beef ($6) + tinned tomatoes ($1) + onion and garlic (in stock) + olive oil ($0.50) + herbs ($0.50) = $8 total. Over pasta (500g $1.50) for four people = $9.50 total, $2.38 per serve.

Quality vs value: where to compromise

For pasta sauce: Own-brand tinned tomatoes are genuinely fine. You're cooking them down for 20 minutes anyway. Passata is even cheaper if you want less work.

For olive oil: Spend a bit more on extra virgin for finishing and salads. Use cheaper oil for everyday cooking. The difference in a risotto where oil is just the fat base isn't worth the extra cost.

For pasta: Own-brand is acceptable. If you eat pasta three times a week, the De Cecco premium adds $2 to your weekly spend. Whether that's worth it is up to you. Most people won't taste a meaningful difference.

For parmesan: Buy real Parmigiano Reggiano when the cheese is the star (finishing risotto, topping pasta). Use cheaper parmesan blocks for cooking and layering in baked dishes where it melts into the sauce anyway.

Where to shop

ALDI: Own-brand Italian staples are genuinely good and undercut Coles and Woolworths across pasta, tinned tomatoes, olive oil, and rice. Start here if you're building a pantry.

Coles and Woolworths: Stock De Cecco, Barilla, and San Marzano for when you want premium brands. Own-brand prices are comparable to ALDI.

Italian delis: Premium parmesan, real San Marzano, imported pasta, and other specialty items. Expect to pay more, but the quality and variety beat supermarkets. Worth a visit if you cook Italian food regularly.

The real takeaway

Italian cooking is budget-friendly because it's built on cheap, simple ingredients. You don't need premium brands or specialty stores to eat well. Buy own-brand pasta, tinned tomatoes, and rice. Invest in one good bottle of extra virgin olive oil and a block of real parmesan. The pantry pays for itself fast.