In what seems like a long overdue alliance, DiGiorno and Hidden Valley have joined forces to maximize the power of the age-old pizza-ranch duo in one ‘za: the new Spicy Rancheroni Thin Crust Pizza. This limited edition frozen pizza features spicy Buffalo Hidden Valley ranch sauce, along with pepperoni, mozzarella, jalapeños, and Hidden Valley ranch seasoning on a thin crust.
When I think of frozen pizza, I think of DiGiorno, and when I think of ranch, I think of Hidden Valley, so I personally had very high hopes for this pizza. I wanted heat, I wanted the delightful tanginess of ranch built into the sauce and crust, and I wanted an otherwise normal (delicious) pizza, with normal pepperoni, normal cheese, and normal crunchy thin crust. Read on to find out if it’s possible to screw up the classic combo of pizza and ranch.
Pros: First, the pizza looks nice. I don’t know how much that means to you, but to me, someone who has eaten way too many ugly cauliflower pizzas, I appreciate a pretty ‘za. Second, the thin crust has a nice slight crunch down to the middle of the pie. Check! Third, and most importantly, it’s actually spicy. It’s unclear whether the spice stems from the sauce (which I’ll get to in a minute…) or the generous sprinkling of jalapeño bits, but there is a nice heat to the pizza that lingers after each bite. Lastly, the cheese and pepperoni are delicious as they typically are on all of DiGiorno’s creations.
Cons: I really hate to admit it, but the Buffalo ranch sauce was the worst part of this pizza. The texture and flavor were much too buttery and it lacked acidity. I know pizza is an oily food, so a buttery sauce might not seem too outrageous, but…it was. I’d bet if you waterfalled a mouthful of the liquid butter at your local movie theater and added a baby-sized spoonful of Buffalo sauce, it’d be a pretty close approximation of the sauce on this pizza. The other disappointment was that there were truly only a few specks of Hidden Valley ranch seasoning on the crust of the pie. Such a bummer! That lack of tangy ranch flavor paired with the lack of acidity in the Buffalo sauce made for a slightly dull slice, despite the spice. I didn’t totally despise this pizza, but I did want to dip it in ranch to complete the flavor profile.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!