Unlike the song, I did not “get happy in the pizza when you
Mambo Italiano.”

I had read recently that Screamin’ Sicilian Pizza Co. came in second on a list of the 20 Best Frozen Pizzas so I thought I would give the brand a try.

On my weekly grocery excursion, I picked up two of the frozen pies and couldn’t wait to get home, pop one in the oven, and experience the second-best pizza.

As soon as I arrived home, I turned on my oven (much to the chagrin of my cat) and unloaded the groceries while I waited for it to preheat.

The packaging is kind of eye catching and from the clear plastic inside the Screamin’ mouth it looked like there was an abundance of toppings. Once out of the box the toppings do look impressive. The pizza crust was covered with Mozzarella cheese, premium pepperoni, meatballs, and secret recipe tomato sauce. Like most frozen pizzas, the toppings were not evenly distributed across the surface, so I took a moment to rearrange them before I placed the pizza in my oven.

The Mambo Italiano bakes for between 20-22 minutes at 400 degrees. When it is finished baking you are greeted with a bubbly, golden brown pizza that looks delicious. The smell was mild for something touted as “Screamin’ Sicilian”. Not what I expected. 

I let the pizza cool for five minutes while I had a small salad and then cut into it. 

The crust was crisp with a satisfying crunch as my knife broke through. The cheese had some stretch and there was even a nice little pool of oil/grease on top. Not swimming in it, but enough to let you this is not a low-calorie food item.

With my first bite I began to question the validity of the author of the “Top 20 Frozen Pizza” list. The “Secret Recipe” tomato sauce seemed to be – tomato sauce. Maybe that is the secret. The cheese and pepperoni are good. I think the oil comes from the pepperoni. It adds welcome flavor to this pizza. 

The Italian meatballs though are spongey half rounds of flavorless pureed meat. I peeled one off another slice and tasted it without anything else. Still bland. 

Don’t get me wrong, this is decent frozen pizza. Based off the crust, cheese, and pepperoni I would purchase another. Just not his one.

There are other brands of frozen pizza that are much better at the same price point though.