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Nothing is quite as comforting as a cozyItalian mealon a cold day.

Jarred Pasta Sauces

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

All the ingredients are like a warm hug.

After all, making meatballs from scratch takes enough time.

Regardless of your preference, there’s one that just stands out from the rest.

Good & Gather Three Cheeses

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

It has a funky smell to it.

you’re free to definitely tell that it’s full of cheese!

The Taste:

I love a good aged cheese, but this left a weird aftertaste in my mouth.

Ragu Traditional Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

I really didn’t enjoy this one.

This traditional tomato sauce from Ragu appears very thin, and is extremely pureed.

Nostalgia aside, it’s just ok. Twisting off the top and peering at the sauce, it just looks like your everyday tomato puree.

Francesco Rinaldi Traditional Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

It doesn’t have a very strong smell to it and is relatively thin and finally pureed.

I don’t love the flavor of this one.

The flavor is simple, there’s not much pizzazz to it.

Ragú Simply Traditional Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

It’s not the best option out there in my opinion, but better than traditional Ragu sauce.

It also has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

The sauce is very finely pureed and a bit thin, bright red color.

Good & Gather Tomato, Basil, and Garlic

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

If you don’t like many frills when it comes to pasta sauce, this is a great option.

It’s definitely on the thinner side, but has a fresh tomato taste.

It’s mild and plain, so this one might be a great option for the kiddos.

Classico Traditional Sweet Basil

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

It’s definitely speckled with basil, but not as much as some of the other options like Bertolli.

If you like a sweeter sauce, this is a great option.

I wish the basil flavor was a little more prominent, but it’s still a decent option.

Carbone Marinara Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

Carbone Marinara Sauce

TheCarbone marinara sauceuses fresh ingredients, which immediately draws me to it.

That’s definitely something I look for traditionally when picking out spaghetti sauce is to keep on hand.

It has a bit of an oil film at the top and a glossy look to it.

Prego Traditional Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

Right away, it looks very oil heavy.

They advertise that they use the finest ingredients, slow cooking the sauce that’s made in small batches.

Sounds good to me, so let’s give it a try!

Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

It smells really mild and creamy, showing that the oil is really prominent in the sauce.

That’s the most prominent flavor in the sauce, where usually you taste the basil or garlic more.

It’s nice and subtle, not too acidic.

Bertolli Tomato & Basil

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

I don’t think it’s bad, just meets a specific preference.

Right away, I noticed that it is very fine and thinly pureed with speckles of basil.

Honestly, it’s quite flavorful and has a slight sweetness to it.

Mezzetta Marinara Sauce

Jess Kelly/Eat This Not That

The sauce looks thick and hearty, with pops of green basil.

It’s mild in flavor and tame.

The sauce is even ever so slightly sweet, with sporadic chunks of tomato.

Definitely a solid option out there, but still not my favorite and I was surprised about that.

Is Pasta Really Unhealthy for You?

Bertolli includes tomato puree in addition to basil, onions, garlic, and spices among other ingredients.

I gave it the smell test, and noticed a strong smell of sweet, fragrant basil.

When they say tomato basil, they definitely mean tomato basil.

This has a really strong basil flavor and a juicy tomato flavor and texture.

I had high hopes about this one because of the attention to detail in the ingredients.

The sauce isn’t too liquidy and has a nice smell of fresh tomatoes.

This is by far my favorite!

It was consistent throughout, with the ingredients evenly distributed in each bite of sauce.