Chefs, culinary experts, and true Italians all preach that there’s nothing quite like homemade pasta sauce.
But, sometimes, this added side quest in the kitchen is just not feasible.
Some days, you don’t have the luxury of extra time.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
On others, the chore of rounding up all the ingredients sounds next to impossible.
For all these moments, jarred grocery store pasta sauce has always been there for you.
Pasta sauce was first jarred (rather than canned) in the 1920s.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The business has boomed since.
But what about the more affordablestore brands?
So I wanted to find out who does it best.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
I collected a total of 12 different jars from seven different stores and markets for my analysis.
Here they are in order of my least to most favorite.Buon appetito!
It’s also “imported from Italy,” according to the label.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The Look:First off, I had to appreciate that it’s absolutely jam-packed to the brim.
It also has that trademark bright cherry red complexion with just enough basil bits poking through.
Chunks of diced tomatoes didn’t dominate, but it also wasn’t blended to oblivion.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The Taste:The smell was suspect at firstalmost as if the tomatoes were going bad.
Add in the onions and celery, and the memories of a pot roast were awakened.
And these added ingredients hijacked the sauce.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The Taste:Scents of sundried tomatoes and sweetness filled the air as I popped off the lid.
The added sugars overwhelmed the other flavors of basil, garlic, or other spices.
It would have been much better served with a gooey grilled cheese than dolloped on top of pasta.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The Look:Green and goopy.
The Taste:Awfully basil-forward and grass-like.
I love a good pesto and a good Alfredo, but these two just don’t mix well.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
But, either way, this science-experiment sauce was a no for me.
Something fake, phony, and almost synthetic-like is going on here.
The Look:More of a dull or darker shade, similar to a brick red.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
It also walks the line between thin and thick with sparse tomato cubes.
The Taste:Here we go again with the overdose of basil.
The herb just about knocks you sideways when eaten straight from the jar.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
Or, if this saucy deal is too good to be true.
The Look:Leaning towards the watery side, but not offensively.
The Taste:A tad nostalgic, but also diluted.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
Overall, the flavor could have been much worse for $1.62 though.
The Look:A classic pureed pasta sauce in a shade of muted red.
An herb medley of dried parsley, basil, and oregano can also be seen floating throughout.
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The only time it was prominent was while the sauce warmed on the stove.
I will admit that the consistency and taste of this one beyond the garlic was very enjoyable.
But, does this sentiment hold true for the Kirkland Signature Organic Marinara Sauce?
Megan Hageman for Eat This, Not That!
The Look:A medium ruby red.
Thick, but not chunky, and very uniformsimilar in look to pizza sauce.
It’s on the sweeter side with six total grams of sugar.
But, in place of roasted garlic, the marinara offers dried garlic.
Even the $1.99 price tag is copied.
The Look:Identical to TJ’s roasted garlic variety, which isn’t surprising.
Without any sense of taste or smell, the two would seem interchangeable.
And, also the first where the basil works well with the rest.
It seems to be more of a homogenous fusion of ingredients rather than separate parts performing on their own.
It’s smooth, spoonable, and just a smidge sweet, with one gram of added sugar.
But, it would be a sound base for a meal like chicken parmesan or lasagna.
This Alfredo is lightyears ahead of Good & Gather’s attempt.
However, I still have my critiques.
At $2.39, it’s surprisingly affordable for the notoriously high-priced organic market.
The Look:Darker and just like salsa, with hunks of tomato and onion swimming together in harmony.
The Taste:More savory than sweet, it presents considerably more character than previous sauces.
The real organic diced tomatoes are juicy and fresh.
I encountered onion and garlic, and a hint of oregano is mild but definitely noticeable.
Even so, there’s still one sauce that I liked even better.
But this one carries a curated collection of only organic and natural grocery products.
It was middle of the road in terms of price at $3.99.
The Look:Lackluster red with a mostly glossy and smooth consistency.
A small portion of diced tomato pieces squeaked through, and multi-colored seasoning speckles give it some added personality.
It’s a truly slept-on sauce, which has been hiding in plain sight at your neighborhood Kroger.
Bravoandgrazie mille, Simple Truth!
Why TrustEat This, Not That!
