I never ate jarred pasta sauce as a kid. Every fall, my parents would decamp to my grandparents’ basement kitchen for two days to make marinara. They’d fill enough jars to line a wall in their cellar, and there’d be enough for three different families to have marinara for the year. The jarred stuff in the grocery store was never even in the conversation.
But here’s the good news: Those grocery store sauces have come a long way since I was a kid. Although I try to make homemade sauce whenever I can, time doesn’t always allow, and luckily there are some really good jarred options readily available. To find the best of the best, I set up a blind tasting of 15 marinara sauces and enlisted a handful of InsideHook editors to lend their palates and opinions. Each sauce was ranked out of five points. Here are some brands to look for on your next food shopping trip.
Don’t Throw Away Those Tomato Leaves
This very underutilized green has a place in your kitchen
Top Tomatoes
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Rao’s Marinara Sauce was a clear winner with an average of 3.8 points. Our tasters called it “chunky and flavorful” and said it was nicely “spiced with herbs.” What we didn’t expect was for Mezzetta Family Recipes Marinara Sauce to come in so hot, scoring the same as Rao’s with a 3.8. Our panel liked its “depth” and “well-seasoned” flavor. Next with a very-close-to-the-top score of 3.75 was Victoria Marinara Sauce, which one of our tasters actually mistook for Rao’s. Other comments included “delicious” and “savory.”
Average Giovannis
Many of our sauces scored somewhere in the middle, making them a decent choice for throwing together a bowl of pasta or chicken parmigiana. Michael’s of Brooklyn Marinara Sauce scored a 3.2 with comments like “middle of the road” and “delightfully savory.” Bertolli Traditional Marinara scored a 3.1, while Mutti Marinara came in just behind it with a 3. Paesana Marinara, which some found too garlicky, scored a 2.8.
There were three sauces that all scored a 2.6. Almost everyone said that Prego Marinara Sauce reminded them of “childhood spaghetti.” Our tasters commented that Martone Street Signature Pomodoro was “nicely seasoned” and a “safe bet.” And Ragu Old World Style Marinara Sauce was compared to tomato soup, and a couple editors found it “underwhelming.”
Bottom of the Bowl
Not everyone can be a winner in the game of jarred marinara, and some sauces simply can’t be crowned pomodoro royalty. Barilla Marinara and Carmine’s Marinara Sauce each scored a 2.4. Multiple people said the former was made with way too much oregano while the latter was too thin and sweet. Classico Marinara and Carbone Fine Food Marinara clocked in right below with a 2.3 each, while San Merican Marinara Sauce got the lowest score of all with a 2.1.
More Like This
Every Thursday, our resident experts see to it that you’re up to date on the latest from the world of drinks. Trend reports, bottle reviews, cocktail recipes and more. Sign up for THE SPILL now.