Over the years I’ve gotten less and less happy with jarred pasta sauces and tonight I think I figured out why. They seem to be shooting for a “fresh” taste by adding solid chunks of tomato and a whole lot of herbs. I used “Classico” tonight and it had so much oregano and basil it actually upset my stomach a little.
But fresh pasta sauce, meaning sauce where you don’t cook it long enough to reduce all the tomatoes to liquid and shreds, is a whole different sauce than regular simmered sauce. It is not something that would do well in a jar. Why do they try? If this trend continues they might as well start labeling it salsa.
Is there a jarred sauce that doesn’t overdo it with the herbs and tomato chunks?
Are you restricting the options to jarred sauce only? When I don’t make homemade sauce, I use Hunt’s canned sauce then add browned sausage, garlic, spices, etc. to it. The base sauce is very bland and has no chunks of anything in it, but it makes a reasonable baseline to add other ingredients.
Definitely stay away from Classico in all varieties chunky and smooth. It’s my favorite brand, but my tastes are pretty much the opposite of yours - I looove tons of herbs and spices. Hunt’s is a good suggestion, also try store brands in big cans - they are often pretty bland and if you experiment you can find one that has the right sweet/savory balance for you. How do you feel about Ragu? Also comes in cans, and I seem to remember it being pretty basic and tomato-y.
I might give Ragu a try again. That was what we used when I was a kid. Prego I can’t abide - too sugary.
I do make my own sauce occasionally, and I start from canned whole tomatoes with a little paste to intensify it a bit, before adding all the other stuff. What I would like is a decent, traditional simmered sauce from a jar, for when I don’t have time to do it from scratch.
Rao’s is good, but pricey. Closest to actual homemade pasta sauce I’ve ever had. I seem to recall Newman’s Own being pretty reasonable in the spicing category. I’m like you–I like my pasta sauces a bit more delicate and nuanced, and, for that reason, I make them myself. Like I said, Rao’s is pretty damned close to homemade, but you’ll pay for it, something like $8-$10 a jar.
I like Francesco Rinaldi marinara, low sodium if I can find it. It does list “spices” as an ingredient and I don’t know what that entails, exactly, but it’s pretty mild and a good base for some doctoring up, like with mushrooms or ground beef or more garlic. I generally dislike Classico and Newman’s Own because there’s too much going on.
I think it really depends on the one you buy. I try not to get anything fancier than marinara when buying a jarred sauce, with as few ingredients as possible. Some of Newman’s tend towards the rococo, with lots of tastes and chunks.
I personally don’t care for the taste of Ragu Original. But I’ll get Ragu Homestyle (I think that’s what it is) or Hunt’s, and then add a can of diced tomatoes. You could probably do the same, but add a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce, instead. We like the chunks of tomatoes.
~VOW
Well, it was the marinara that I was thinking of. Same with the Rao’s, although I’ve also had their arrabbiata (which I thought was great, too; hell, I’d say it’s the best jarred pasta sauce I’ve ever had.)
There’s a “traditional” pasta sauce that’s sold in a large can (similar size to cans for pineapple or apple juice) that is cheaper and less spiced than the brand name sauces. I can’t remember whether it’s Hunts, DelMonte or generic.
I have heard so much about how great Rao’s is. I’ll have to try it as a treat some time. Do you add anything to it, or is it good enough to just serve right over pasta?
Straight up. But like I said, I’m not a jarred pasta sauce guy. Last time I had Rao’s was four or five years ago. I just can’t justify spending $10 on something I can make for $3.