Personally, I love the Vodka sauce and use it for ravioli all the time.
Thanks, glad to hear! Alfredo sauce being made with cream and the vodka sauce being tomato-based makes them really quite different, even though they both have cheese. Looking forward to trying it. Yeah, vodka sauce is a classic with ravioli!
I happened to notice a couple of days ago that Rao’s has a couple of new varieties out, which might be Campbell’s doing now that they own the place, and I wonder if anyone here has tried them yet.
One that caught my eye was marinara with caramelized onions. I picked up a jar because in general I love onions, though not sure how well this will work. Some rave about it, but not everyone. One review said that the aroma of onion was immediately evident as soon as you open the jar.
The other new one is labeled “sensitive”, and its particular feature is that it’s made with no onions and no garlic. The name “sensitive” apparently refers to it being good for people with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). I don’t have IBS but, strangely, this particular supermarket had more of this kind than any other. One review stated it was remarkably flavourful and that some of the ingredients, like carrots and celery, gave it a deep “earthy” flavour. I’ll pick up a jar of that, too, next time.
But I don’t have spaghetti often and it may be awhile before I try either of them. So, just a note that these new varieties exist, and if anyone has an opinion on either of them, please let us know!
I don’t think those are all that new. I’ve seen them for at least 2-3 years. I haven’t tried the sensitive marinara. The carmelized onion was a little overwhelming. It had good flavor, but I found the amount of onions to not be to my liking.
I’m always foraging for the perfect pasta sauce, and today I picked up a jar of Carbone Marinara Delicato. It’s a US product so youse USAinans might have had it. Like Rao’s, it’s named after a famed New York Italian Restaurant, in this case Carbone in Manhattan founded by the chef Mario Carbone.
Have not had it yet so can’t offer an opinion, but the ingredients list includes all the usual natural ingredients and … carrots! The only time I’ve seen carrots in a pasta sauce was on Pusateri’s Semplice (and the Rao’s “sensitive” version mentioned earlier) which I though was weird but it turns out there’s a good reason for it, and the Pusateri’s Semplice still stands as the best pasta sauce I’ve ever had. Carrots help nullify the acidity of the tomato sauce and produce a more mellow flavour. I look forward to this sauce! Like Rao’s, it’s not cheap, but it was on sale!
Yeah, that’s what most of the reviews said. I still haven’t opened it and regret having bought it, though I do like onions so who knows!
Many many years ago, I had a co-worker who used to be a chef at an Italian restaurant. He told me that he used carrots in the base of his sauce for sweetness.
I think it’s the same idea as adding sugar to a pasta sauce to counter the acidity, but carrots do it in a gentler and more mellow way.
I wouldn’t hesitate to use a sofrito/mirepoix (onions, celery & carrots) in the vast majority of homemade tomato sauce recipes, so the fact that one finds carrots in store-bought brands surprises others kind of surprises me.
Carrots are in the backbone of many Italian sauces/ragus as part of the Italian soffrito: carrots, celery, onions in olive oil (sometimes butter, depending on the Italian region.) They’re pretty much de rigeur (or whatever the equivalent Italian phrase would be) in meat sauces or ragus like bolognese. They are also seen in regular tomato sauces, too, but not so much as a rule. I have a cookbook somebody brought me from Florence here, and in the sauce section, the first two tomato sauces do not have carrots (one is with onion; the other is with garlic), but the rich tomato sauce contains the full soffrito (no garlic, but with onions – a lot of traditional Italian cooking does not combine the two, but this varies regionally. When I see onion and garlic in a recipe, I think more Italian-American or southern Italian regions like Campania, Calabria, Puglia and Sicily.) The meat sauce recipe also contains the soffrito (and, once again, onions but no garlic.)
It’s not an unusual ingredient at all and, yes, functions a lot like sugar might to tame some of the more acidic edges of tomato. On a side note, I’ve often found certain hot sauces, especially habanero ones, to use carrot to round out the flavor.
ETA: I see that Newman’s Own marinara also contains carrot puree. As does Muir Glen’s Tomato Basil. There’s also Bertolli’s Rustic Cut Marinara, but that advertises as being vegetable heavy, like Prego’s Chunky Garden Combo.
In my experience, carrots are rarely found in store-bought brands of pasta sauce, and I’ve tried many dozens and looked at the ingredients lists. The three mentioned here are the only ones I’ve personally encountered, and Pusateri’s Semplice is a limited-production upscale store brand that is the only one that includes carrots along with traditional onions and garlic. Both Rao’s and Carbone include carrots only in their “delicate” versions where carrots (and celery) appear to be a substitute for the onions and garlic that they lack. Apparently they’re intended for those with IBS or other gastrointestinal issues.
I fear I may not enjoy the Carbone Marinara Delicato as much as I love Pusateri’s Semplice. Unfortunately Pusateri’s is a bit of a drive from where I live now, and the little deli not far from me makes several perfectly fine pasta sauces, far better than most commercial ones.
This is my new go to on days I can’t make my homemade sauce. The Mrs loves Classico which is watered down ketchup.
That’s good to know, but you’re probably using one of the regular types, not the “Delicato” that lacks onions and garlic.
I might do a taste test and, if necessary, add garlic and/or onions and then simmer for a long time.
I agree. Rao’s has the reputation that it does because it’s clearly superior to mass-market pasta sauces, but that’s a very low bar. I still say that it’s only adequate, not great by any means.
My god! Why would I eat something without garlic and onions?
Are we sure Ragu, Prego, Classico et al are not just made by the same company then sold to the respective mass-marketers like with whiskey.
Given that the thread started with the news of the acquisition of the Rao’s brand by Campbell Soup Co (which already owned Prego), it’s safe to say that Prego and Rao’s are in fact made by the same company.
No, we definitely are not sure of that – at all! 
The only pasta sauces I’ve truly enjoyed over the years have been Pusateri’s Semplice and the ones from my little deli, both of which businesses happen to be Italian and know what they’re doing when it comes to Italian cuisine. The jury is out on the Carbone and it may be a while before I get to it. Based on your comments, I may have to prepare some onions and garlic to add to it and start simmering!
We’ve recently discovered that Ragu “Kettle Cooked” sauce (roasted garlic version) we like better than Rao’s. It’s priced less than Rao’s but more than typical, mass-market pasta sauce. (No added sugar, but no carrots.)