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THE BEST JARRED TOMATO SAUCE, ACCORDING TO OUR READERS

We took your favorite pasta sauces from our Community Choice Awards and pitted
them against each other in a blind taste test to find the best ones.

By
Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD
Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD
 * 
 * 

Breana Lai Killeen, MPH, RD is a Chinese and Jewish chef and dietitian that has
worked in all facets of the food world. She is a recipe developer, culinary
nutritionist, and marketing specialist with 15-plus years of experience creating
editorial and digital content for top food and kitchen brands. For 10 years,
Breana was a food editor turned test kitchen and editorial operations manager
for EatingWell Magazine where she oversaw the development, production, and
nutrition analysis of 500-plus recipes per year and helped manage day-to-day
operations to keep everything running smoothly.

Allrecipes' editorial guidelines
Updated on November 14, 2023
 * 
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Close
 

A jar of tomato sauce is an essential pantry staple. Its versatility ranges from
using it as is for a quick and simple pasta dinner or using it as the base for
one of these 12 recipes that use a jar of pasta sauce that aren't spaghetti.
Either way, keeping a few jars on hand means you're always just a few minutes
away from a healthy, satisfying dinner. But the pasta sauce aisle is full of
hard-to-navigate options.



How do you know which one to pick? Well, we started with your favorites from our
Community Choice Awards and pitted them against each other to find out which
tomato sauce was really the best whether your budget is high or low.



Jesse Blanner/Allrecipes


HOW WE TESTED

Since many people are biased based on labels and brands, we tasted through all
the pasta sauces blind, i.e. the jars were covered and the tasters were unaware
of what sauce was associated with each brand. All sauces picked were labeled
"marinara" as there are many different versions and we wanted to go with the
basic. We tasted the sauces warm and plain without pasta so you could tell the
nuances between the different brands. Testers rated the sauces on texture,
flavor, and seasoning.




BEST STANDARD TOMATO SAUCE: PREGO


Jesse Blanner/Allrecipes

While most of the tasters said this sauce was standard and plain, it scored
highly because it was just that: standard and plain. The tomato chunks were
ample, the texture thick but not overly so, and the seasoning had just the right
amount of garlic, onion, oregano, and tomatoes. For those looking for a tomato
sauce that doesn't overpower the noodles, or for a sauce that might be the base
to another recipe, this budget-friendly pick was the winner.




BEST TOMATO SAUCE THAT COULD PASS AS HOMEMADE: RAO'S


Jesse Blanner/Allrecipes

With great acidity, prominent garlic and herb flavor, and bigger chunks of
tomatoes, this pasta sauce tasted the closest to homemade from a jar. It was as
if you could taste the late-summer ripe tomatoes bursting through alongside
fresh herbs. It's a little pricier than the others but considering it could
easily pass as homemade, it's worth it.




MOST FLAVORFUL TOMATO SAUCE: TRADER JOE'S


Jesse Blanner/Allrecipes

When the most affordable also has the best flavor, it's easy to understand why
Trader Joe's has such a cult following. In blind taste test after blind taste
test, Trader Joe's products come out on top and the Tomato Basil Marinara is
another winner. The semi-chunky sauce is seasoned well with herbs and garlic
plus, the texture has just enough thickness to cling perfectly to pasta. Another
win for Trader Joe's.

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