Store-Bought Pasta Sauce: What I Look For Before I Buy It

I’m a chef. I know how to make tomato sauce.

I also have absolutely no problem opening a jar on a Tuesday night.

There’s a time for slowly simmering tomatoes, garlic and herbs on the stove, and there’s a time for getting dinner on the table before somebody starts eating shredded cheese directly out of the refrigerator.

The trick isn’t avoiding store-bought pasta sauce.

It’s knowing how to buy a good one.

And I don’t start with the picture of the Italian grandmother on the front of the jar.

I turn it around.

1. Start With the Ingredient List

A basic marinara really doesn't need much.

Tomatoes. Olive oil. Onion. Garlic. Herbs. Salt. Maybe a few spices.

That's pretty much the neighborhood I want to stay in.

A great example is Rao's Marinara. The current ingredient list is remarkably simple: Italian whole peeled tomatoes, olive oil, onions, salt, garlic, basil, black pepper and oregano. That's it.

Victoria White Linen Marinara, which I've also seen at Costco, follows essentially the same philosophy: tomatoes, onions, olive oil, salt, garlic, basil and spices.

Dad Man rule: If the back of the jar sounds reasonably close to something I could make in my own kitchen, we're off to a good start.

2. I Don't Need Sugar in My Marinara

Tomatoes naturally contain sugar. That doesn't bother me.

What I'm looking for on the Nutrition Facts panel is added sugar.

A little added sugar doesn't magically turn pasta sauce into junk food, and sometimes cooks use a touch of sweetness to balance particularly acidic tomatoes. But for an everyday jar of marinara, I don't think it's necessary.

Good tomatoes, onions and proper cooking can provide plenty of natural sweetness.

Rao's specifically markets its marinara as having no added sugar, and Victoria White Linen currently lists 0 grams of added sugar.

Newman's Own Organic Marinara is another widely available example. Its current label also shows 0 grams of added sugar.

That's the kind of label I like to see.

3. Look at the Oil

This one gets overlooked.

If I'm buying a tomato sauce that contains oil, my preference is olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil.

Rao's uses olive oil. Victoria uses olive oil. Newman's Own Organic Marinara uses organic extra-virgin olive oil.

That doesn't mean you need to panic and throw a jar away because it contains another type of oil. I'm simply telling you what I look for when I'm standing in the aisle comparing two products.

If one has a short ingredient list and olive oil and the other has a bunch of ingredients I wouldn't use at home, that's an easy decision for me.

4. Don't Let “Organic” Do All the Thinking for You

I like organic products, and you'll see me recommend plenty of them.

But organic isn't a substitute for reading the label.

Look at what's actually in the jar.

Newman's Own Organic Marinara, for example, uses certified organic ingredients and organic extra-virgin olive oil. It also has no added sugar. That's useful information beyond simply seeing the word organic on the front.

The same rule applies to words like natural, premium, homestyle and authentic.

They're on the front of the jar.

Dinner is on the back.

5. Check the Sodium—But Put It in Context

Jarred sauce can be a significant source of sodium, so this is worth checking—especially if you're watching your overall sodium intake.

But I don't automatically choose whichever jar has the smallest number.

For example, Victoria White Linen currently contains 470 mg of sodium per ½-cup serving, while Newman's Own Organic Marinara lists 370 mg.

That's useful information.

But I'm also thinking about the whole meal.

If I'm combining the sauce with salty sausage, Parmesan and garlic bread, that's very different from serving it with vegetables, lean protein and pasta.

Read the number. Compare your options. Then consider what else is going on the plate.

The Costco Check

Costco is one of my favorite places to look for pantry staples because buying in larger quantities can save a family real money—if it's something you're actually going to use.

Pasta sauce qualifies in my house.

Costco currently lists Rao's Marinara in two-packs, and Victoria White Linen is also sold as two 40-ounce jars. Selection can vary by warehouse.

That's exactly the kind of Costco purchase I like: a quality pantry staple with a long shelf life that can become dinner in about 20 minutes.

But here's an important Dad Man rule:

Buying twice as much of something you don't use isn't saving money.

Bulk buying works when you're stocking foods that already have a place in your family's regular rotation.

Don't Forget Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is another place I'll be checking regularly in this series.

They carry a rotating selection of pasta sauces and are particularly good at the kind of shortcut products that can turn a handful of ingredients into dinner quickly. Their lineup changes often enough that I don't want to declare one permanent “Dad Man pick,” because the jar I recommend today may disappear into that mysterious Trader Joe's product graveyard six months from now.

So use the same rules there.

Turn the jar around.

Read the ingredients.

Check the added sugar.

Look at the oil.

Check the sodium.

Then decide whether the price and flavor make sense for your family.

How I Make Jarred Sauce Taste Homemade

Even a good jar of marinara is a starting point, not a legally binding agreement.

Warm a little olive oil in a skillet and sauté some fresh garlic.

Brown ground beef, turkey or Italian sausage first.

Throw in mushrooms, zucchini, spinach or whatever vegetables need rescuing from the refrigerator.

Add red pepper flakes.

Toss in fresh basil.

Finish the pasta in the sauce with a splash of pasta water rather than dumping sauce over a pile of naked noodles.

And Parmesan.

I'm a chef, not a magician. Sometimes the answer really is Parmesan.

Suddenly your jar of pasta sauce doesn't taste much like something you just dumped out of a jar.

So, What Would I Buy?

I'm less interested in giving you a definitive list of “approved” pasta sauces than teaching you how to recognize a good one yourself.

But if I'm standing in the aisle, here's my mental checklist:

• Tomatoes are the star

• Short, recognizable ingredient list

• Olive oil when oil is used

• Little or preferably no added sugar

• Reasonable sodium for how I'm using it

• No unnecessary ingredient circus

• A price that makes sense for my family

Rao's, Victoria White Linen and Newman's Own Organic Marinara are all good examples of the kinds of labels that get my attention—not because a brand name automatically makes something good, but because their current ingredient lists illustrate many of the things I'm looking for.

And when I find a sauce I like at Costco or Trader Joe's for a good price?

I'm stocking up.

Because sometimes making dinner easier doesn't require another recipe.

Sometimes it just requires a really good jar of sauce.

Dinner Just Got Easier.