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Is there such a thing as a go to store bought spaghetti sauce? (1 Viewer)

T

The Dude

Footballguy
Is there a store bought favorite? Usually go with Prego (no meat no veggies added). Are there others that I should be checking out?

 
If there is, I haven't found it.

I'm 1/2 Italian and grew up with my Grandmother and Mom making sauces from scratch. I've tried a lot of sauces from the store, but none of them come close to homemade.

 
They seem all about the same. I usually just use a can of tomato sauce and add Italian seasonings, ketchup and some Worcestershire sauce and a dash of balsamic vinegar - it comes out fine.

 
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Classico Organic Tomato & Basil - Sold at Costco

Bertolli Organic Olive Oil, Basil & Garlic

Prego is ketchup and way too sweet.

 
We have a couple local Italian bakeries/markets that sell some amazing sauces. They aren't canned, it is fresh. That's your best bet for getting high quality sauce.

 
Buy a can of SAN MARZANO tomatoes... throw in a couple leaves of basil, oregano, some salt and pepper to taste (Im simplifying this to the max for you)

let simmer for an hour or so.

takes a malicious diarrhea on any sauce you can buy in the stores.

When you're comfy with the basic sauce, start your way up to the real deal: browning meats (sausages, meatballs, ribs, etc) then sautee onions in the fat left behind... add some garlic, and proceed with the recipe above letting the meat cook in the tomato sauce

 
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Yeah, you're not doing it right if you're not using things like Pigs Ears and Pigs Feet while simmering the sauce for hours.

 
Ragu down? Old world Sweet Tomato and Basil or Sundried Tomato and Sweet Basil.

IF you have to get a canned sauce....that's about it.

 
Soulfly3 said:
Buy a can of SAN MARZANO tomatoes... throw in a couple leaves of basil, oregano, some salt and pepper to taste (Im simplifying this to the max for you)

let simmer for an hour or so.

takes a malicious diarrhea on any sauce you can buy in the stores.

When you're comfy with the basic sauce, start your way up to the real deal: browning meats (sausages, meatballs, ribs, etc) then sautee onions in the fat left behind... add some garlic, and proceed with the recipe above letting the meat cook in the tomato sauce
Click to expand...
I'm no tomato sauce expert, but I've found that carrots really seem to make sauce much better when I do make it. Adds a perfect subtle sweetness.

 
Prego Italian Sausage & Garlic is pretty solid as far as pre-made pasta sauces. I also like Ragu Parmesan Alfredo sauce for a non-tomato based pasta sauce.

 
Victoria's Marinara. Stuff is fantastic. Used to make my own until I came across this. There's no reason too now. Costco carries it about once a quarter and its usually on sale. I buy about 2 dozens jars of it to last me until the next quarter. I eat a lot of pasta.

 
pollardsvision said:
Soulfly3 said:
Buy a can of SAN MARZANO tomatoes... throw in a couple leaves of basil, oregano, some salt and pepper to taste (Im simplifying this to the max for you)

let simmer for an hour or so.

takes a malicious diarrhea on any sauce you can buy in the stores.

When you're comfy with the basic sauce, start your way up to the real deal: browning meats (sausages, meatballs, ribs, etc) then sautee onions in the fat left behind... add some garlic, and proceed with the recipe above letting the meat cook in the tomato sauce
Click to expand...
I'm no tomato sauce expert, but I've found that carrots really seem to make sauce much better when I do make it. Adds a perfect subtle sweetness.
Click to expand...
no carrots necessary with san marzano.

theyre naturally sweet

 
I'm not saying it's as good as homemade, but you don't always have the time to make your own. Try it, or not, but whatever you do, keep up with the witty retorts. They are hilarious and original.

 
Store bought is just too sweet and most use dried herbs which makes it sweeter. Dried oregano holds up well but dried basil falls way short of fresh. Essentially, one has to do a little labor to get the best results. I am on board with whole, peeled canned San Marzano tomatoes. Trader Joes and the Whole Foods 365 diced tomatoes are very good products. Was a big fan of the Muir Glenn product for years until I found out that they were dumping contributions into the Mansanto anti-labeling of GMOs for the California and Washington prop votes.

If you go with the canned San Marzano tomato (whole) or even a diced TJ or WF 365, gently pulse in a blender to puree it down. Take 2 cloves of garlic and slice thin. Heat up a good EVO in a dutch oven on about a medium heat. Add the garlic chips and brown slightly. Control the heat. If it is too high just turn off the heat and let the hot oil brown the garlic. Crush a dried red chili (arbol) into the oil and allow the chile to infuse into the oil. Burning the garlic and the chile will be an epic failure and if you get a face full of this mess you will be gasping for fresh air. Add the blended tomato to the pot and simmer for about 25 minutes. You can add 1/3 cup of H2O after adding the tomato or just use water to swirl out the tomato left in the blender. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper AFTER the sauce reduces. Add fresh chopped basil and chopped fresh Italian parsley at the end and turn off the heat or go forward with the intended use. Your sauce should be tangy but robust. Infusing the garlic and the red chile to the oil is key. if you want to add dried oregano do it at the infuse stage.

 
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Prego and Ragu are horrible.

Classico and Newmans are meh, but will work.

We've been getting Rao's, but maybe it's only available here in NYC?

And yeah- home-made is usually better, unless you #### it up.

 
For store bought, I've been surprisingly pleased with Rao's.

When I can, I try to make my own, though starting with Roma boxed tomatoes.

 
El Floppo said:
Prego and Ragu are horrible.

Classico and Newmans are meh, but will work.

We've been getting Rao's, but maybe it's only available here in NYC?

And yeah- home-made is usually better, unless

you #### it up.
Click to expand...
Rao's is like $9 a jar, good stuff but 3 times more than Classico.

 
El Floppo said:
Prego and Ragu are horrible.

Classico and Newmans are meh, but will work.

We've been getting Rao's, but maybe it's only available here in NYC?

And yeah- home-made is usually better, unless you #### it up.
Click to expand...
Rao's is better, but it's just damn expensive. Kinda defeats the easy meal at home to save money purpose. If I'm gonna spend that kind of money, I'd go to my local italian deli shop and buy a jar of their stuff.

ETA: at my local Safeway, Classico jars are 2 for 4 dollars.

 
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El Floppo said:
Baloney Sandwich said:
El Floppo said:
Prego and Ragu are horrible.

Classico and Newmans are meh, but will work.

We've been getting Rao's, but maybe it's only available here in NYC?

And yeah- home-made is usually better, unless

you #### it up.
Click to expand...
Rao's is like $9 a jar, good stuff but 3 times more than Classico.
Click to expand...
wtf... really? ####### wife.
Click to expand...
We've seen it for 6 bucks I think, but can certainly be 8 (and god knows how much in the City, or worse yet, Whole Foods)

As a couple with no kids, it's convenience so I don't mind paying a few more bucks to know that when we are just lazy, its some pasta and sauce on command, and pretty tasty at that.

 
Zow said:
El Floppo said:
Prego and Ragu are horrible.

Classico and Newmans are meh, but will work.

We've been getting Rao's, but maybe it's only available here in NYC?

And yeah- home-made is usually better, unless you #### it up.
Click to expand...
Rao's is better, but it's just damn expensive. Kinda defeats the easy meal at home to save money purpose. If I'm gonna spend that kind of money, I'd go to my local italian deli shop and buy a jar of their stuff.

ETA: at my local Safeway, Classico jars are 2 for 4 dollars.
Click to expand...
Can't argu with you here- I just found out about the price difference.

That said- pasta for 2 from a local restaurant is going to be $25 min. I don't mind the extra few bucks for Rao's relative to that as I think it's worth it compared to Classico. :shrug: We're not eating this stuff more than once a month at best.

 
Koya said:
El Floppo said:
Baloney Sandwich said:
El Floppo said:
Prego and Ragu are horrible.

Classico and Newmans are meh, but will work.

We've been getting Rao's, but maybe it's only available here in NYC?

And yeah- home-made is usually better, unless

you #### it up.
Click to expand...
Rao's is like $9 a jar, good stuff but 3 times more than Classico.
Click to expand...
wtf... really? ####### wife.
Click to expand...
We've seen it for 6 bucks I think, but can certainly be 8 (and god knows how much in the City, or worse yet, Whole Foods)

As a couple with no kids, it's convenience so I don't mind paying a few more bucks to know that when we are just lazy, its some pasta and sauce on command, and pretty tasty at that.
Click to expand...
exactly.

fwiw- $8.49 from freshdirect, to go full-court lazy.

 
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It's really easy to make a sauce on a Sunday and freeze/jar it for later. One of the easiest things to cook. :shrug:

 
The San Marzano Arrabiata sauce is really good stuff.

Have not tried making sauce from their tomatoes as earlier poster mentioned. Will try that at some point.

 
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