Your favorite ready made pasta sauce?

[ilsorpasso]

What's your staple ready made pasta sauce? Is it possible to get anything other than the typical Americanized "red sauce Italian"?

[Veggietales]

I usually make my tomato sauce from scratch and store it in batches in the freezer... if I do resort to the bottle it's purpose is to take me back to my childhood, and that means Prego! All it's sweet lovely goodness... add ground beef, onion, italian seasoning and garlic powder- just like Mom use to whip up!

It's even better reheated.

[filth]

I really like Ragu original.

YUM!

[beachmouse]

Alessi smooth marinara. Here's the ingredients list- Sicilian Pear-Shaped Tomatoes, Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Onion, Garlic, Alessi Sea Salt, Basil. (though they leave out the giant bay leaf we seem to end up fishing out of every other jar or so)

[missmar79]

i really like the bertolli spicy tomato - was delicious over angel hair and fresh shaved parm chese. tasted like a spicy fradiavolo sauce from a decent restaurant.
also love trader joes marinara. its very versatile and tastes homemade. delicious with their whole wheat papparadelle.

[Jonny509]

Anything variety of Classico pasta sauce.

[carey24]

Mine that I make from canned whole tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil which I make in huge batches and freeze. Sorry, I just can't buy pre-made.

[at24]

Gotta go with Rao's marinara or Cento San Marzano sauce.

[ilsorpasso]

Just tried Rao's marinara and liked it very much except the price. Where can I buy it cheaper? It's almost $9 a jar.

[at24]

Not sure where you are located, but I buy mine at Hannaford, I am in the New England area. I pay $6.19 a jar. I think it still a bit expensive, but this sauce ALWAYS gets used up. I can't tell you how many jars of opened sauces I have thrown away over the yrs (prego, bertolli etc) what a waste of money and food. The recipe for Rao's sauce is on line, see www.marthastewart.com . it is posted there. Haven't tried making it from scratch yet. Looks easy enough. I am just lazy!

[laliz]

thanks. I went to MS and copied the recipe.
At the same time I copied Frankie's meatballs recipe

[valerie]

Where do you live? I buy it at Stew Leonard's in Yonkers, NY when it goes on sale -- 2 jars for $10.

[Striver]

Cento. Cheaper than Rao's and - IMO - just as good if not better.

[valerie]

Lots of discussions on this...my personal favorite is Rao's Marinara. I can (and have) eaten it straight out of the jar with a spoon.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/356746

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/514896

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/357227

[CDouglas]

Il Mulino marinara is my current favorite. Whole peeled tomatoes, fresh garlic, butter, olive oil, sea salt and spices.

[namreb]

where can you buy the il mulino sauce? i too am a big rao's fan.....

[Spends Rent on Food]

They carry Il Mulino at Todaro on 32nd and 2nd - I'm sure they sell it elsewhere in the city. But it's really expensive - I think it was $12/jar at Todaro - that's a bit too steep if you ask me.

[roxlet]

I've made this point before and nearly had my head taken off by a poster, but I'll repeat it here. That "really expensive" Il Mulino sauce probably costs about $2.00 to make, and takes barely more time than it takes to heat up a jar of pre-made stuff to saute a little garlic and throw in a can of San Marzano tomatoes. Add some sea salt, whatever spices you choose, and butter if you're so inclined, and you have just save $10.00 and made something infinitely fresher in almost the same amount of time..

[CDouglas]

Amazon carries both the marinara and pomodoro. You know, for those times you don't feel like making it from scratch.

http://www.amazon.com/Il-Mulino-Marin...

[Cheese Boy]

Wild Oats sauces. ORGANIC, imported from Italy and good. They've got Marinara, Funghi [mushroom], Puttanesca, and Norma [eggplant].

Link ---> http://www.wildoatsproducts.com/app/p...

[trentyzan]

Yes, and they're not all loaded with sugar and salt as so many commercially available sauces are.

[emilief]

Rao's Marinara.

[Chew on That]

I like Barilla sauces, particularly the mushroom. Bertolli also makes delicious sauces. They just came out with "Premium Pasta Sauces" that come in a pouch you can microwave in 90 seconds. The flavors are awesome too.

[Gio]

Trader Joe's "Trader Giotto's Marinara Sauce." In the pantry to use in a pinch. Veddy, veddy good.

[lynnlato]

Yep, TJ's marinara is good, when i'm feelin' lazy and in a rush. Also, Lidia Bastianch's jarred sauce is good, albeit expensive at something like
$7-$8 a jar.

[trentyzan]

If I really have no time, Trader Joe's Italian Starter Tomato Sauce is okay if doctored up. It comes in a tetra pack container, a lot like Pomi marinara sauce from Parmalat. Theirs is better, if you can find it for a comparable price.

[Sam Fujisaka]

After inheriting a jar of Cirio Sughi Rustici and finding it good, I decided to make my own instant version: two diced Romano tomatoes, a chopped garlic clove, a fine diced red onion, a dollop of tomato paste, a handful of sliced olives, a diced cooked sausage (from my butcher), and my/your seasoning mix. Cook in the MW for four-five minutes, cool, and back in the same Cirio jar. Two heaping spoons with pasta and PR cheese to top--great and quick.

[powillie]

Buy the sauce that is on sale, and pour it into a saucepan to heat. Pour a small glass of dry, red wine into the jar, swirl it around to rinse out the sauce residue and pour it into your saucepan. Mix the wine and sauce together and let it simmer about ten minutes. Cook some sausages and make a salad to go with a nice bread. Try it.

[ilsorpasso]

Interesting. Will cheap wine work?

[powillie]

box wine is fine.

[enbell]

Here's one to get you started :)

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/514896