Bon Appetit blindly taste tested several jarred tomato sauces to find the best the supermarket has to offer. It will always be better to make your own tomato sauce because you are more likely to use all natural ingredients and less sweetener and sodium. The reality is that jarred tomato sauce is a pantry staple and we use it often in the kitchen to make a quick meal. After scouring the supermarket shelves, these were their top picks:
#1 Barilla Traditional Marinara
Nutrition: One serving (1/2 cup/125g) = 90 calories, 3.5g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 470mg sodium, 12g total carbs, 3g fiber, 7g sugar, 2g protein.
Ingredients: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste) Diced Tomatoes, Onions, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Natural Flavor, Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil, Parsley, Thyme, Pepper.
Cost: $2.50 at Fairway Market in New York City.
Blind Tasting Notes: ""Really chunky and thick. Good balance of garlic and herbs. I could eat more"; "Tastes real".
Nutrition: : One serving (1/2 cup/120mL) = 80 calories, 3g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium, 10g total carbs, 3g fiber, 7g sugar, 2g protein.
Ingredients:Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Diced Tomatoes in Tomatoes Juice, Sugar, Canola Oil, Salt, Dehydrated Onions, Spice, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Natural Flavoring.
Cost: $3.29 at Fairway Market in New York City.
Blind Tasting Notes: ""Tastes like tomato! Basic with a little zing at the end"; "Canned tasting but not in a bad way"; "Tastes like pizza sauce"; "A little garlicky but not very robust. Little lasting flavor".
#3 Amy's Family Marinara Pasta Sauce
Nutrition: One serving (1/2cup or 125g) = 80 calories, 4.5g total fat, .5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 590mg sodium, 9g total carbs, 2g fiber, 5g sugars, 2g protein.
Ingredients: Organic tomato puree, organic onions, organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, organic garlic, spices.
Cost: $7.49 at Fairway Market in New York City.
Blind Tasting Notes: ""Kind of smoky, not bad, mellow and tasty"; "Good, well-rounded flavor"; "Yummy for canned. I would use this as a base for add-ins.
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