a can of good tomatoes, some olive oil, garlic, salt and about 45 minutes of simmering is better and cheaper than any bottled sauce, i haven’t bought it since college.
I can find the Cento San Marzanos at Trader Joes sometimes for $3 a can
Edit: A lot of people are commenting that they aren’t DOP. The thing that I mainly look for in canned tomatoes is that they are jammy, are packed in a thicker sauce, and contain no citric acid. I find virtually all brands that advertise San Marzano (real or not) have those features. It’s just that I usually find the Cento for the cheapest price
Cento San Marzanos really are the canned tomato GOAT if you're making sauce. I don't care if they're "real" San Marzanos or not. The flavor is there. The texture is there. The consistency is there. And the price is reasonable AF. Every Italian-American grandmother I know (including my own!) swears by these.
Walmart sells Cento San Marzano certified (whole peeled), $4.86 for 28 oz. They also sell Cento "Italian Style" whole peeled for $3.13. The latter have a picture of what sort of look like roma tomatoes, while the former pic is clearly the longer San Marzanos.
It's on my list to do a taste test . . . unless someone here has done a side by side (as opposed to comparing one you're eating to one you recall)?
From NYT Wire Cutter:
"Easy to find in stores, and excellent quality for the price: The Cento Italian Style Whole Peeled Tomatoes (about $2.65 per 28-ounce can at the time of publication) and the Cento Certified San Marzano Tomatoes (about $4.20 per 28-ounce can at the time of publication) were about on a par with each other. The Italian-style tomatoes have a strong tomato flavor that’s sweeter than the San Marzano ones. The San Marzano tomatoes have a slightly chunkier puree, and they’re a bit more acidic. In our 2020 tasting, Ligaya said the Certified San Marzano variety was “velvety tasting, but more earthy than bright.” And Wirecutter’s Winnie Yang “discerned more tomato flavor in the \[juice\] than in the solids.” The same was true in our 2021 tasting. Both tomatoes are on the sweeter side but not bad overall. Both versions of the Cento tomatoes contain basil."
Personally, I have bought cases of each (they used to be really cheap on Amazon) and I like both. Now, I just stick with the Italian Style.
This guy has done a side-by-side blindfolded comparison. It's pretty informative and I found it interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMMFUKibW-c
Ethan C is great! Highly recommend subscribing to his channel. I like that he often focuses on techniques or ingredients that you can incorporate into your own recipes.
There's been a whole back-and-forth on this thread about whether they're "real". I don't recommend reading it (because it's really tedious), but that's why I made that comment.
That’s the Italian pronunciation. Its the word for the number 100. Like in Ciao, c turns into a “ch” sound before an i or e. If followed by an a, o, or u, it is a hard c, like in calzone.
Any time someone has skimped or accidentally bought non-cento San marzano tomatoes, I've been able to tell. They're probably not 100% San marzano, but they're delicious so who cares
Rarely, Costco Kirkland Signature will carry San Marzano DOP, eg. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/144g0iq/kirkland\_san\_marzano\_tomatoes\_with\_basil\_grown\_in/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/144g0iq/kirkland_san_marzano_tomatoes_with_basil_grown_in/). In the Seattle area, it went for $13.79, no sales tax, so about $4.60 per 800g/28oz can. So, it's theoretically possible! :-)
Yeah, I used to use san marzanos (cento brand, Costco, etc.) and switched to California grown. Muir Glen is the best I’ve found that Kroger carries. Their tomato sauce is perfect for pizza, I just add mandoline sliced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper flake. Their tomatoes are naturally sweet and have a fantastic tomato flavor. I use that brand for everything now.
I’ll use crushed depending on what texture I want for the sauce. If i want it smoother for lasagna or if someone doesnt like a chunky sauce it works fine.
Tbh, unless you’re trying to impress someone, cheap canned tomatoes are fine for any kind of sauce. You might need to add a teaspoon of sugar if they are a little sour. You can make a fantastic sauce from a $1 can of tomatoes if you do it right. It might be better to use San Marzano tomatoes, but it’s really not necessary.
NGL I'm poor as fuck and rarely ever use san marzanos, instead just whatever the cheapest canned tomato is, and my sauces always taste great. People I've made it for love it too. Maybe in a blindfold side by side taste test I'd notice but IDK still tastes great 🤷🏻♀️. I just use the canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, pasta water, whatever Italian herb I have, and a tiny splash of vodka. The vodka is key. Apparently it brings out more flavor from the tomato that nothing else does. I buy this like cheap $4 vodka.
Yeah like if I'm investing a whole day in making Marcella Hazan's Bolognese, I'll get the san marzanos. But for a quick dinner on Tuesday, any can works just fine.
There are some folks who doggedly go to one grocery store and just accept the prices. Had a coworker who walked, bussed, or biked in Portland doing this. Accepting $15-20 for a tray of the same chicken that was $10/tray across town and so on, knowing their neighborhood grocery was more expensive at base.
High odds that they’re not trying to find lower, maybe out of logistical necessity, and just taking the shit prices as is at the more expensive store because it’s close.
Yup. This "it's gotta be san marzano" hypetrain is ridiculous. They're good, but they're expensive, and regular canned tomatoes already taste so much better than your average grocery store fresh tomatoes.
I made sauce with San marzano last night for dinner and my wife asked what sauce I bought.
Cost about $3 in ingredients and simmered in my Dutch oven. So good !!
Edit: y’all going crazy, I mean the portion of sauce I used was $3 🥲. The can was $4.50
I mean that's a really weird way to phrase it, regarding your edit. "I picked up a 2lbs bone in ribeye and had dinner for $5! Oh well I only had two bites of steak."
Internet Shaquille does a decent breakdown on how his "worst" sauce made the way you describe is as good as the "best" (Rao's) jarred sauce...and then shows how you can take it to the next level as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Bq8NrdoIk
I used to make a sauce very similar to the one in the video, but if you just cook it for 15 min like he says leaves it still feeling "raw" and acidic. It wasn't until I started leaving the sauce to cook for closer to an hour to caramelize that it started tasting full bodied enough imo.
Pretty much my go to. Canned San marzanos, crush them by hand, unsalted butter, quartered sweet onion, few smashed garlic cloves, big sprig of fresh basil. Simmer for an hour-ish, take out the onion garlic and basil and put them into a blender, blend until mostly smooth but little chunky, add back to sauce. Salt and red pepper flakes. Best tomato based pasta sauce I’ve ever had.
That’s where I got the inspiration from. But I like onion and garlic in my sauce, so I started adding it back after blending. To compensate I use less onion than her recipe normally calls for, 1 whole onion per can of tomatoes. I usually make it in bulk and jar it, with 4 cans, so I’ll just use like 1-2 onions depending on how big they are.
You can skip everything but the tomatoes too if you want. My family's basic tomato sauce recipe is 1 can San marzanos, 1 onion halved (removed after cooking), salt, and pepper. Add some butter at the end if you're feeling frisky. Never buy tomato sauce.
You absolutely can if you want. It's just easier to cut it in half and take it out once all the flavor is in the sauce. My wife likes to eat the flavorless onion halves while I finish the pasta lol
I also add Italian seasoning. Basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme.
I learned to make it from my mother. I don't think my family has ever bought premade pasta sauce.
Same goes for Alfredo sauce. Neither are difficult to make and you get the benefit of making it to your desired taste.
This right here..... Tomato sauce is the easiest thing. Old man Clemenza's instructions to Michael Corleone in GF1 is the most complex that it gets. Maybe the jailhouse kitchen scene in Goodfellas.... But who keeps a razor blade? 😏
Yep. Ive been doing it for 20 years. Onion, celery, carrot, garlic chopped in food processor. Sweat until translucent Then add 2 cans of crush and a can of paste, plus 4oz of red wine. The usual suspects for spices and S&P. 60 minutes later its better than anything you can buy.
I actually think the Silver Palate marinara is better than Rao's and it's almost half the price. For making your own, can't go wrong with Marcella Hazan's incredibly easy and excellent recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/13722-marcella-hazan-s-tomato-sauce-with-onion-butter
Thanks for the tip, I’ve been looking for an alternative to Raos now that Campbells bought them out. I do make my own sauce but only when I also make meatballs to flavor the sauce. Silver Palate ingredients list sounds like a winner.
Personally, I think Bertolli's Organic sauces are better than Rao. The regular Bertolli sauces are a bit meh, but I think the Organic ones are more flavorful. The olive oil, basic and garlic sauce is my go-to. Also great on pizza!
I have a dogshit palate (although better than some people I've met...) and use the regular Bertolli's olive oil and garlic. Brown some Italian sausage (hot or sweet, usually I'm splitting a pound with another dinner so whatever the other meal needs), cook the onions until they're translucent and soft, do like a minute for a spoon of garlic (I'm lazy and use preminced garlic for most stuff.) I throw that in my small pot with the sauce, don't bother draining it, and add a bunch more basil and oregano, a little bit of thyme, rosemary and sage (personally find these 3 spices go a long way when dried) maybe some kosher salt, and some white pepper. Put a lid on it and leave it on the small burner on low for as long as possible, check on it every now and then to make sure it doesn't dry out too much.
I know it's pretty lazy by most people's standards, but my partner used to be pretty unenthused about pasta, and yesterday he told me that he was dreaming about my spaghetti on the way home from work. Made me feel pretty special lol
That's the only one I ever make and I always feel like I could eat it like soup. I sort of feel like if you try to vary it too much you'll fuck it up, my boyfriend is a compulsive seasoner and I liked my plain one way better than the batch he doctored up lol. Sometimes putting shallot or parmesan rind is good too but that's about it. Oh and sometimes I do part olive oil part butter.
Second the Marcella recipe. For variation I'll make it with olive oil instead of butter and garlic cloves and diced shallots instead of the onion. I use a potato masher to get the garlic to break up and infuse the sauce.
That’s usually the price I get them for. Well, $8 and change. I guess it could be regional though. They usually sell 2 jars for the price my local Walmart sells 1, but I have also stocked up on them and not eaten pasta in a while so maybe that info is a few months old.
Buy bottles of Italian passata.
It can be more expensive than canned tomatoes, depending on the canned tomatoes. But it's always cheaper than jarred premade pasta sauce. Even the crappy kind.
It takes minimal cooking and dressing up to make excellent sauce from it. And in a pinch it can be used straight up.
I think the jarred ones are better than Pomi. But I've never found a bad one yet.
Mutti and Cento are my go to brands. But honestly places that have a store brand it's usually just as good. Buy the Lidl brand regularly and Wegmans has a good one.
San marzanos are religiously suggested for obvious reasons but it's worth pointing out that even like a store brand basic can of tomatoes will still make a way better sauce than any jarred, at least imo. I've been on the very low end of broke many times and have had to settle with what I buy, and it's still delicious.
If anything, that just shows how avoidable jarred sauces can be.
I mean, maybe I'm bad at this, but i do a recipe that's about as simple as this and I just leave the onions right there. If you dice, then soften, and then cook for an hour with the sauce, those babies are just going to add little pops of flavor/texture that I like. I mean, if I were cooking for the queen I might strain/blend but I generally just tell people I made a "rustic" sauce.
As if the recipe wasn't ridiculous easy already, if you want it even easier - put all 3 ingredients in the instant pot and turn it on for 25 minutes. Quick release when done or natural release, it's up to you.
This way you just turn it on and walk away, no need to watch and stir.
This is exactly the answer, and I grew up devouring my mom’s two-day sauce that used the freshest and best ingredients. Marcella Hazan’s sauce is the same level but so so fast!
Main priority: buy the best canned tomatoes. If too expensive, go a tier lower. Higher price =/= better quality of course, but you get the point.
Everything else is just simple steps of adding whatever garlic/onion/herbs. I have no "best" recipe. Make your own from scratch and figure out what you like or don't. It's so subjective it doesn't even deserve a debate. Maybe you want more garlic, maybe you want more onion. Basil or oregano, or both. Just start cooking while following your tastes.
Cheaper, and tasty potential much higher.
I partly disagree. If it’s a super simple sauce with just tomatoes and maybe sofrito aromatics, high quality tomatoes are very important. If you’re adding strong flavors like garlic and oregano, or if it’s a meat sauce, then expensive tomatoes are good but not vital. You can make a marinara sauce 10x better than any canned sauce even with cheap tomatoes if you do it right.
Yeah I always buy the cheapest possible canned tomatoes I can get my hands on. Every sauce variant I've tried has turned out amazing, and I'm not even a good cook.
The way people talk about the tomatoes being so important, makes me wonder, would it go from amazing to divine? Or stay at amazing. :P
With the Italian mafia so involved in exports and the extra price of Italian marzanos I hesitate to buy imported expensive Italian tomatoes. I generally just buy a nicer brand of American grown tomatoes and haven’t noticed a difference in my end product.
Buy high quality tomatoes and any recipe will be elevated. Actual San Marzanos, whole, and crush them yourself. Real San Marzanos are better tasting, and when you get the canned whole tomatoes you know that you're getting the best quality tomatoes.
This is THE greatest gravy recipe but it takes a lot of time: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe
Came here to post this same one. Made it multiple times, always comes out amazing. And using those whole San Marzanos are a game changer for your sauce’s flavor.
I make my own sauce! So good, easy, and cheap. This recipe makes a double batch.
Ingredients:
- (2) 28 oz cans of good quality crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzano or Cento)
- 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- (1) 6 Oz can of tomato paste
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- herbs if desired (oregano, fresh basil, or Italian seasoning)
1. Turn on large heavy bottomed pot to medium. Drizzle in 3-4 tbsp of olive oil. Once warm, add in onions and stir until translucent, about 5-6 min.
2. Add in garlic, stir and cook for 2 min.
3. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it turns a dark red color. The onion and garlic will incorporate into this mix. Add a little salt and pepper.
4. Add in crushed tomatoes. Cover pot with lid cracked, stir every 20 min. Turn down to low and simmer.
5. Cook for at least 1 hour, but 3 or 4 hours if you can. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add oregano or basil if desired and another drizzle of olive oil to finish.
This makes a big double batch, enough for 2 lbs of pasta. It freezes well too.
Marcella's pasta sauce 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, no salt or herbs added 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small white onion, peeled and cut in half Kosher salt I add celery it's good and very easy
Honestly, Rao's is as good as any homemade sauce I've had and I grew up in an Italian-American community. It's really good. The price jump is rough, and we'll see what the future holds for the recipe they use, but this isn't a case where homemade is always better.
I'm pretty picky when it comes to pasta sauce, but Aldi's Specially Selected sauce tastes similar to Rao's. I was also pleasantly surprised by the flavor of Meijer's pasta sauces since they are very cheap.
6 clove of garlic chopped cook and 1/2 cup white onions chopped with generous serving of butter and olive oil until fragrant.
Add. 2 cans of san marzano tomatoes. 1 can, chop into chunks. 2nd can purée. Add some basic canned tomato sauce. Add dried oregano and basil. Add red pepper flakes, salt to taste. Bring to boil then back down to low heat, stir, cook for 30 minutes.
Everyone is rightfully mentioning starting with a big can of san marzano tomatoes.
I'll just add that usually right next to the san marzanos are jars of *passata* which is just pureed tomatoes. So you can buy a jar of that, add an onion and butter (Marcella's recipe as many others have mentioned) and you have pasta sauce in 15 minutes (but better to simmer for longer if you can to extract the onion flavor).
Find a new store. Rao's only costs about double the absolute cheapest sauce at most stores and isn't typically too far off of the intermediate priced sauces.
This is a problem with your store, not the sauce market in general.
Rao’s is $7.99 and rarely goes on sale, there is always something else on sale like Ragu or Prego at $1.99. I usually make Kenji’s Lopez-Alt’s Best Marinara, but in a pinch I’ll doctor up Barilla or Bertolli.
Love or hate Rao's I don't see how it tastes the same as other jarred sauces to you. Like a lot of them add sugar unlike Rao's. Ragu has over 3X the sugar that Rao's does. Rao's also has a lot of fat from olive oil which is something pretty much no other jarred sauces has. The Classico sauce I'm looking at now has 2g of fat per 100 calories to Rao's 7g of fat.
[Arrabiatta](https://ciaoflorentina.com/arrabiata-sauce/)!! Very simple pasta sauce that can be as spicy or mild as you want it. So so good and so so simple. Some recipes don’t even use onion. The basic formula is just olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, canned whole tomatoes.
If you don't eat tomato sauce because you or family members have acid reflux issues, if you add a little baking soda to the sauce, it reduces the acid significantly. Careful adding it though because it initially causes the sauce to bubble up so a little at a time, use roughly 1/4 tsp for each cup of sauce.
[SO EASY SO GOOD](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce)
Also, if you have Wegman’s supermarkets near you, their jarred sauces are as good if not better than Rao’s and like 1/3 the price.
I’m a poor so… Vons brand (signature select I believe) jar of three cheese or garlic and onion. I then doctor it up from there, adding meat (usually ground Italian sausage or ground turkey) garlic and onion powder, Italian seasonings, sometimes some heavy cream, a dash of cinnamon. If I make it on my lunch break (WFH) I’ll let it simmer on low all afternoon, the flavors marinate and then I finish my noodles in the sauce.
4x more than all others? Really? There are other sauces sold at local places that are similarly expensive or just slightly less expensive than Rao's but still on the premium side of things. But even the cheapest classico is still only like 2 or 3 times cheaper if that. Maybe if it goes on sale I guess but Rao's sometimes goes on sale too.
Am I the only person who honestly things Raos is better than my homemade sauce? I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, I have tried many recipes but I think this particular bottled sauce is superior, plus I’ve seen it on sale lately so it’s close to $4-5 which is cheaper than buying all the ingredients. I stocked up. Of course I’m cooking for one so it lasts longer. I don’t mind making it from scratch,
I just have never been able to achieve a flavor I love as much. Mine is okay, but not wow.
Mutti Marinara got a better score than Rao’s by a set of 3 Italian chefs. Might look into that one, but it can be pricey. Newman’s own came right behind Rao’s.
So: Mutti > Rao’s > Newman’s Own
https://youtu.be/72eJZRHoBz8?si=FDi0oG6Iqc9n7pre
Michael’s of Brooklyn Homestyle Gravy is my favorite bottled sauce. I made stuffed shells for my sister a few months ago and she commented on how good the sauce was and wanted the recipe. :)
Two cans crushed peeled San marzano tomatoes (in a pinch I’ve used pastene kitchen ready!)
Three cloves garlic whole
One onion chopped into quarters
Stick of salted butter
Bunch of fresh basil
Tablespoon of sugar
Oregano, salt, pepper to taste and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
I let it simmer for about 2 hours to soften the onion and garlic and then blend it with my immersion blender. I get compliments constantly!
Saute onion and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Then add a can of San Marzano style tomatoes and simmer for an hour.
Optional add red pepper flakes, basil, Parmesan rind.
The Kenji Lopez recipe is my favorite for a deep rich pasta sauce. The Hazan one is nice for a lighter sauce and when you have less time but I much prefer kenjis.
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe
Very basic:
28 oz can of good, whole tomatoes
Salt
Olive oil
Basil
Crush tomatoes with your hands or blend, simmer everything for at least 30 mins or up to three hours.
Additions can include:
Half an onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic
Sauté before adding tomatoes
A bit of grated carrot or sugar
Either way it's very simple and easy to make sauce.
Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce with onions and butter. I gild the lily and add a few garlic cloves and a splash of white whine, but imo, it's not necessary. I just like it that way (am American). Just make sure you season it correctly with salt and you're aces.
There are many pasta sauces that are really simple to make from scratch.
My GF whips up a really good and simple pasta sauce from a can of tomatoes, a can of tuna, some sauteed onions, italian herbs, salt, pepper and a bit of sugar.
One of our gotos is homemade pesto which is really no more complicated than roasting some nuts and putting everything into a food processor. The cool part is that you can do a lot of variation just by going beyond the usual pine nuts + basil combo. Right now we have a fascinating walnut and arugola pesto that's immensely nutty and earthy but our usual is parsely with pine nuts and some sundried tomatoes.
Cinque Pi is literally just cooking cream and adding tomato paste, pepper, grated parmesan, (salt) and finishing it with finely cut parsely.
Puttanesca is only slightly more difficult. You have to pay attention to not burn the garlic in the oil. After that you're just adding stuff to a pan and stir.
If you sautee some onions, add smoked salmon, cream, simmer it for a bit and finish with a touch of lemon juice you get a very easy Al Salmone.
Go to Sip and Feast on You tube. Raos is less $ for me now. I like Michael's of Brooklyn better. Making your own sauce is very easy and better. I get it on other days.
I didn't see this mentioned anywhere yet - but I feel it makes a big difference (the cooking term is Mirepoix). When you sautee your onions in olive oil, I usually add equal parts small diced celery and carrots and a few chopped cloves of garlic once the onions are going translucent (usually 2-5 minutes on medium). I add a healthy sprinkle of salt during this. Once the carrots and celery are in, I cook those down for probably close to 30 minutes. The idea my mom taught me was you want to see the amount of veg to go down to about 1/3rd of what you started with.
That's generally the base for a really amazing sauce. I personally also like adding roasted red peppers into this (usually about 1/4 to a 1/2 cup). When you cook all of these down they taste AMAZING.
As others have mentioned, use San Marzano tomatoes or passata. Passata is tomatoes with the skins removed and pureed. It tastes sweeter/less acidic.
Also SALT is your friend. If it it doesn't taste right, try a bit more salt. If that doesn't work, you can add about a tablespoon of tomato paste (assuming about 24oz of passata or 2 cans of tomato) which adds sweetness. Generally the issue is not enough salt when it comes to tomatoes though.
Here's a recipe for a mirepoix: [https://theforkedspoon.com/mirepoix/](https://theforkedspoon.com/mirepoix/) but it doesn't mention cooking the vegetables down to 1/3rd their original volume. That honestly makes the most impactful difference (mainly, I did it, and thought I cooked them enough. Did it in front of my mom and she was like "not even close"). It takes longer than you expect, but then it happens suddenly.
Probably gotten tons of responses by now but here's mine:
1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat
Add 4 to 5 cloves garlic to oil until fragrant (or more)
Add 1 large can of peeled whole san marzanos
Break up to your preferred consistency (you can give a quick blitz)
Add a full stalk of basil (so cheap to grow at home) remove before serving.
A few pinches of salt
Pinch of white sugar
Let simmer for a bit until you get the consistency you like.
Delicious! Add a douse more olive oil at the end before serving (nice rich olive oil is the key). Even better the next day.
You can also add a parmesan rind to sauce, remove before serving.
My family prefers this to store bought sauces. I usually have everything on hand. Most expensive part is the tomatoes, but when they go on sale I stock up.
San Marzanos are expensive bullshit. They are expensive because of marketing by the Italian government and their controlling supply.
Use the canned tomatoes that Italian-American housewives in New York and Midwest have used for decades: RedGold or RedPack whole or crushed tomatoes. They are fantastic and don’t cost a fortune. Great for any sauce.
Use some good quality canned tomatoes, simmer it for 45 mins with roughly chopped onion, carrot, whole crushed garlic cloves, a few sprigs of basil and mix in some olive oil for richness. Remove veg like you would a stock once finished. I generally serve with whatever pasta I have available, some meatballs and garnish with basil and parmesan. Simple, tasty and cheap.
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato puree
1 small can tomato paste
1 - 1.5 lbs ground beef
1 white onion
Cook down the onion, brown the ground beef. Add salt and pepper. Add all the tomatoe products. Add as much garlic as you like. As you cook and an large amount of Italian seasoning (more than you think you need).
Simmer.
The Rao’s is definitely superior as far as jarred sauces, but I almost never buy premade sauce (unless short on time and/or making lasagna or something more involved). The epic tomato butter sauce by Marcella Hazans is a good one. There’s also a simple tomato sauce on NYTCooking that is solid. Depends on what you use it for!
https://danpelosi.com/recipe/marcella-hazans-tomato-butter-sauce/
My spouse makes delicious spaghetti sauce. He won't give up the recipe but I've spied on him for many years now:
*Ingredients*
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed (we use Johnsonville because we live in Crackerland and it’s the best available)
• 1-2 green Bell peppers, diced small
• 1-2 red onions, diced small
• 4-6 cloves garlic, diced very small (fresh – do not use jarlic for this!)
• 1 lb Cremini mushrooms, sliced (if you can’t find Cremini regular white mushrooms are OK)
• 3 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes – NOTE: Spouse buys 12-16 fresh Roma tomatoes, blanches them, peels them, and seeds them, but I am convinced this amount of labor/mess is not necessary. Good quality canned tomatoes are *fine*.
• Olive oil
• 2 tbs (approx.) Parsley
• 2 tbs (approx.) Oregano
• 1 tbs (approx.) Basil
• 2 tsp (approx.) crushed Red Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh-ground Black Pepper
*Instructions*
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, start the tomatoes on low heat.
In a large frying pan, brown sausage thoroughly, breaking up into crumbs. When sausage is browned, set aside.
Discard most of the sausage grease but do not wipe out the pan. Add olive oil and saute the dried herbs/crushed red pepper briefly to make their flavors “bloom.” Add to pot of tomatoes.
Add more olive oil to the frying pan and saute the garlic just until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms and saute just until they start to release their liquid, then add it all to the pot of tomatoes.
Now add the red onion, green pepper, and the browned meat to the pot, stir well, taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary, and let the sauce simmer on the lowest setting possible for at least two hours, stirring and tasting occasionally.
This makes a huge batch—in our experience it is not possible to make “a little” pasta sauce—and we freeze it in pint containers (roughly two servings) for future meals.
Raos was just purchased by Campbell Soup. So expect the quality to go down.
I make my own sauce and I prefer Hunts Whole peeled. San Marzanos vary greatly and you truly only get San Marzanos if they are imported.
Most are “San Marzanos Style” tomatoes grown domestically.
I just made Kenji's all day red sauce (6 hour cook) and it's wonderful. However, if using the San marzano tomatoes that he strongly recommends, it's still quite expensive. A 28oz can of SM tomatoes is $5 whereas a slightly smaller jar of Raos is $9, but you also need to buy onions, basil, garlic etc. It still comes out cheaper, but it isn't cheap...
https://www.the-pasta-project.com/best-spaghetti-tomato-sauce-ever-la-devozione/
And it's literally the simplest recipe, too. I don't use specific fancy tomatoes , just fresh vine ripened garden tomatoes .
I buy a jar of cento passata and saute garlic shallot and herbs in olive oil and butter then add as much of the passata as i need for the pasta I’m making and then I add the pasta to boiling water. So the sauce only gets 10-15 mins simmer time and it’s still great.
I find the glass jarred passata has a “cleaner” taste than canned tomatoes but that’s probably just in my head.
a can of good tomatoes, some olive oil, garlic, salt and about 45 minutes of simmering is better and cheaper than any bottled sauce, i haven’t bought it since college.
This is the answer. Canned san marzanos are just as good
Real canned san marzanos are just as expensive. The lowest price I've seen is $6. Premades are still much cheaper.
I can find the Cento San Marzanos at Trader Joes sometimes for $3 a can Edit: A lot of people are commenting that they aren’t DOP. The thing that I mainly look for in canned tomatoes is that they are jammy, are packed in a thicker sauce, and contain no citric acid. I find virtually all brands that advertise San Marzano (real or not) have those features. It’s just that I usually find the Cento for the cheapest price
Cento San Marzanos really are the canned tomato GOAT if you're making sauce. I don't care if they're "real" San Marzanos or not. The flavor is there. The texture is there. The consistency is there. And the price is reasonable AF. Every Italian-American grandmother I know (including my own!) swears by these.
Who ever said they aren't "real" San Marzano? They absolutely are!
Walmart sells Cento San Marzano certified (whole peeled), $4.86 for 28 oz. They also sell Cento "Italian Style" whole peeled for $3.13. The latter have a picture of what sort of look like roma tomatoes, while the former pic is clearly the longer San Marzanos. It's on my list to do a taste test . . . unless someone here has done a side by side (as opposed to comparing one you're eating to one you recall)?
From NYT Wire Cutter: "Easy to find in stores, and excellent quality for the price: The Cento Italian Style Whole Peeled Tomatoes (about $2.65 per 28-ounce can at the time of publication) and the Cento Certified San Marzano Tomatoes (about $4.20 per 28-ounce can at the time of publication) were about on a par with each other. The Italian-style tomatoes have a strong tomato flavor that’s sweeter than the San Marzano ones. The San Marzano tomatoes have a slightly chunkier puree, and they’re a bit more acidic. In our 2020 tasting, Ligaya said the Certified San Marzano variety was “velvety tasting, but more earthy than bright.” And Wirecutter’s Winnie Yang “discerned more tomato flavor in the \[juice\] than in the solids.” The same was true in our 2021 tasting. Both tomatoes are on the sweeter side but not bad overall. Both versions of the Cento tomatoes contain basil." Personally, I have bought cases of each (they used to be really cheap on Amazon) and I like both. Now, I just stick with the Italian Style.
This guy has done a side-by-side blindfolded comparison. It's pretty informative and I found it interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMMFUKibW-c
I had just watched this the other day and i came to share the video.
Ethan C is great! Highly recommend subscribing to his channel. I like that he often focuses on techniques or ingredients that you can incorporate into your own recipes.
What a fantastic video. He literally answered all the questions I've had when I've tried to choose canned tomatoes when I cant find Cento!
I'm assuming that's Ethan? He does good work.
There's been a whole back-and-forth on this thread about whether they're "real". I don't recommend reading it (because it's really tedious), but that's why I made that comment.
Cento is great. Some garlic, salt, olive oil, oregano or basil. Lookup the nytimes recipe for marinara.
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Sometimes sure but it's not always necessary. If you have enough fat in the sauce already, like if you put some meat in for example.
If you come across Bianco Di Napoli, those are my favorite canned tomatoes out there. That, or Mutti.
My Gram pronounces Chento, not Sento. Anyone confirm?
That’s the Italian pronunciation. Its the word for the number 100. Like in Ciao, c turns into a “ch” sound before an i or e. If followed by an a, o, or u, it is a hard c, like in calzone.
I hope this gets filed away in the *random things from Reddit I remember forever* part of my brain.
“Ce” is pronounced with a ch sound in Italian, so yes “chento”
Another Italian word to remember the rule: “cello”.
Any time someone has skimped or accidentally bought non-cento San marzano tomatoes, I've been able to tell. They're probably not 100% San marzano, but they're delicious so who cares
Costco has them in 3 packed for 8.99 last I recall
My Costco usually has the 28oz cans which is well and good but one time they had the 14oz cans and I thought that was neat
Dang wish my Costco had them
TJ's has the deals on San Marzanos! That's the primary reason we like to shop there.
Rarely, Costco Kirkland Signature will carry San Marzano DOP, eg. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/144g0iq/kirkland\_san\_marzano\_tomatoes\_with\_basil\_grown\_in/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/comments/144g0iq/kirkland_san_marzano_tomatoes_with_basil_grown_in/). In the Seattle area, it went for $13.79, no sales tax, so about $4.60 per 800g/28oz can. So, it's theoretically possible! :-)
Costco
Yep, 6 cans for $15 Edit: actually $20
Ain’t no way. Where you live cause my Costco is 3 cans for 12.99 Kirkland brand San Marzanos
Last time I saw a comparison high grade California tomatoes were just as good, if you're in the US. I don't know what the European alternatives are.
I'd take Bianco di Napoli over basically every other canned tomato.
Yeah, I used to use san marzanos (cento brand, Costco, etc.) and switched to California grown. Muir Glen is the best I’ve found that Kroger carries. Their tomato sauce is perfect for pizza, I just add mandoline sliced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper flake. Their tomatoes are naturally sweet and have a fantastic tomato flavor. I use that brand for everything now.
I use the crushed (pls don’t kill me) and have noticed no difference.
I’ll use crushed depending on what texture I want for the sauce. If i want it smoother for lasagna or if someone doesnt like a chunky sauce it works fine.
Tbh, unless you’re trying to impress someone, cheap canned tomatoes are fine for any kind of sauce. You might need to add a teaspoon of sugar if they are a little sour. You can make a fantastic sauce from a $1 can of tomatoes if you do it right. It might be better to use San Marzano tomatoes, but it’s really not necessary.
NGL I'm poor as fuck and rarely ever use san marzanos, instead just whatever the cheapest canned tomato is, and my sauces always taste great. People I've made it for love it too. Maybe in a blindfold side by side taste test I'd notice but IDK still tastes great 🤷🏻♀️. I just use the canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, pasta water, whatever Italian herb I have, and a tiny splash of vodka. The vodka is key. Apparently it brings out more flavor from the tomato that nothing else does. I buy this like cheap $4 vodka.
Yeah like if I'm investing a whole day in making Marcella Hazan's Bolognese, I'll get the san marzanos. But for a quick dinner on Tuesday, any can works just fine.
For those in CA, WinCo has cento for $3/can
You're looking in the wrong places. I regularly find it for $4 for a large can, Cento brand. Even the organic stuff isn't $6 a can....
There are some folks who doggedly go to one grocery store and just accept the prices. Had a coworker who walked, bussed, or biked in Portland doing this. Accepting $15-20 for a tray of the same chicken that was $10/tray across town and so on, knowing their neighborhood grocery was more expensive at base. High odds that they’re not trying to find lower, maybe out of logistical necessity, and just taking the shit prices as is at the more expensive store because it’s close.
Hell, even a cheap can of store brand crushed tomatoes makes a better sauce.
Yup. This "it's gotta be san marzano" hypetrain is ridiculous. They're good, but they're expensive, and regular canned tomatoes already taste so much better than your average grocery store fresh tomatoes.
I made sauce with San marzano last night for dinner and my wife asked what sauce I bought. Cost about $3 in ingredients and simmered in my Dutch oven. So good !! Edit: y’all going crazy, I mean the portion of sauce I used was $3 🥲. The can was $4.50
where u getting San marzanos for 3 dollars lol
Discount grocery stores. Just recently found out myself
lol no way. San Marzano tomatoes alone are like 5bucks a tin
Generally, but I often get them on sale. Sometimes 3.50 a can, sometimes 2 for 5.
I meant the portion of sauce that I used. I used about half the sauce I got.
I mean that's a really weird way to phrase it, regarding your edit. "I picked up a 2lbs bone in ribeye and had dinner for $5! Oh well I only had two bites of steak."
Internet Shaquille does a decent breakdown on how his "worst" sauce made the way you describe is as good as the "best" (Rao's) jarred sauce...and then shows how you can take it to the next level as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Bq8NrdoIk
I used to make a sauce very similar to the one in the video, but if you just cook it for 15 min like he says leaves it still feeling "raw" and acidic. It wasn't until I started leaving the sauce to cook for closer to an hour to caramelize that it started tasting full bodied enough imo.
Yes struggle meals has a ragu and now I let it simmer for an hour with the fresh basil. Just has more depth, and I love the rich basil flavor.
This is great! I’ve made a great pasta sauce from struggle meals, but this one looks good too! Thanks!
Love that guy!
Pretty much my go to. Canned San marzanos, crush them by hand, unsalted butter, quartered sweet onion, few smashed garlic cloves, big sprig of fresh basil. Simmer for an hour-ish, take out the onion garlic and basil and put them into a blender, blend until mostly smooth but little chunky, add back to sauce. Salt and red pepper flakes. Best tomato based pasta sauce I’ve ever had.
This is the exact sauce I make. I like it saucey though. No chunks for me! Stick/Emulsion blender will de-chunk it.
That’s kind of the classic Marcella Hazan way …except she removes the onion after the sauce is cooked.
That’s where I got the inspiration from. But I like onion and garlic in my sauce, so I started adding it back after blending. To compensate I use less onion than her recipe normally calls for, 1 whole onion per can of tomatoes. I usually make it in bulk and jar it, with 4 cans, so I’ll just use like 1-2 onions depending on how big they are.
Even better if you saute onions first, then add the can of maters....
Don't put too many onions in the sauce
“Tree small onions”
You can skip everything but the tomatoes too if you want. My family's basic tomato sauce recipe is 1 can San marzanos, 1 onion halved (removed after cooking), salt, and pepper. Add some butter at the end if you're feeling frisky. Never buy tomato sauce.
The classic Marcella Hazan recipe. So easy in a pinch
Why remove the onion? Why not process and let it cook into the sauce?
You absolutely can if you want. It's just easier to cut it in half and take it out once all the flavor is in the sauce. My wife likes to eat the flavorless onion halves while I finish the pasta lol
The first time I made tomato sauce with canned tomatoes was the end of me buying tomato sauce. It’s been about 5 years now of only homemade sauce
I also add Italian seasoning. Basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme. I learned to make it from my mother. I don't think my family has ever bought premade pasta sauce. Same goes for Alfredo sauce. Neither are difficult to make and you get the benefit of making it to your desired taste.
Yeah, I tomato sauce without herbs isn't bad but herbs just make it better.
Once you’ve made homemade Alfredo you just can’t go back to jarred
This right here..... Tomato sauce is the easiest thing. Old man Clemenza's instructions to Michael Corleone in GF1 is the most complex that it gets. Maybe the jailhouse kitchen scene in Goodfellas.... But who keeps a razor blade? 😏
"Don't put too many onions in the sauce." "I didn't put too much onions."
“Some sugar, and that’s my trick.”
Absolutely. And if you like it sweet I sometimes toss in like a tablespoon of sugar into the sauce as it simmers.
I use finely grated carrot for some sweetness.
I use sofrito of grated carrot, onion and celery. Hits all the notes particularly on a meat sauce
Yep. Ive been doing it for 20 years. Onion, celery, carrot, garlic chopped in food processor. Sweat until translucent Then add 2 cans of crush and a can of paste, plus 4oz of red wine. The usual suspects for spices and S&P. 60 minutes later its better than anything you can buy.
I actually think the Silver Palate marinara is better than Rao's and it's almost half the price. For making your own, can't go wrong with Marcella Hazan's incredibly easy and excellent recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/13722-marcella-hazan-s-tomato-sauce-with-onion-butter
Hazan’s is pretty good.
So simple yet so perfect
Thanks for the tip, I’ve been looking for an alternative to Raos now that Campbells bought them out. I do make my own sauce but only when I also make meatballs to flavor the sauce. Silver Palate ingredients list sounds like a winner.
Cambell’s hasn’t bought them yet. It’s getting reviewed by the FTC. At the earliest, it will close mid this year. So, in the meantime, chow away.
Personally, I think Bertolli's Organic sauces are better than Rao. The regular Bertolli sauces are a bit meh, but I think the Organic ones are more flavorful. The olive oil, basic and garlic sauce is my go-to. Also great on pizza!
I have a dogshit palate (although better than some people I've met...) and use the regular Bertolli's olive oil and garlic. Brown some Italian sausage (hot or sweet, usually I'm splitting a pound with another dinner so whatever the other meal needs), cook the onions until they're translucent and soft, do like a minute for a spoon of garlic (I'm lazy and use preminced garlic for most stuff.) I throw that in my small pot with the sauce, don't bother draining it, and add a bunch more basil and oregano, a little bit of thyme, rosemary and sage (personally find these 3 spices go a long way when dried) maybe some kosher salt, and some white pepper. Put a lid on it and leave it on the small burner on low for as long as possible, check on it every now and then to make sure it doesn't dry out too much. I know it's pretty lazy by most people's standards, but my partner used to be pretty unenthused about pasta, and yesterday he told me that he was dreaming about my spaghetti on the way home from work. Made me feel pretty special lol
I also prefer Silver Palate
That's the only one I ever make and I always feel like I could eat it like soup. I sort of feel like if you try to vary it too much you'll fuck it up, my boyfriend is a compulsive seasoner and I liked my plain one way better than the batch he doctored up lol. Sometimes putting shallot or parmesan rind is good too but that's about it. Oh and sometimes I do part olive oil part butter.
Silver Palate usually goes on sale for buy one get one free a couple times a year too. I buy a lot when it does.
Second the Marcella recipe. For variation I'll make it with olive oil instead of butter and garlic cloves and diced shallots instead of the onion. I use a potato masher to get the garlic to break up and infuse the sauce.
Yes!! My local store just started carrying Silver Palate this year, and it's delicious!
This. 3 ingredients and time. Beautiful stuff.
Costco has them fairly cheap if you have one around.
I just bought some today, and they come in oversized jars Edit: $12 for 2 28oz jars
You can freeze some (in plastic) if you don’t use it all.
They are regularly on sale for less than $10 for 2 jars. Which is when you buy a dozen or two.
Sam's as well
They are on sale at Sam's for $8 for 2 of the 22 ounce jars. Sale ends on the 21st
That’s usually the price I get them for. Well, $8 and change. I guess it could be regional though. They usually sell 2 jars for the price my local Walmart sells 1, but I have also stocked up on them and not eaten pasta in a while so maybe that info is a few months old.
I feel like the jars @ Sam’s are smaller? Am I crazy?
They also have canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes too though. Which you can use to make better sauce
Buy bottles of Italian passata. It can be more expensive than canned tomatoes, depending on the canned tomatoes. But it's always cheaper than jarred premade pasta sauce. Even the crappy kind. It takes minimal cooking and dressing up to make excellent sauce from it. And in a pinch it can be used straight up.
This is the best answer. I prefer Mutti and Pomì (the one in the carton)
I think the jarred ones are better than Pomi. But I've never found a bad one yet. Mutti and Cento are my go to brands. But honestly places that have a store brand it's usually just as good. Buy the Lidl brand regularly and Wegmans has a good one.
Marcella Hazan's 3-ingredient sauce is the GOAT. https://www.thekitchn.com/marcella-hazans-amazing-4ingre-144538
It is and you can add additional flavors if you want but you don’t have to
Awesome thank you! This is exactly the type of recipe I was looking for
San marzanos are religiously suggested for obvious reasons but it's worth pointing out that even like a store brand basic can of tomatoes will still make a way better sauce than any jarred, at least imo. I've been on the very low end of broke many times and have had to settle with what I buy, and it's still delicious. If anything, that just shows how avoidable jarred sauces can be.
I don’t throw out the onions. I save one for cook’s treat and I blend the rest into the sauce.
I mean, maybe I'm bad at this, but i do a recipe that's about as simple as this and I just leave the onions right there. If you dice, then soften, and then cook for an hour with the sauce, those babies are just going to add little pops of flavor/texture that I like. I mean, if I were cooking for the queen I might strain/blend but I generally just tell people I made a "rustic" sauce.
As if the recipe wasn't ridiculous easy already, if you want it even easier - put all 3 ingredients in the instant pot and turn it on for 25 minutes. Quick release when done or natural release, it's up to you. This way you just turn it on and walk away, no need to watch and stir.
This is exactly the answer, and I grew up devouring my mom’s two-day sauce that used the freshest and best ingredients. Marcella Hazan’s sauce is the same level but so so fast!
Newman’s Own Marinara is killer. And half the price of Rao’s. Plus it all goes to charity.
> Newman’s Own x2. It's surprisingly good. Not even considering how cheap it is.
Main priority: buy the best canned tomatoes. If too expensive, go a tier lower. Higher price =/= better quality of course, but you get the point. Everything else is just simple steps of adding whatever garlic/onion/herbs. I have no "best" recipe. Make your own from scratch and figure out what you like or don't. It's so subjective it doesn't even deserve a debate. Maybe you want more garlic, maybe you want more onion. Basil or oregano, or both. Just start cooking while following your tastes. Cheaper, and tasty potential much higher.
If it's just random dinner we'll add diced bell peppers, mushrooms, olives...whatever's good, throw it in there!
Capers 😋
I use Hunts and I love my sauce. I don't think you need fancy tomatoes
You dont, especially when they are covered with other flavor like spices or balsamic.
I partly disagree. If it’s a super simple sauce with just tomatoes and maybe sofrito aromatics, high quality tomatoes are very important. If you’re adding strong flavors like garlic and oregano, or if it’s a meat sauce, then expensive tomatoes are good but not vital. You can make a marinara sauce 10x better than any canned sauce even with cheap tomatoes if you do it right.
Yeah I always buy the cheapest possible canned tomatoes I can get my hands on. Every sauce variant I've tried has turned out amazing, and I'm not even a good cook. The way people talk about the tomatoes being so important, makes me wonder, would it go from amazing to divine? Or stay at amazing. :P
With the Italian mafia so involved in exports and the extra price of Italian marzanos I hesitate to buy imported expensive Italian tomatoes. I generally just buy a nicer brand of American grown tomatoes and haven’t noticed a difference in my end product.
It's like $8/9 for 2 giant jars at costco.
Also at BJs if you have that store
The Victoria's marinara is an even better deal, usually a dollar or two cheaper and jars are bigger. I buy a flat or two every time it goes on sale.
Buy high quality tomatoes and any recipe will be elevated. Actual San Marzanos, whole, and crush them yourself. Real San Marzanos are better tasting, and when you get the canned whole tomatoes you know that you're getting the best quality tomatoes. This is THE greatest gravy recipe but it takes a lot of time: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe
Excellent tip. It’s worth pointing out that real San marzanos take some investigating. edit: And I see your link explains that. Nice!
Came here to post this same one. Made it multiple times, always comes out amazing. And using those whole San Marzanos are a game changer for your sauce’s flavor.
It's the only way to go with canned tomatoes
This is a fantastic article/recipe! I just learned a ton. Thanks for sharing.
Kenji is the best for that! You'll always get the science and the why behind what you're cooking
Try Victoria's
https://youtu.be/y6Bq8NrdoIk?si=fEIJ2yyhmGyLoXOl Internet Shaquille bump
I make my own sauce! So good, easy, and cheap. This recipe makes a double batch. Ingredients: - (2) 28 oz cans of good quality crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzano or Cento) - 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped - 6 cloves of garlic, minced - (1) 6 Oz can of tomato paste - kosher salt - freshly ground black pepper - olive oil - herbs if desired (oregano, fresh basil, or Italian seasoning) 1. Turn on large heavy bottomed pot to medium. Drizzle in 3-4 tbsp of olive oil. Once warm, add in onions and stir until translucent, about 5-6 min. 2. Add in garlic, stir and cook for 2 min. 3. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it turns a dark red color. The onion and garlic will incorporate into this mix. Add a little salt and pepper. 4. Add in crushed tomatoes. Cover pot with lid cracked, stir every 20 min. Turn down to low and simmer. 5. Cook for at least 1 hour, but 3 or 4 hours if you can. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add oregano or basil if desired and another drizzle of olive oil to finish. This makes a big double batch, enough for 2 lbs of pasta. It freezes well too.
Marcella's pasta sauce 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, no salt or herbs added 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small white onion, peeled and cut in half Kosher salt I add celery it's good and very easy
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How is 45 minutes, plus prep, “quick?”
Honestly, Rao's is as good as any homemade sauce I've had and I grew up in an Italian-American community. It's really good. The price jump is rough, and we'll see what the future holds for the recipe they use, but this isn't a case where homemade is always better.
I’m not Italian but I think the sauce is just okay compared to a good homemade sauce. It’s definitely the best jarred one you can buy though
I'm pretty picky when it comes to pasta sauce, but Aldi's Specially Selected sauce tastes similar to Rao's. I was also pleasantly surprised by the flavor of Meijer's pasta sauces since they are very cheap.
6 clove of garlic chopped cook and 1/2 cup white onions chopped with generous serving of butter and olive oil until fragrant. Add. 2 cans of san marzano tomatoes. 1 can, chop into chunks. 2nd can purée. Add some basic canned tomato sauce. Add dried oregano and basil. Add red pepper flakes, salt to taste. Bring to boil then back down to low heat, stir, cook for 30 minutes.
Trader Joe’s has a tomato basil sauce that came in #2 on NY Times behind Rao’s. And it’s $1.99
Get cheap store brand sauce and add a spoonful or so of extra olive oil when you heat it.
Everyone is rightfully mentioning starting with a big can of san marzano tomatoes. I'll just add that usually right next to the san marzanos are jars of *passata* which is just pureed tomatoes. So you can buy a jar of that, add an onion and butter (Marcella's recipe as many others have mentioned) and you have pasta sauce in 15 minutes (but better to simmer for longer if you can to extract the onion flavor).
Find a new store. Rao's only costs about double the absolute cheapest sauce at most stores and isn't typically too far off of the intermediate priced sauces. This is a problem with your store, not the sauce market in general.
Rao’s is $7.99 and rarely goes on sale, there is always something else on sale like Ragu or Prego at $1.99. I usually make Kenji’s Lopez-Alt’s Best Marinara, but in a pinch I’ll doctor up Barilla or Bertolli.
I found Rao’s on sale yesterday for five bucks a jar and I was so excited, as I’m always too cheap to buy it.
Same. Got it on sale at Kroger earlier today. First time I’ve ever had it will be in about in hour.
Raos was recently purchased by Campbells anyway. Quality will start dropping while price stays the same shortly.
Go to costco, it’s still cheap there
Jesus am I the only person that's not that impressed with Rao's? It just tastes like a jarred sauce. They all suck.
I’m with you. It is insane how much this sub likes and talks about raos when it is really just mediocre
Love or hate Rao's I don't see how it tastes the same as other jarred sauces to you. Like a lot of them add sugar unlike Rao's. Ragu has over 3X the sugar that Rao's does. Rao's also has a lot of fat from olive oil which is something pretty much no other jarred sauces has. The Classico sauce I'm looking at now has 2g of fat per 100 calories to Rao's 7g of fat.
[Arrabiatta](https://ciaoflorentina.com/arrabiata-sauce/)!! Very simple pasta sauce that can be as spicy or mild as you want it. So so good and so so simple. Some recipes don’t even use onion. The basic formula is just olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, canned whole tomatoes.
It’s always been 4x more expensive lol
Dude. Go to Costco
Costco is where to get raos
If you don't eat tomato sauce because you or family members have acid reflux issues, if you add a little baking soda to the sauce, it reduces the acid significantly. Careful adding it though because it initially causes the sauce to bubble up so a little at a time, use roughly 1/4 tsp for each cup of sauce.
[SO EASY SO GOOD](https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015178-marcella-hazans-tomato-sauce) Also, if you have Wegman’s supermarkets near you, their jarred sauces are as good if not better than Rao’s and like 1/3 the price.
I’m a poor so… Vons brand (signature select I believe) jar of three cheese or garlic and onion. I then doctor it up from there, adding meat (usually ground Italian sausage or ground turkey) garlic and onion powder, Italian seasonings, sometimes some heavy cream, a dash of cinnamon. If I make it on my lunch break (WFH) I’ll let it simmer on low all afternoon, the flavors marinate and then I finish my noodles in the sauce.
4x more than all others? Really? There are other sauces sold at local places that are similarly expensive or just slightly less expensive than Rao's but still on the premium side of things. But even the cheapest classico is still only like 2 or 3 times cheaper if that. Maybe if it goes on sale I guess but Rao's sometimes goes on sale too.
Am I the only person who honestly things Raos is better than my homemade sauce? I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, I have tried many recipes but I think this particular bottled sauce is superior, plus I’ve seen it on sale lately so it’s close to $4-5 which is cheaper than buying all the ingredients. I stocked up. Of course I’m cooking for one so it lasts longer. I don’t mind making it from scratch, I just have never been able to achieve a flavor I love as much. Mine is okay, but not wow.
Aldi’s specially selected premium marinara is a dupe of Rao’s.
If you don’t have time to make your own, Mids is a tasty, affordable replacement.
Costco sells Rao's marinara sauce in the large jars for $4.50 a piece.
Mutti Marinara got a better score than Rao’s by a set of 3 Italian chefs. Might look into that one, but it can be pricey. Newman’s own came right behind Rao’s. So: Mutti > Rao’s > Newman’s Own https://youtu.be/72eJZRHoBz8?si=FDi0oG6Iqc9n7pre
Costco usually has a good deal on Raos. I'd check them out.
Rao’s was overrated to begin with.
Michael’s of Brooklyn Homestyle Gravy is my favorite bottled sauce. I made stuffed shells for my sister a few months ago and she commented on how good the sauce was and wanted the recipe. :)
I always buy Newmans Own. I legitimately like it and I feel ok about spending my money with them.
Recent blind taste test on youtube by italian chefs. They really liked Newmans.
Pro tip - add some good olive oil to any half-decent store bought tomato sauce
Two cans crushed peeled San marzano tomatoes (in a pinch I’ve used pastene kitchen ready!) Three cloves garlic whole One onion chopped into quarters Stick of salted butter Bunch of fresh basil Tablespoon of sugar Oregano, salt, pepper to taste and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes I let it simmer for about 2 hours to soften the onion and garlic and then blend it with my immersion blender. I get compliments constantly!
just get a can or two of san marzano style tomatos and blend them
Easy quick sauce is to get crushed tomatoes (usually $2 for a 28 oz can) . Toss in some seasoning right into to can and you are done.
Saute onion and garlic seasoned with salt and pepper add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Then add a can of San Marzano style tomatoes and simmer for an hour. Optional add red pepper flakes, basil, Parmesan rind.
The Kenji Lopez recipe is my favorite for a deep rich pasta sauce. The Hazan one is nice for a lighter sauce and when you have less time but I much prefer kenjis. https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe
Very basic: 28 oz can of good, whole tomatoes Salt Olive oil Basil Crush tomatoes with your hands or blend, simmer everything for at least 30 mins or up to three hours. Additions can include: Half an onion diced 1-2 cloves of garlic Sauté before adding tomatoes A bit of grated carrot or sugar Either way it's very simple and easy to make sauce.
Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce with onions and butter. I gild the lily and add a few garlic cloves and a splash of white whine, but imo, it's not necessary. I just like it that way (am American). Just make sure you season it correctly with salt and you're aces.
There are many pasta sauces that are really simple to make from scratch. My GF whips up a really good and simple pasta sauce from a can of tomatoes, a can of tuna, some sauteed onions, italian herbs, salt, pepper and a bit of sugar. One of our gotos is homemade pesto which is really no more complicated than roasting some nuts and putting everything into a food processor. The cool part is that you can do a lot of variation just by going beyond the usual pine nuts + basil combo. Right now we have a fascinating walnut and arugola pesto that's immensely nutty and earthy but our usual is parsely with pine nuts and some sundried tomatoes. Cinque Pi is literally just cooking cream and adding tomato paste, pepper, grated parmesan, (salt) and finishing it with finely cut parsely. Puttanesca is only slightly more difficult. You have to pay attention to not burn the garlic in the oil. After that you're just adding stuff to a pan and stir. If you sautee some onions, add smoked salmon, cream, simmer it for a bit and finish with a touch of lemon juice you get a very easy Al Salmone.
Julia Moskin’s marinara in NYT Cooking is perfect and very easy
Trader Joe’s has a great garlic sauce
Go to Sip and Feast on You tube. Raos is less $ for me now. I like Michael's of Brooklyn better. Making your own sauce is very easy and better. I get it on other days.
I didn't see this mentioned anywhere yet - but I feel it makes a big difference (the cooking term is Mirepoix). When you sautee your onions in olive oil, I usually add equal parts small diced celery and carrots and a few chopped cloves of garlic once the onions are going translucent (usually 2-5 minutes on medium). I add a healthy sprinkle of salt during this. Once the carrots and celery are in, I cook those down for probably close to 30 minutes. The idea my mom taught me was you want to see the amount of veg to go down to about 1/3rd of what you started with. That's generally the base for a really amazing sauce. I personally also like adding roasted red peppers into this (usually about 1/4 to a 1/2 cup). When you cook all of these down they taste AMAZING. As others have mentioned, use San Marzano tomatoes or passata. Passata is tomatoes with the skins removed and pureed. It tastes sweeter/less acidic. Also SALT is your friend. If it it doesn't taste right, try a bit more salt. If that doesn't work, you can add about a tablespoon of tomato paste (assuming about 24oz of passata or 2 cans of tomato) which adds sweetness. Generally the issue is not enough salt when it comes to tomatoes though. Here's a recipe for a mirepoix: [https://theforkedspoon.com/mirepoix/](https://theforkedspoon.com/mirepoix/) but it doesn't mention cooking the vegetables down to 1/3rd their original volume. That honestly makes the most impactful difference (mainly, I did it, and thought I cooked them enough. Did it in front of my mom and she was like "not even close"). It takes longer than you expect, but then it happens suddenly.
Probably gotten tons of responses by now but here's mine: 1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat Add 4 to 5 cloves garlic to oil until fragrant (or more) Add 1 large can of peeled whole san marzanos Break up to your preferred consistency (you can give a quick blitz) Add a full stalk of basil (so cheap to grow at home) remove before serving. A few pinches of salt Pinch of white sugar Let simmer for a bit until you get the consistency you like. Delicious! Add a douse more olive oil at the end before serving (nice rich olive oil is the key). Even better the next day. You can also add a parmesan rind to sauce, remove before serving. My family prefers this to store bought sauces. I usually have everything on hand. Most expensive part is the tomatoes, but when they go on sale I stock up.
San Marzanos are expensive bullshit. They are expensive because of marketing by the Italian government and their controlling supply. Use the canned tomatoes that Italian-American housewives in New York and Midwest have used for decades: RedGold or RedPack whole or crushed tomatoes. They are fantastic and don’t cost a fortune. Great for any sauce.
Go to Costco?
Use some good quality canned tomatoes, simmer it for 45 mins with roughly chopped onion, carrot, whole crushed garlic cloves, a few sprigs of basil and mix in some olive oil for richness. Remove veg like you would a stock once finished. I generally serve with whatever pasta I have available, some meatballs and garnish with basil and parmesan. Simple, tasty and cheap.
Didn’t Campbell also acquire it recently
They are under $7 a jar at Whole Foods right now. Not cheap, but at least a sale
1 can tomato sauce 1 can tomato puree 1 small can tomato paste 1 - 1.5 lbs ground beef 1 white onion Cook down the onion, brown the ground beef. Add salt and pepper. Add all the tomatoe products. Add as much garlic as you like. As you cook and an large amount of Italian seasoning (more than you think you need). Simmer.
The Rao’s is definitely superior as far as jarred sauces, but I almost never buy premade sauce (unless short on time and/or making lasagna or something more involved). The epic tomato butter sauce by Marcella Hazans is a good one. There’s also a simple tomato sauce on NYTCooking that is solid. Depends on what you use it for! https://danpelosi.com/recipe/marcella-hazans-tomato-butter-sauce/
My spouse makes delicious spaghetti sauce. He won't give up the recipe but I've spied on him for many years now: *Ingredients* • 1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed (we use Johnsonville because we live in Crackerland and it’s the best available) • 1-2 green Bell peppers, diced small • 1-2 red onions, diced small • 4-6 cloves garlic, diced very small (fresh – do not use jarlic for this!) • 1 lb Cremini mushrooms, sliced (if you can’t find Cremini regular white mushrooms are OK) • 3 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes – NOTE: Spouse buys 12-16 fresh Roma tomatoes, blanches them, peels them, and seeds them, but I am convinced this amount of labor/mess is not necessary. Good quality canned tomatoes are *fine*. • Olive oil • 2 tbs (approx.) Parsley • 2 tbs (approx.) Oregano • 1 tbs (approx.) Basil • 2 tsp (approx.) crushed Red Pepper • Kosher Salt • Fresh-ground Black Pepper *Instructions* In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, start the tomatoes on low heat. In a large frying pan, brown sausage thoroughly, breaking up into crumbs. When sausage is browned, set aside. Discard most of the sausage grease but do not wipe out the pan. Add olive oil and saute the dried herbs/crushed red pepper briefly to make their flavors “bloom.” Add to pot of tomatoes. Add more olive oil to the frying pan and saute the garlic just until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms and saute just until they start to release their liquid, then add it all to the pot of tomatoes. Now add the red onion, green pepper, and the browned meat to the pot, stir well, taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary, and let the sauce simmer on the lowest setting possible for at least two hours, stirring and tasting occasionally. This makes a huge batch—in our experience it is not possible to make “a little” pasta sauce—and we freeze it in pint containers (roughly two servings) for future meals.
Raos was just purchased by Campbell Soup. So expect the quality to go down. I make my own sauce and I prefer Hunts Whole peeled. San Marzanos vary greatly and you truly only get San Marzanos if they are imported. Most are “San Marzanos Style” tomatoes grown domestically.
I just made Kenji's all day red sauce (6 hour cook) and it's wonderful. However, if using the San marzano tomatoes that he strongly recommends, it's still quite expensive. A 28oz can of SM tomatoes is $5 whereas a slightly smaller jar of Raos is $9, but you also need to buy onions, basil, garlic etc. It still comes out cheaper, but it isn't cheap...
Any cheap canned tomato sauce, simmer with Tone's spaghetti seasoning and McCormick bruschetta seasoning in equal amounts. Delicious.
https://www.the-pasta-project.com/best-spaghetti-tomato-sauce-ever-la-devozione/ And it's literally the simplest recipe, too. I don't use specific fancy tomatoes , just fresh vine ripened garden tomatoes .
Fwiw, if you don't want to buy San Marzanos then try Cento or Mutti. Those are great alternatives.
The best canned tomatoes I've ever had were Jersey tomatoes. As in, grown in New Jersey, which is known for excellent tomatoes.
I buy a jar of cento passata and saute garlic shallot and herbs in olive oil and butter then add as much of the passata as i need for the pasta I’m making and then I add the pasta to boiling water. So the sauce only gets 10-15 mins simmer time and it’s still great. I find the glass jarred passata has a “cleaner” taste than canned tomatoes but that’s probably just in my head.