I Tried 7 Jarred Marinaras & the $9 Jar Isn’t the One That Won
There are so many brands of marinara on the supermarket shelves these days, shoppers are truly spoiled for choice. Whether you’re looking for a basic everyday marinara for quick pasta meals and soups, pizzas, sandwiches, and more, a good marinara can instantly elevate your dish. The jarred options at grocery stores vary wildly with price and quality, but the most expensive options are not necessarily the best ones every time. Sometimes, the less-pricy item might be just what you’re looking for, as I discovered when I picked up seven options from my local Pavilions and ranked them from least to best (spoiler alert, the most expensive one didn’t win). Here’s how the marinaras stacked up.
Classico Cabernet Marinara
Classico Cabernet Marinara is very wine-forward as the name implies, but I found it overwhelmed the flavor of the sauce. All I could taste was the red wine, which is not bad, but not what I look for in a jarred marinara. The texture was on the thinner side but not unpleasant at all.
Prego Traditional Italian Sauce
Prego Traditional Italian Sauce somehow manages to be both too sweet and too sour at the same time. After a few spoonfuls all I could taste was the sugar, so if you like a sweeter sauce, this is definitely the one for you. I did find the texture a little watery, too.
Filippo Berio Marinara Pasta Sauce
Filippo Berio Marinara Pasta Sauce has outstanding ingredients; limited and top quality with no added junk. The texture was nice and thick without being too chunky. I did think this sauce was a little bland overall—I wouldn’t throw it out but it needs significant seasoning added to enhance the flavor and bring out the tomato.
Bertolli Traditional Marinara
Bertolli Traditional Marinara has a very “homemade” texture and flavor, with chunks of veggies and a nice, albeit quite mild, flavor. This is an everyday marinara that would work well for everything from pizza sauce to tortellini (I used it for spinach and ricotta tortellini and it provided a nice balance). A solid everyday sauce.
Signature Select Marinara
Signature Select Marinara was a nice surprise in terms of quality and taste: The flavor was rich and the chunks of tomato had the perfect consistency. This sauce is bursting with classic Italian flavors without being overwhelming—if you love oregano, you will love this sauce. It has a very nostalgic taste, somehow. Very, very, nice.
Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce
Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce is absolutely delicious. The texture, flavor, seasonings, and overall quality is outstanding. I love that the sauce is not too acidic, but actually tastes smooth and almost creamy. The texture is chunky yet balanced—this is the sauce I would recommend as a “homemade” alternative.
Ragu Kettle Cooked Marinara Pasta Sauce
Ragu Kettle Cooked Marinara Pasta Sauce is phenomenal, and it’s not even close to the most expensive sauce on this list. There is nothing in the ingredients list you would be afraid to feed your family, but for just a few ingredients there is so much flavor and every ingredient from the tomato to the seasonings really shines. The texture is thick and rich, without fillers: Nothing but savory, not-too-sweet sauce that would complement everything from meatballs to pizza and more. Highly recommended!