I'm as shocked as they were.
Is any dinner more comforting than a bowl of sauced-up pasta? Not in my opinion, and historically, I'm not even very discerning about what kind of sauce I use. When I'm feeling a little fancy, I'll spend some time whipping up a hearty bolognese. When I can't stand the thought of laboring over a stove, I reach for a jar of Trader Joe's Alfredo sauce, which has never let me down. Pro tip: Water the sauce down, get it simmering on the stove, and cook Trader Joe's Pappardelle Nests in the sauce. Add some crumbled, cooked hot sausage. Thank me later.
So, while there's definitely merit in sticking to your grandma's tried-and-true pasta sauce recipe, savvy home chefs should always have a jarred sauce in the pantry as a solid backup. And, if you pick the right jar, there's a decent chance your family won't even know that you snuck in some couch time while dinner was in the works. But which, exactly, is that perfect jar?
Three professional chefs–Frank Proto, Dan Richer, and Giorgia Caporuscio—set out to answer this question in an unlabeled pasta sauce taste test for Epicurious. Honestly, we were shocked at the brand that received abundant praise. Before you ask, no, it's not Rao's.
Great Value's Jarred Marinara Sauce Scored High Marks From Chefs
I'm not kidding when I say I was floored that Great Value's Marinara Sauce received top marks. I regularly try to compare lots of store-brand and name-brand products, and Walmart's Great Value brand has never popped out of the woodwork to surprise me (unlike Kroger, which is a store brand I've grown to trust immensely).
The 23-ounce jar of marinara sauce costs $1.74 and claims to have "About 40% of daily vegetables" on its label. Ingredient purists will appreciate the relatively short list of ingredients on the jar, which contains tomato purée (made of water, tomato juice, and citric acid), diced tomatoes in tomato juice, soybean oil, dried onion, salt, dried garlic, spices, and citric acid. Moreover, it would appear that the chefs in question aren't trying to pull one over on you—the sauce has a whopping 4.6 stars, with thousands of 5-star ratings on Walmart's website.
Why Chefs Loved Great Value's Sauce
Immediately after tasting the sauce, Chef Giorgia Caporuscio said, "This is really fresh," before praising its great balance of acid and sugar. All the chefs liked how flavorful the sauce was, saying the spices and herbs were readily apparent without being overwhelming. So, the tasting was off to a great start.
But the praise only escalated as the tasting went on. Caporuscio said, "I think this is my favorite," and Chef Frank Proto said that the sauce has "a lot of characteristics of a higher-end brand," comparing the sauce to something from Rienzi or Pastene.
All of the chefs were stunned upon learning they'd just tried Great Value's marinara sauce. Chef Dan Richer even remarked, "I'm not gonna lie, I think this actually is a pretty good value." Proto may have been the most surprised, especially after he checked out the ingredients. "They're using a lot of the things that I said might not be best, but for some reason, they nailed it," he commented.
Among 16 popular brands, the other top contenders joining Great Value were Carbone, Mutti, and Cravings by Chrissy Teigen Spicy Thai Basil.
Well, it looks like the verdict is in—Great Value's Marinara Sauce deserves to be your new pantry staple. BRB, gotta run to Walmart!
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Read the original article on Allrecipes
