It’s National Sauce Month here in the United States, and thankfully, it’s also National Noodle Month… Spaghetti, anyone?
National Sauce Month would not be complete without a countdown of some of the Best Pasta Sauces available today. While pasta sauce tends to be a very simple creation, the countless variations of different herbs, vegetables, mushrooms, meats, and proportions of ingredients mean a wide variety of textures, flavors, tastes, and aftertastes.
Some pasta sauces are sweeter by design, but other chefs choose to create a spicier version with more kick. Similarly, some versions of the sauce are made with thick chunks of tomatoes and spices, depending on preferences. For the purpose of this taste test, it appeared the goal was to taste a sauce that had the best balance of sweet and spice, while also offering a just-right blend of chunky tomatoes that tasted most like home-cooked pasta sauces around the table in years gone by.
One major variation involves whether there is or is not meat included, and then, whether the meat is ground beef only or a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage. These variations can make a significant impact on the flavor and texture of the sauce.
According to research conducted by the Chicago Tribune, these are the top 5 performers in a blind taste test:
Newman’s Own Marinara Pasta Sauce. While the flavor of this sauce is pretty tame and modestly tastes of herbs and spices with the tomato base, the notion that 100% of the profits go to charity is something exceptionally delicious.
365 Everyday Value Organic Pasta Sauce. This Whole Foods label sauce has big flavors and large chunks of tomatoes. Since this is made in a more homestyle way, with fresher ingredients and larger pieces, a more intense flavor can be expected.
Classico Riserva Marinara Pasta Sauce. This thick, sweet sauce has a lot of herbs but even more tomato flavor.
O Organics Marinara Pasta Sauce. This grocery store chain house brand fared well in the taste test by being chunky, while balancing the sweetness and spiciness better than most.
Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce. This highly-rated sauce took top honors in the taste test by a convincing margin. It was praised for being the most like the classic, homestyle pasta sauce most of the taste testers fondly recalled eating at home growing up. The savory quality with small pieces of herbs and a meatiness to it stood out among the pack sauces in a decisive victory.
Here at Mare Oyster Bar, we not only specialize in serving fresh seafood but also creating dishes out of that seafood. We have a wide variety of meals that will surely fit whatever you are craving for. If you are looking for seafood pasta with the perfect sauce, head on over to Mare Oyster Bar right in Boston’s North End.