I Blind Taste-Tested The Top 8 Grocery Store Marinara Sauces, And Now I Finally Know The Winner (And The Brands I'll Never Buy Again)
Some of these tasted WAY different than I remembered.
I grew up eating a whole lotta pasta with jarred sauce. Like, straight-up penne doused in jarred Ragú (IYKYK), and I can't lie...there's still something so nostalgic about that very, very specific taste that can only be created with the jarred stuff. Am I right?

When it comes to The Marinara Wars, I've always had a loose hypothesis: Yeah, the pricier, "homemade" versions definitely taste great, but side-by-side with their budget-friendly counterparts, I can't imagine they're that much better...right? I mean, it's tomatoes. 👀

To find out once and for all, I decided to conduct a blind taste test of the most popular marinara brands out there — from the Ragú that I grew up with to the proclaimed "holy grails" of jarred sauce. And I gotta say...the results surprised me.

THE SAUCES

THE EXPERIMENT


I quickly made my way through the eight different sauces...and it didn't take long to realize that, yep, NOT ALL JARRED MARINARAS ARE CREATED EQUALLY. Some tasted like actual tomatoes, others left weird, bitter aftertastes, and some tasted like they contained an entire jar of Italian seasoning.

After jotting down every single one of my thoughts, I tried to guess which sauce was which. Ultimately, I got 2/8 correct, which wasn't bad. I mean, it wasn't remarkable, but whatever. I tried.

Before my boyfriend finally revealed the order in which I tasted the sauces, I sorted them. No going back on my initial thoughts in the event that my tastebuds were, like, WAY out of whack or something.

Following the big reveal, the following was my definitive ranking — from the absolute worst, to the inarguable best. (Now, knowing each corresponding brand, I still stand by this.)
8. Ragú Traditional — tasted like SpaghettiOs, but distinctly bitter.

(Back to the trash where you belong, Ragú.)

7. Prego Traditional — basically syrupy garlic.

6. Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Marinara — tasted "like Italian Herb bread at Subway."

5. Tuttorosso Marinara — for the price, a pretty solid option.

4. Classico Marinara — not the cheapest option, but certainly bold.

3. Whole Foods 365 Organic Marinara — as far as your wallet is concerned, this is THE sauce for you.

2. Cucina Antica Marinara — a perfect blank-slate sauce at a higher price point.

1. Rao's Homemade Marinara — I don't know how else to say this...this stuff is 🔥.
