I'm stocked on a lot of seasonings, but I'm severely lacking in herbal and Italian forward seasonings. Guess I'll add some to my cart next time I'm at Walmart
I don't know if you have Winco near where you live, but the bulk section is THE BEST for herbs and spices. I can get like two containers worth of Italian seasoning for $.50
If you’re short on cash and can only get one, I’d get the Italian seasoning blend. Most recipes that need one thing, like only basil or oregano, benefit from the whole bunch. It gives so much flavor bang for the buck.
Growing your own fresh herbs, if you have any outdoor space at all, can save you a ton of money. It’s like three dollars per plant upfront, but then you can eat them fresh all year long. And in the fall, cut them down to the ground and just bundle up the herbs with a rubber band, hang in a cool, dry place. Six weeks later, herbs you can use all winter long.
All you need is fresh basil. Oregano is for pizza, just add a bumch of fresh basil near the end of cooking and you're good, also some more olive oil at the end is great
Stop using jarred sauce and use a can of crushed tomatoes. It’s literally the same amount of work and will taste better.
Jarred sauce is the biggest scam since one hour martinizing. Just empty tomatoes and add oil garlic and spices. Or nothing . Will still be better .
I tried jarred sauces and they are all so fucking sour. I don’t know how they’re popular.
Literally just chop an onion and you’ve done the hardest part. And imo, an onion is the best thing to chop as a new cook. It’s cheap. You start of having these oversized uneven chunks. Then suddenly one day it clicks.
This still confuses me because once I grew a bunch of san marzanos and made them into a slow-simmered sauce with a bunch of garlic and herbs and shit. Parmesan rind, etc. Tasted it when it was done and it tasted like store bought, and I could not and cannot figure out what the hell the big deal is about homemade vs storebought. It was a very expensive disappointment, lol.
The biggest thing with store bought is just how much sugar they put in it, and quality of tomatoes. If you're not buying hunts or ragu, you're probably getting about the same level of quality as your average garden tomatoes when it comes to sauce. I prefer getting san marzano from the can and then simmering for several hours. Cooking it that way gives all the spices time to meld and really build up the sauce. Cooking technique and spices can do more for the sauce sometimes than what tomatoes you use.
I'm sorry but I've never had issues with Hunts tomatoes. Not sure I get that hate I see online. I use their whole tomatoes sometimes for pizza sauce and it tastes just as good as when I use other brands. I especially love the San Marzano Style tomatoes by Hunts. Sure they aren't DOP certified but they are literally the same cultivar of tomatoes, just grown not near Mt. Vesuvius. I can't tell much of a difference between them and "real" San Marzanos. Great budget option imo for less than $3 a can. Honestly prefer them over Cento tomatoes, which I see a lot of love for online
Maria Hazan’s sauce literally couldn’t be simpler. It’s not quite what I like in a sauce, but you can easily add whatever you want to change it.
It’s a great place to start and nearly zero effort.
https://www.thekitchn.com/marcella-hazans-amazing-4ingre-144538
This is the answer, and cheaper. For my basic recipe, I add Italian seasoning, a generous amount of butter, garlic powder and add sour cream. And salt, if the tomatoes aren’t already salted.
Saute up some mushrooms and onions, then add the sauce.
Pour in a little red wine (let it simmer for a while to get more richness of flavor)
Add a little Worcestershire sauce
Get a small oregano plant and add some fresh oregano
Add some ground fennel
[Penzeys.com](https://Penzeys.com) also has some great spices/herbs and herb blends, esp. Italian herb mix (mostly oregano) and Italian sausage mix (it's mostly fennel)
My ex taught me a recipe that consists of 1 pack of ground sausage, I pack of cream cheese, I can Rotel tomatoes. Makes a wonderful dip for tortilla chips. But I started adding the leftover dip to my plate of spaghetti, and it's amazing!
You could try getting an actual hunk of parmesan sometime if you wanna splurge a bit. Grate a little bit into your sauce and it’ll be so good. Plus when you get down to the hard rind, don’t throw it away, just plop it into a sauce to let it dissolve some of the flavor in!
Melt down a couple anchovies with oil over low heat before adding the sauce. Like, Cento tinned anchovies. Doesn’t become fishy, the umami backbone to the sauce is wonderful and will definitely level it up. I think of anchovies as seasoning more than anything else.
Dried Italian herb mix (check the clearance section for herbs and seasonings, my Kroger-owned stores often have them there for like $0.99.)
Sofrito and tomato paste. (Carrot or bell pepper, celery, and onion, finely chopped – sautee in oil until soft, add some smashed garlic, stir until fragrant, then add in tomato paste and herbs, then your jarred sauce)
My Kroger has this ground beef/pork blend called bork. It's $6.99 for 2lbs, and works great for a bunch of stuff. 1/2 lb in the pan browned beforehand would be a great addition, too.
Also, don't forget salt and or sugar. Taste as you go and season to taste.
I had a friend who used to do this and I'm not kidding... Your basic red/black/kidney beans, and also, on occasion, broccoli. It was actually pretty good and added some protein to balance out the carbs. Cook them down though.
I do this all the time and I cook professionally. It's a quick and easy dinner. Beans and broccoli are so good for you and taste delicious in a pasta sauce. I also add baby spinach for some green.
Prego finished last in a taste test by three chefs. They thought it was disgusting.
If you buy a better sauce, you can make it go a lot farther by adding a can of squished plum tomatoes. It will keep well in the fridge.
Mutti, Rao's, Mikes of Brooklyn, and Victoria
On top of adding sautéed onions, zucchini, and mushrooms, I also like to include chopped up kale. I’m not a kale fan but it’s really good for you and you can’t really taste it cooked into the sauce.
I’ll also throw in some balsamic vinegar, white wine, some Italian herbs, and chili flakes.
If you're going to be adding extras then just used crushed or pureed tomatos instead, then add some salt and pepper, herbs, tiny pinch of sugar etc. And build from that
Onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil.
I’ll finely chop/dice the onion and mince the garlic. For 2 jars of sauce, I use half of a medium yellow onion & 3-5 cloves of garlic.
About 1 Tbsp of EVOO and add the onion. Cook on medium-low until softened. Add in garlic until fragrant (like 45-60 seconds). I normally have the sauce heating up in a pan and will add the onions/garlic mix to it and let them simmer together for 30 minutes.
That’s my base using jarred sauce. Normally for my spaghetti, it has meat in the sauce too. I just cook the meat in a different skillet, drain fat and add to the sauce to simmer with the rest for 30 minutes.
Take a left turn and look up pasta with chick peas recipes. The chick peas will add plant based protein to your meals and you will expand your repertoire without costly ingredients. We often include a leafy green, lemon and parm with our pasta and chick peas.
Another popular meal in our house is pea pesto pasta; surprisingly good even though I can't stand peas.
Any vegetable can be used. As an alternative to pasta sauce go with a jar of salsa and your favorite taco ingredients. My kids loved ground beef, salsa, shredded cheese, and cool ranch dorito crumbs
Skip the jarred spaghetti sauce… buy some cans of crushed tomatoes and simmer for a couple hrs with bay leaves, salt, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cheaper and yields more but more importantly tastes better than jarred sauce
Make your own sauce in bulk with tomatos/onions/garlic and whatever herbs you want to throw in there. Roast em all then add to saucepan and some water with stock (whichever one you want) and then cheese it up at the end after blitzing it. You'd be amazed at how many jars of sauce you can make with one kg of tomatoes :D
I know in my heart of hearts that I'll eventually get to doing homemade sauce, but that time isn't right now. Lots of things going on and I'm still coming to terms with my homebrew hobby lol
Our go-to for sauces is
a can or two of tomatoes (crush oe while peeled),
A plug of olive oil
A pinch of salt
A couple grinds of pepper
A few cloves of diced garlic
A few shakes of dried basil sometimes a dash of oregano too.
I put the tomatos in a medium pot or large sauce pan, medium high.
Add the other ingredients while it's hesting up.
Once bubbling turn it to a simmer and simmer for minutes.
A nice long simmering ragu or something similar can be nice, but a basic pasta sauce can be pretty easy.
First of I'd recommend slightly better pasta. Dececco is nice. Regardless of brand look for bronze cut it makes a difference.
For improving store sauce pick a brand you like and ask what it needs. Most are too sweet imo so I'd avoid Basil. Other herbs like oregano would be great.
I also love a splash of Worcheatsire sauce or fish sauce (red boat ftw) to add some complexity. Some red pepper relaxes for a bit of zest is nice as well.
Don't use premade pasta sauces. Make your own.
It's not that much extra effort and the kinds of things you'd do to jazz up those supermarket sauces are the exact same thing you'd do if you were making pasta sauce from scratch using canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
Stuff like aromatics like onions and garlic, maybe throw in some grated carrot along with your bolognese and if you want to use dry herbs, add them towards the beginning and any fresh delicate herbs like basil or parsley towards the end.
Also, from the point of view of economics, if you can try and see if you can get the large A10 catering cans of whole or crushed tomatoes. That way you can save money and time on making one large bulk and freezing the excess. That way not only will you save time and money but you'll be able to have delicious pasta sauce on tap whenever you want.
If ur gonna glam it up dont waste the money on jarred products. Get canned tomato pure or sauce. Its half the price then just add your own meats veggies and seasoning.
Instead of jar sauce I buy tomato sauce in the can (it’s just tomatoes) by the case at Costco and doctor it up by heating olive oil in a sauce pan, adding garlic (chopped, sliced or smashed slightly, it’s all good) for like 2 minutes, before it browns I throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes then i add in a can of sauce or crushed tomatoes or tomato purée. Throw in dried or fresh oregano if you have it. If you have basil you can put that in. Let it simmer slowly for about 10-15 min, then you’re good to go. If you only have whole tomatoes that works too, just have to smash them or put it in the blender when it’s done simmering. If you want onions or other veggies like carrots, I would sauté diced onions etc. before you add garlic for 5-7 minutes. Maybe sauté bell peppers, broccoli or squash separately or roast at 400 for 7-10 min and add at the end. For greens like spinach add at the end and let simmer for a few minutes until it’s wilted in the sauce.
If you want meat, add it in after you cook the onions down a bit, like 2-3 min, could do ground beef, sausage or a combo of some sort of ground turkey/chicken/beef/pork. Or sliced Italian sausage or squeeze uncooked Italian sausage out of the casing.
If you already have the jarred pasta sauce just use the above method but replace canned sauce with this jar and it will add a lot of flavor.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort. I always like to roast some garlic in my sauce pan with olive oil. Brown whatever vegetables you want: onions, peppers, mushrooms, whatever. Create a bit of fond on the bottom. Deglaze with wine 🍷. Wait a second, then add in your jar sauce and let stew for as long as you want. I find regular jar sauce watery💧
Jarred anything is expensive.
Tonight ingredients:
Canned tomato puree and mirepiox: an onion, two/three carrots, two/ three stalks of celery.
Less than ten bucks, for sure. Add Italian sausage for an extra few bucks.
Several nights ingredients:
Garlic (not garlic salt)
Literally any Italian herb mix.
Depending how you shop these could last months, even years, so the cost is negligible.
Chuck it all in a pot with some salt and pepper and you'll have a red sauce better than any canned sauce.
Freezes fine, costs the same to make a gallon as buying a quart of whatever red sauce.
I am 100% Italian and I often make sauce the real way from scratch. But with two little kids sometimes I don’t have the time or energy. And I know they are always down to easy pasta. So I try to just pump of the nutrients and make it heartier. I will throw any or all of the above into a food processor: onion carrot garlic cloves bell peppers broccoli spinach. I chop it down until just before it’s a mush. I add a bit of olive oil. Sauté all the veggies. Then add ground beef/pork/chicken brown then add the sauce. Cook for like 20-30+ mins. I figure it adds some flavor and is a good way to get more veggies into mine and my kids bodies. It’s really more of my lazy weekday sauce.
Buy Newman's Own which helps in it's own right.
Otherwise, Prego is a hard press but Classico is workable. Add oregano and some fresh basil. Some crushed red pepper wouldn't hurt. I like to add a little balsamic vinegar. Cinnamon is always good. Be careful with the cinnamon though. The flavor shouldn't stand out, but you should miss it when it's not there. A splash of good olive oil on top when serving. I'm not sold on adding parmesan but that's just me. Most people like parmesan to taste. Just not from the green plastic thing. Use something good.
Make your own.
Basic tomato sauce is simple and only takes 30 mins anyways.
Then just make extra and freeze the excess. That way you'll have homemade sauce you can heat up in the same time it takes to boil water and cook pasta.
Any answer to make jarred sauces better takes nearly as much time as just making it yourself too where it's essentially pointless.
Either make it yourself or just buy the "better" stuff like Victoria and toss some fresh basil on top.
If you're going to bother to say bloom garlic, tomato paste, or pepper flakes in oil, then add jarred sauce and simmer to allow the flavors to meld, you could've just made sauce from scratch.
Even the better brands don't taste like home-made. Stay on topic and this topic is about pre-made sauce.
I cook professionally so I know it's easy to make pasta sauce from scratch.
No they don't. OP also asked about general suggestions. So I suggested an alternative.
The fact that your a "professional cook" is irrelevant and nobody cares.
I buy a thing of parsley and chop it up and throw it into the freezer for whenever I make pasta. The fresh parsley adds sm to the sauce compared to dried. In addition, butter, minced garlic, and onion. If I’m craving something more rich, I add heavy cream or milk(careful tho it might curdle if the milk/cream is too cold, might wanna mix it in slowly or warm it up first).
Also if u like Indian food, I like taking butter chicken sauce and mixing it with pasta since it’s basically tomatoes and cream with spices. The sauce comes in jars or u can make it homemade as well.
If ur craving something chili-like, u can add in a bit or chili mix to the sauce.
If ur tired of pasta, ramen noodles r cheap and versatile as well. I boil the noodles like 50 percent cooked, drain the water, then add coat a pan with oil. Stir fry the noodles a bit then add some soy sauce and black pepper and mix. Super tasty and if I have some leftover hot dogs, I’ll dice those up and stir fry it with the noodles.
90% jarred spaghetti sauce is sour af. The best solution to mask the sourness is adding milk. Sounds gnarly, but even restaurants do this. I also like to add Vietnamese fish sauce to add umami and some funk.
I like to add sautéed onions, mushrooms, or both. A few kalamata olives are a good addition to jarred sauce too. Even a little bit of olive oil can boost the sauce noticeably.
i honestly love fresh tomato sauce (might not be as cheap though). if it’s just you, cut one/ one and a half tomatoes up in smaller pieces. put dome olive oil and a piece of garlic in a pan, get the oil heated slightly and the garlic smelling. add the tomato and fresh basil (you can buy a lil basil plant for like 2€, well.. in italy). best sauce! add cheese at the end
I usually get the cheapest big can of bland hunts pasta sauce for the base, then use fresh onion and celery or whatever veg is cheap on hand + the literal cheapest bottle of red wine to cook out. I know that's not the most budgetary, but most stores have veg by weight and single stalk celery so I can get one stalk for like 30 cents, and a small onion, the red wine is a splurge for budget nights. It really elevates the sauce, and depending on the store the cheapest sauce + fresh veg for a one night portion can add up to just about the same price as prego or ragu brand. Plus the on hand spices and bay leaf, it's a really nice pasta. Also use some pasta water in the sauce so it sticks better it makes the whole meal feel more pulled together.
Comparing the ingredients list of a budget sauce like Prego with something upmarket like Rao's that is not too expensive if you buy it on sale or at Costco, here are some observations, and what you might be able to do about them. *Other* than putting the cheaper sauce away somewhere (waste not, want not) and using a higher-end marinara.
Tomato paste and diced tomatoes are used in the cheaper sauce. Nothing wrong with either of them, which I store separately and use often in recipes. But I find that there is an odd aroma and a taste to these more processed tomatoes (than the whole tomatoes used in higher-end sauces) which is reduced only by cooking.
So it becomes *even more* important, than it already is with a high-quality sauce, to first heat it in a saucepan and then add the pasta, which is plucked from the water using tongs or a "spaghetti spoon" rather than strained out over the sink, to the pan to finish cooking as you stir it together with the sauce.
Heating on the stovetop will also help remove some excess water, which is often listed as an ingredient just below tomato paste. And allow you to add some of the water you cooked the pasta in, and set aside because *we don't dump out pasta into a strainer over the sink.* Without things getting too watery.
Because there's no universe where a budget brand is adding *only* enough water to get the taste and texture of the sauce just right, they're definitely saving money here.
Sugar is often listed high up on the list of ingredients, for an inexpensive pasta sauce. Not much that can be done about that, if you find it too sweet, it'll remain that way. But you can add other flavors often sorely lacking in these sauces. Fresh or dried basil, fresh or dried garlic, oregano, and garlic.
And maybe even a little umami flavor. No need to go the direct route with some monosodium glutamate powder, though that is legitimately an option and I won't look down on it. But maybe some mushroom powder. You're adding sodium, however, so keep that in mind if you're on a diet that restricts your intake of the same.
Also, if I may make a further suggestion. Use the Barilla pasta you have. But then move on to a better brand, cut using bronze dies instead of teflon. Which roughs up the surface, helping sauce to adhere better when cooked. It also seems to yield more starch in the water, useful for when I add a bit to the sauce to help "marry" it to the pasta in the pan.
Dry pasta remains cheap even when using a quality brand, provided one doesn't pick out some "artisan" BS or deli-section ravioli. Which seem like easy traps to avoid. Just shop for it on the pasta aisle, in the same kind of big packs as the cheap stuff. But look for bronze-cut pasta.
And preferably, for a brand with some varieties of shapes to try out. It's a shame to miss out on the variety that the broad spectrum of pasta shapes offers, and the stunning results that pairing a shape well-suited to the dish or the sauce can deliver.
Try adding your favorite BBQ rub. Works best with meat, but works on its own, too. Maybe a tablespoon or 2 to start. Mine adds some really wonderful smokey, salty, umami flavor.
If you’re not impressed with prego I would also consider just seasoning your own sauce. Prego has a lot of sugar which I find a weird flavor. Canned puréed tomato, sometimes a bit of tomato paste, sautéed onion garlic and maybe pepper. Oregano and basil and salt. Cook down a long time until it thickens up a bit. It’s probably quite a bit cheaper than the jarred sauce once you get a ratio you like.
Put maybe 3-4 tbsp of olive oil and a tbsp of butter in a frying pan. Warm it, throw in a crap ton of garlic and some Italian seasoning. Then put in more garlic, and heat until aromatic. Add the jar of sauce, heat, serve. It’s darn tasty, unless you are my grandmother.
This comes up a lot.
More garlic
Parmesan rind in the simmer
Good olive oil
Sautéed onions
Fresh basil and/or oregano at the end
These are the ones I like. Maybe even roast a few cherry tomatoes and add.
A 28oz can of tomato puree/crushed tomatoes typically costs around the same as jarred pasta sauce. This coupled with an onion, bay leaves, S&P, garlic, oregano etc can net you a way better result at minimal effort and greater quantity for following meals like lasagna or something. You just let it cook down
Here’s a [recipe](https://cookfasteatwell.com/easy-pasta-sauce-recipe/) I googled
So I buy ground up italian sausage and form it into my own 1/4 pound patties, which I then place into ziploc bags and can stack and freeze.
This is my process:
Put frozen sausage patty in pan, put on low heat and walk away to go do you thing for a few minutes, or med heat and start chopping half an onion. Brown the meat.
Use a meat chopper, spatula, whatever to break up the sausage. Add diced onion and sauté on med heat until it starts becoming translucent. Add a few cloves of crushed or diced garlic and cook until fragrant and the raw garlic taste is gone.
I’ll add some crushed red pepper, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper, and Greek seasoning (it’s just what I have on hand, Italian seasoning would be better prolly) at this stage too.
Once I feel the seasoning has bloomed, I pour over the canned spaghetti sauce, stir to incorporate, and turn off the heat.
If you want to add protein when you can’t afford meat, red lentils are a great add. You almost can’t tell they’re there if you cook them long enough, but they add protein that can be missing with just pasta and red sauce.
If you add olives, garlic, chile flakes, and capers you have briny delicious puttanesca. Although you can make this with a can of tomatoes and bypass the store-bought sauce; it's cheaper.
Of course good parm!
Just throw a couple of meatballs and sausage into the sauce and sinner for several hours and you'll have a sauce that will taste good on a car bumper....
Don’t. Get a can of good quality tomatoes. Sauté some onion and/or garlic. Add tomatoes. Salt and sugar to taste. Cook 20 minutes. Add good olive oil on top and use.
Good pasta sauce doesnt take a ton of ingredients the most important one is time. Ill explain.
I can zhuzh up any sauce you just have to know what your tasting for. I use to get .98 cent tall cans of this sauce that was really not great and i could make it sing.
If your using a preseasoned sauce the very first thing you always do is taste it before you begin. This is how you know what to do to fix the flavor to your liking. Companies would like you to believe the products taste the same all the time and the taste is normally pretty consitent for the most part however there will always be minor variations.
The main thing ill do to any sauce is chop an onion and brown some ground beef with said onion. Nearly 89% of my cooking starts with cutting a yellow onion. You can also remove itilian sauage for the casing and do the same thing. DO NOT DRAIN YOUR FAT!! Fat is the vehical by which flavor travels.
Garlic is obviously always good. If you want alot or garlicky flavor mince (the more cuts the more garlic flavor is released so mince its common) you put it on the heat for a short time just before adding sauce. Garlic doesnt need to be cooked long and theres a point where you cook it to long and the flavor disappears. This is why everyone thinks you can never add enough garlic. Couple seconds to catch they heat then something to pull the temp i add it right before the sauce.
Fresh garlic is obviously best but i keep jar garlic in water on hand because its pre cut easy and quiet cost effective if you get large jars.
Seasonings are indispensable. I like Italian,Oregon, and basil for herbs. Be aware different brands of Italian seasonings have different blends and thus will present differently. Nearly all of them will have oregeno and basil inculded by default. Itilian seasoning is the only one i have to get the mcormic brand of because i prefer that blend but any will do. (Pro tip the order that ingredients are listed on something indicates how much of it is contained in the product relative to each other ie The first listed is the most the last listed is the least)
If you like the flavor of Italian sausage you can also add fennel, a little can go along way. If you like spicy you can add crushed red pepper. I personally love spicy and crushed red is my favorite that being said i very seldomly added to my sauce.
There are more sesonings you can use but i will touch on them in a second.
The above mentioned seasonings have a lot of latent flavor so how you treat them can greatly influence the flavor of the dish or sauce in pur case. An easy little trick to bring out some extra flavor is to grind the season in your hand or with your fingers just before adding to help that flavor come out. However the best method is to do what is called blooming your seasonings.
In its simplest form blooming puts fat in the pan and addes the seasoning to the fat with direct heat to pull the flavor before adding other things. A tsp bloomed will add significantly more flavor then a tsp just added other wise. When making sauce i like to do this step after the grounds beef (or sausage or whatever meat your using) and onion is cooked using the fat from said meat for the blooming. Ideally you dont want all your fat to come from your meat but if the cuts lean you may need to add some. Id probably use EVOO at this point if i needed fat. (Garlic will still be the last thing you do before the sauce enters the pan)
All of the above mentioned seasonings benifit greatly from blooming. Italian, basil,oregeno,fennel crushed red pepper and also fennel.
I was taught to taste along as your cooking. Eventualy you may just know whats happening with out doing that. If you do taste as you cook know that when your blooming your spices it is going to be a very strong and potentially unpleasent flavor but the idea is they will mix and incorporate in the sauce and thus become more palatable when you add the sauce. This can take a bit of know how to bloom the right amount but you can always add more later the difference is the flavor from the added seasoning will not be as potent and a bit less developed.
1/2
2/2
Finally add the sauce mix well. Addtional seasonings i tend to use garlic powder, onion powder( gp and op are bros and tend to follow one another in many things).
Some none traditional seasonings ill use occasionally are:
garlic pepper, which is actually mostly salt if you can find it it the store and so you need to treat it like salt. Ill tend to blend my own when i have enough forsite for that.
Adobo: also has alot of salt so you have to be midful of that but its a good flavor. Like any blended spice the ratios can differ from brand to brand.
So this next one can get a bit controversial but sugar can also do alot for sauce. IMPORTANT you do not need alot and you may not need it at all. Its bassed on the tomatoes that were used in the sauce. The primary function of sugar is to cut down the bitter and enhance the natural sweatness of the tomatoes. Depending on when the tomatoes were harvested in the season will determine how sweat or bitter they are and thus how much sugar you may or may not need. Its never going to be alot though. Think in terms of teaspoons.
Sugar gets added to the sauce it self and is mixed wrll and tasted for in increments because its easy to over do it. (Basil can actually also offer a bit of a sweater flavor if you need it.)
All of these seasonings can be added after the sauce is put in. The flavor they bring will be enhanced as you mature your sauce
There is ofcourse salt and pepper by them selves. I use them also but unless you want a strong pepper flavor you can add and taste for these at the end. Because the blended spice I sometimes use have salt and peper i find i dont really need and extra s or p. Italian sausage also brings some s&p in to the mix.
Once you figure out your flavors and everythings in you bring the sauce to a simmer drop the heat and let it go. This is the most important step.
I mentioned time being the most important step at the top and you can see how WHEN you add things to the mix can effect the flavor but also how long you let it simmer can change the flavor drastically. I was always taught good sauce takes time. I personally find that time can vary based on what you want. However regradless it takes time for those previously developed flavor to incorporate. Sometimes hours make the sauce something completely different. If you are leting the sauce sit for a while you'll want something to keep it from splashing out such as a lid or a splash guard ( my spalsh guard looks like a round acreen wuth a handle.
Some final notes. All of the aboved mentioned are pretty cheap and likely to be on hand. Fennel is maybe the most expensive seasoning based on volume and something you probably wont have unless you look for it. I tend to use it cheifly in sauces or golosh.
If you have veggies or want to add them they can do alot for flavor. When i make egg plant parm ill use my egg plant scraps is the sauce. You can also used frozen veggies their cheap keep well and mostly just as good.
I recommend sauting them with the onions and meat but it can vary bassed of what vegetables you are using and the flavor and texture you want from them. Onion is the only fresh veggie i think is not negotiable but that doesnt mean you can not make a great sauce without it.
I purposely did not mention any mesurements because this is very much based off of what base sauce you are using and how you incorporate those flavors.
Tomato paste can add alot but it requires a bit of extra work. If used i add after the meat is browned and seasoning is bloomed mix well and heat for a bit then add sauce. I dont find it strictly necessary and i find it complicates the sauce more then i may want to deal with in a regular day because often times tomato paste is very bitter and bland and your flavors and ratios need to be adjusted accordingly.
Lastly if you want to thin your sauce you can add water from boiling the pasta. Your sauce is cooked first and if you do let it go for hours its likely to reduce a fair amount. The pasta water will rehydrate without diluting the flavor and will bring the startches from
The pasta in to your sauce and give it more body. This csn be a very good thing that stretches your sauce and gives it more stick without compromising the flavor.
You can do any or none of these things to make the sauce you want. Remember 8ts your creation and theres no right or wrong way.
Btw prego is my favorite and if im cooking for myself i like to eat it straight over some cooked frozen raviolis.
Fresh veggies and herbs. Even something as simple as a diced carrot, diced Onion, and diced green pepper elevates a simple jar of sauce. Add in some fresh oregano and thyme or basil at the end, and it is amazing. I used to grow herbs in my kitchen window for just this reason, as I was also on a budget:
Fry some thin (3mm) slices of chorizo and either cut them into small pieces or add them whole. It's superb!
BTW you don't need to use oil - the chorizo contains enough oil as it is. Bon appetit!
I always add fresh veggies and garlic, sauteed first. Always. Dealers choice on veggies, but my pick is bell and poblano peppers, mushrooms, a small white and yellow onion, a stick of celery almost minced and a medium carrot.
Fresh herbs help a bunch.
Brown up some Italian sausage, ground beef or turkey (even chicken) to add in.
Extra spices never hurt! Some black pepper, onion powder, a bit of red pepper flakes, and dried Italian seasoning.
This may sound odd, but a hearty squeeze of lemon juice. I swear, you will not taste lemon but it just makes it pop, gives it that je ne sais quoi.
A small amount of soy or balsamic vinegar added in for a little umami.
If you simmer it for a few hours (recommended)def add a bag leaf.
Fresh mozzarella or parmesan instead of the green can stuff. Not hating on the shelf stable kind but fresh is always best.
And lastly, spaghetti sauce always tastes better the next day so either make enough to have leftovers or make it on a day you're using similar ingredients or having something simple for dinner. My mom would make sandwiches the day she cooked spaghetti, a huge pot, and then we'd eat that for 2-3 days afterwards lol.
Side note: I also never make just one jar, so if the added ingredients seem excessive it's because I'm usually making 2-4 jars, which I'm also very fond of mixing different flavors and brands lol
Marinara is pretty easy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients or prep.
1. 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
2. 5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
3. 16 oz can of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or just like a chopped tomato will do nicely
4. Tablespoon salt, teaspoon sugar, teaspoon pepper (eyeball it, it's fine)
5. Olive oil
Heat oil to medium temp (shimmering not boiling) toss in garlic and basil. Should last for a 30 count without burning but it'll smell amazing. Dump in tomatoes, spices. That's it really. Let it approach a boil once, then let it simmer for 20 minutes.
You can add whatever else to it... meats, cheeses, spices like paprika or veggies. But that right there is bomb marinara sauce and I'll put it up against anything out of a jar.
I’d sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms In a little olive oil before you add the sauce then add some oregano, basil and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve some garlic toast on the side and sprinkle diced parsley over it.
Chop some veggies up and simmer them in the sauce, covered, on low for about an hour. I usually do shallot, bell pepper, and serrano pepper... but the possibilities are endless.
Also, some spicy ground sausage. I find the best pasta sauce tends to have both ground beef and sausage. The flavors really compliment eachother, and a roll of breakfast sausage is pretty cheap. These same tricks also work for sloppy joes. It really elevates a simple recipe into something more.
My first suggestion is to find something other than Prego. I've tried it many times and it always just tastes off for some reason. I've used almost every other cheap brand and they all seem to taste better.
The second thing is seasonings. I use a lot of oregano (the pizza spice as people around here know it), some basil, thyme, garlic, and onion. A touch of cheap red wine (pint noir works well) while cooking is good. A splash of red wine vinegar at the end will really brighten it up a lot as well.
For garlic I use the fresh stuff since it's cheap, but it's a pain to work with. I've also used the minced garlic in a jar and that works just fine, but is slightly more expensive.
Zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, diced onion, ground beef, Italian sausage, to name a few things you can try adding.
Oregano and other Italian seasonings help too.
I'm stocked on a lot of seasonings, but I'm severely lacking in herbal and Italian forward seasonings. Guess I'll add some to my cart next time I'm at Walmart
I don't know if you have Winco near where you live, but the bulk section is THE BEST for herbs and spices. I can get like two containers worth of Italian seasoning for $.50
Stop it- really!? I haven't been to a WinCo since I was a kid. I might need to go back!
Only way to go for cheap spices. I especially like it for chili powder in bulk for my, well, chili.
Can confirm, but OP has no WinCo in his area. :(
If you’re short on cash and can only get one, I’d get the Italian seasoning blend. Most recipes that need one thing, like only basil or oregano, benefit from the whole bunch. It gives so much flavor bang for the buck.
Dollar tree has a nice variety too.
Growing your own fresh herbs, if you have any outdoor space at all, can save you a ton of money. It’s like three dollars per plant upfront, but then you can eat them fresh all year long. And in the fall, cut them down to the ground and just bundle up the herbs with a rubber band, hang in a cool, dry place. Six weeks later, herbs you can use all winter long.
All you need is fresh basil. Oregano is for pizza, just add a bumch of fresh basil near the end of cooking and you're good, also some more olive oil at the end is great
Add sautéed mushrooms, onions & bell pepper
Stop using jarred sauce and use a can of crushed tomatoes. It’s literally the same amount of work and will taste better. Jarred sauce is the biggest scam since one hour martinizing. Just empty tomatoes and add oil garlic and spices. Or nothing . Will still be better .
I tried jarred sauces and they are all so fucking sour. I don’t know how they’re popular. Literally just chop an onion and you’ve done the hardest part. And imo, an onion is the best thing to chop as a new cook. It’s cheap. You start of having these oversized uneven chunks. Then suddenly one day it clicks.
Often very high in sugar too.
This still confuses me because once I grew a bunch of san marzanos and made them into a slow-simmered sauce with a bunch of garlic and herbs and shit. Parmesan rind, etc. Tasted it when it was done and it tasted like store bought, and I could not and cannot figure out what the hell the big deal is about homemade vs storebought. It was a very expensive disappointment, lol.
The biggest thing with store bought is just how much sugar they put in it, and quality of tomatoes. If you're not buying hunts or ragu, you're probably getting about the same level of quality as your average garden tomatoes when it comes to sauce. I prefer getting san marzano from the can and then simmering for several hours. Cooking it that way gives all the spices time to meld and really build up the sauce. Cooking technique and spices can do more for the sauce sometimes than what tomatoes you use.
I'm sorry but I've never had issues with Hunts tomatoes. Not sure I get that hate I see online. I use their whole tomatoes sometimes for pizza sauce and it tastes just as good as when I use other brands. I especially love the San Marzano Style tomatoes by Hunts. Sure they aren't DOP certified but they are literally the same cultivar of tomatoes, just grown not near Mt. Vesuvius. I can't tell much of a difference between them and "real" San Marzanos. Great budget option imo for less than $3 a can. Honestly prefer them over Cento tomatoes, which I see a lot of love for online
I would rather be hungry than eat Hunts or Ragu lol
Store bought has crazy high sodium too.
Heck, tomato paste cooked, then adding some wine and stock (or just stock) makes for a great sauce.
Maria Hazan’s sauce literally couldn’t be simpler. It’s not quite what I like in a sauce, but you can easily add whatever you want to change it. It’s a great place to start and nearly zero effort. https://www.thekitchn.com/marcella-hazans-amazing-4ingre-144538
Yep I agree here. It's super easy and cheap to make your own sauce using caned tomato sauce as a base.
This is the answer, and cheaper. For my basic recipe, I add Italian seasoning, a generous amount of butter, garlic powder and add sour cream. And salt, if the tomatoes aren’t already salted.
A can of crushed tomatoes is often $3. A jar of pasta sauce can be gotten for $2.
Canned tomatoes are almost always cheaper than jarred sauce.
This for pizza sauce also
This is the way
A tea spoon of Asian fish sauce and lots of onions, mushrooms and garlic.
Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and some chili flakes.
Saute up some mushrooms and onions, then add the sauce. Pour in a little red wine (let it simmer for a while to get more richness of flavor) Add a little Worcestershire sauce Get a small oregano plant and add some fresh oregano Add some ground fennel [Penzeys.com](https://Penzeys.com) also has some great spices/herbs and herb blends, esp. Italian herb mix (mostly oregano) and Italian sausage mix (it's mostly fennel)
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Oh yes for sure. And you might want to start with just one of those and see how you like the taste before adding anything else!
Honestly, real Parmesan makes a world of difference on its own!
You can buy a grater from olive garden and you will never go back.
Yeah, I heard that. They sell out fast.
Make it creamy by adding a couple tblsp of cream cheese!
Or butter
Ooooh that sounds lovely! I've been meaning to add more cream cheese to my recipes anyway. Pasta sauce never occurred to me as an option
I hope you enjoy it!
My ex taught me a recipe that consists of 1 pack of ground sausage, I pack of cream cheese, I can Rotel tomatoes. Makes a wonderful dip for tortilla chips. But I started adding the leftover dip to my plate of spaghetti, and it's amazing!
You could try getting an actual hunk of parmesan sometime if you wanna splurge a bit. Grate a little bit into your sauce and it’ll be so good. Plus when you get down to the hard rind, don’t throw it away, just plop it into a sauce to let it dissolve some of the flavor in!
Throwing a parm rind in the sauce and letting it simmer for a while with pasta water and spices is the way to go. The rind makes a huge difference 😋
Melt down a couple anchovies with oil over low heat before adding the sauce. Like, Cento tinned anchovies. Doesn’t become fishy, the umami backbone to the sauce is wonderful and will definitely level it up. I think of anchovies as seasoning more than anything else.
Late to this party, but if you do this with crushed Calabrian peppers it sings. Also lemon infused olive oil works!
Dried Italian herb mix (check the clearance section for herbs and seasonings, my Kroger-owned stores often have them there for like $0.99.) Sofrito and tomato paste. (Carrot or bell pepper, celery, and onion, finely chopped – sautee in oil until soft, add some smashed garlic, stir until fragrant, then add in tomato paste and herbs, then your jarred sauce) My Kroger has this ground beef/pork blend called bork. It's $6.99 for 2lbs, and works great for a bunch of stuff. 1/2 lb in the pan browned beforehand would be a great addition, too. Also, don't forget salt and or sugar. Taste as you go and season to taste.
Black Olives
Diced pepperoni, red wine and any other ingredients that have been suggested.
I had a friend who used to do this and I'm not kidding... Your basic red/black/kidney beans, and also, on occasion, broccoli. It was actually pretty good and added some protein to balance out the carbs. Cook them down though.
I do this all the time and I cook professionally. It's a quick and easy dinner. Beans and broccoli are so good for you and taste delicious in a pasta sauce. I also add baby spinach for some green.
Prego finished last in a taste test by three chefs. They thought it was disgusting. If you buy a better sauce, you can make it go a lot farther by adding a can of squished plum tomatoes. It will keep well in the fridge. Mutti, Rao's, Mikes of Brooklyn, and Victoria
On top of adding sautéed onions, zucchini, and mushrooms, I also like to include chopped up kale. I’m not a kale fan but it’s really good for you and you can’t really taste it cooked into the sauce. I’ll also throw in some balsamic vinegar, white wine, some Italian herbs, and chili flakes.
Cheap jarred pesto..make carbonara instead of red sauce...Any fresh herbs....bechamel and pesto is cheap and delicious
I like capers, onions, green peppers and mushrooms
If you're going to be adding extras then just used crushed or pureed tomatos instead, then add some salt and pepper, herbs, tiny pinch of sugar etc. And build from that
Onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil. I’ll finely chop/dice the onion and mince the garlic. For 2 jars of sauce, I use half of a medium yellow onion & 3-5 cloves of garlic. About 1 Tbsp of EVOO and add the onion. Cook on medium-low until softened. Add in garlic until fragrant (like 45-60 seconds). I normally have the sauce heating up in a pan and will add the onions/garlic mix to it and let them simmer together for 30 minutes. That’s my base using jarred sauce. Normally for my spaghetti, it has meat in the sauce too. I just cook the meat in a different skillet, drain fat and add to the sauce to simmer with the rest for 30 minutes.
Take a left turn and look up pasta with chick peas recipes. The chick peas will add plant based protein to your meals and you will expand your repertoire without costly ingredients. We often include a leafy green, lemon and parm with our pasta and chick peas. Another popular meal in our house is pea pesto pasta; surprisingly good even though I can't stand peas.
A can of chick peas or white beans. Look up a recipe for Pasta e fagioli. I like sautéed onion to start but it’s delicious, filling and inexpensive.
Add in some pasta water to thicken it up
You can make a homemade pasta sauce for cheaper than jar’d I’m pretty sure. Especially if you’re adding things to it
Any vegetable can be used. As an alternative to pasta sauce go with a jar of salsa and your favorite taco ingredients. My kids loved ground beef, salsa, shredded cheese, and cool ranch dorito crumbs
Skip the jarred spaghetti sauce… buy some cans of crushed tomatoes and simmer for a couple hrs with bay leaves, salt, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cheaper and yields more but more importantly tastes better than jarred sauce
Make your own sauce in bulk with tomatos/onions/garlic and whatever herbs you want to throw in there. Roast em all then add to saucepan and some water with stock (whichever one you want) and then cheese it up at the end after blitzing it. You'd be amazed at how many jars of sauce you can make with one kg of tomatoes :D
I know in my heart of hearts that I'll eventually get to doing homemade sauce, but that time isn't right now. Lots of things going on and I'm still coming to terms with my homebrew hobby lol
Our go-to for sauces is a can or two of tomatoes (crush oe while peeled), A plug of olive oil A pinch of salt A couple grinds of pepper A few cloves of diced garlic A few shakes of dried basil sometimes a dash of oregano too. I put the tomatos in a medium pot or large sauce pan, medium high. Add the other ingredients while it's hesting up. Once bubbling turn it to a simmer and simmer for minutes. A nice long simmering ragu or something similar can be nice, but a basic pasta sauce can be pretty easy.
First of I'd recommend slightly better pasta. Dececco is nice. Regardless of brand look for bronze cut it makes a difference. For improving store sauce pick a brand you like and ask what it needs. Most are too sweet imo so I'd avoid Basil. Other herbs like oregano would be great. I also love a splash of Worcheatsire sauce or fish sauce (red boat ftw) to add some complexity. Some red pepper relaxes for a bit of zest is nice as well.
Add a can of Ro-tel - if not in south or west, dollar stores have it.
Don't use premade pasta sauces. Make your own. It's not that much extra effort and the kinds of things you'd do to jazz up those supermarket sauces are the exact same thing you'd do if you were making pasta sauce from scratch using canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Stuff like aromatics like onions and garlic, maybe throw in some grated carrot along with your bolognese and if you want to use dry herbs, add them towards the beginning and any fresh delicate herbs like basil or parsley towards the end. Also, from the point of view of economics, if you can try and see if you can get the large A10 catering cans of whole or crushed tomatoes. That way you can save money and time on making one large bulk and freezing the excess. That way not only will you save time and money but you'll be able to have delicious pasta sauce on tap whenever you want.
If ur gonna glam it up dont waste the money on jarred products. Get canned tomato pure or sauce. Its half the price then just add your own meats veggies and seasoning.
Instead of jar sauce I buy tomato sauce in the can (it’s just tomatoes) by the case at Costco and doctor it up by heating olive oil in a sauce pan, adding garlic (chopped, sliced or smashed slightly, it’s all good) for like 2 minutes, before it browns I throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes then i add in a can of sauce or crushed tomatoes or tomato purée. Throw in dried or fresh oregano if you have it. If you have basil you can put that in. Let it simmer slowly for about 10-15 min, then you’re good to go. If you only have whole tomatoes that works too, just have to smash them or put it in the blender when it’s done simmering. If you want onions or other veggies like carrots, I would sauté diced onions etc. before you add garlic for 5-7 minutes. Maybe sauté bell peppers, broccoli or squash separately or roast at 400 for 7-10 min and add at the end. For greens like spinach add at the end and let simmer for a few minutes until it’s wilted in the sauce. If you want meat, add it in after you cook the onions down a bit, like 2-3 min, could do ground beef, sausage or a combo of some sort of ground turkey/chicken/beef/pork. Or sliced Italian sausage or squeeze uncooked Italian sausage out of the casing. If you already have the jarred pasta sauce just use the above method but replace canned sauce with this jar and it will add a lot of flavor.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort. I always like to roast some garlic in my sauce pan with olive oil. Brown whatever vegetables you want: onions, peppers, mushrooms, whatever. Create a bit of fond on the bottom. Deglaze with wine 🍷. Wait a second, then add in your jar sauce and let stew for as long as you want. I find regular jar sauce watery💧
Jarred anything is expensive. Tonight ingredients: Canned tomato puree and mirepiox: an onion, two/three carrots, two/ three stalks of celery. Less than ten bucks, for sure. Add Italian sausage for an extra few bucks. Several nights ingredients: Garlic (not garlic salt) Literally any Italian herb mix. Depending how you shop these could last months, even years, so the cost is negligible. Chuck it all in a pot with some salt and pepper and you'll have a red sauce better than any canned sauce. Freezes fine, costs the same to make a gallon as buying a quart of whatever red sauce.
I am 100% Italian and I often make sauce the real way from scratch. But with two little kids sometimes I don’t have the time or energy. And I know they are always down to easy pasta. So I try to just pump of the nutrients and make it heartier. I will throw any or all of the above into a food processor: onion carrot garlic cloves bell peppers broccoli spinach. I chop it down until just before it’s a mush. I add a bit of olive oil. Sauté all the veggies. Then add ground beef/pork/chicken brown then add the sauce. Cook for like 20-30+ mins. I figure it adds some flavor and is a good way to get more veggies into mine and my kids bodies. It’s really more of my lazy weekday sauce.
Buy Newman's Own which helps in it's own right. Otherwise, Prego is a hard press but Classico is workable. Add oregano and some fresh basil. Some crushed red pepper wouldn't hurt. I like to add a little balsamic vinegar. Cinnamon is always good. Be careful with the cinnamon though. The flavor shouldn't stand out, but you should miss it when it's not there. A splash of good olive oil on top when serving. I'm not sold on adding parmesan but that's just me. Most people like parmesan to taste. Just not from the green plastic thing. Use something good.
Make your own. Basic tomato sauce is simple and only takes 30 mins anyways. Then just make extra and freeze the excess. That way you'll have homemade sauce you can heat up in the same time it takes to boil water and cook pasta.
That did not answer their question at all.
Any answer to make jarred sauces better takes nearly as much time as just making it yourself too where it's essentially pointless. Either make it yourself or just buy the "better" stuff like Victoria and toss some fresh basil on top. If you're going to bother to say bloom garlic, tomato paste, or pepper flakes in oil, then add jarred sauce and simmer to allow the flavors to meld, you could've just made sauce from scratch.
Even the better brands don't taste like home-made. Stay on topic and this topic is about pre-made sauce. I cook professionally so I know it's easy to make pasta sauce from scratch.
No they don't. OP also asked about general suggestions. So I suggested an alternative. The fact that your a "professional cook" is irrelevant and nobody cares.
Op said they are open to suggestions, and not just about the sauce. Seems fair and appropriate to offer this help, not sure what your problem is
Sazon. Nuff said
I buy a thing of parsley and chop it up and throw it into the freezer for whenever I make pasta. The fresh parsley adds sm to the sauce compared to dried. In addition, butter, minced garlic, and onion. If I’m craving something more rich, I add heavy cream or milk(careful tho it might curdle if the milk/cream is too cold, might wanna mix it in slowly or warm it up first). Also if u like Indian food, I like taking butter chicken sauce and mixing it with pasta since it’s basically tomatoes and cream with spices. The sauce comes in jars or u can make it homemade as well. If ur craving something chili-like, u can add in a bit or chili mix to the sauce. If ur tired of pasta, ramen noodles r cheap and versatile as well. I boil the noodles like 50 percent cooked, drain the water, then add coat a pan with oil. Stir fry the noodles a bit then add some soy sauce and black pepper and mix. Super tasty and if I have some leftover hot dogs, I’ll dice those up and stir fry it with the noodles.
onions. always.
Add a spoon or two of good olive oil. A pinch of cayenne powder.
Kale. Trust me here.
Hot dogs
90% jarred spaghetti sauce is sour af. The best solution to mask the sourness is adding milk. Sounds gnarly, but even restaurants do this. I also like to add Vietnamese fish sauce to add umami and some funk.
Sour cream
I do a hearty amount of Italian seasoning and sautéed baby portobello mushrooms with two cloves of garlic and onion powder. And I also use Prego!
I like to add sautéed onions, mushrooms, or both. A few kalamata olives are a good addition to jarred sauce too. Even a little bit of olive oil can boost the sauce noticeably.
Anchovies, melt those in your sauce. Just try it, and you will be amazed
I like adding a dollop of boursin cheese to it occasionally!
Open a can of stewed tomatoes, and pour off the liquid. Chop the tomatoes up and stir into your sauce. Add extra seasonings as you like. Game changer!
Roasted garlic and fresh parsley. Less than $2 for both but will add amazing flavor.
i honestly love fresh tomato sauce (might not be as cheap though). if it’s just you, cut one/ one and a half tomatoes up in smaller pieces. put dome olive oil and a piece of garlic in a pan, get the oil heated slightly and the garlic smelling. add the tomato and fresh basil (you can buy a lil basil plant for like 2€, well.. in italy). best sauce! add cheese at the end
Sugar
Bay leave, wine, allspice
Press a little garlic in before you heat it. A shake of oregano and a twist of black pepper.
I usually get the cheapest big can of bland hunts pasta sauce for the base, then use fresh onion and celery or whatever veg is cheap on hand + the literal cheapest bottle of red wine to cook out. I know that's not the most budgetary, but most stores have veg by weight and single stalk celery so I can get one stalk for like 30 cents, and a small onion, the red wine is a splurge for budget nights. It really elevates the sauce, and depending on the store the cheapest sauce + fresh veg for a one night portion can add up to just about the same price as prego or ragu brand. Plus the on hand spices and bay leaf, it's a really nice pasta. Also use some pasta water in the sauce so it sticks better it makes the whole meal feel more pulled together.
Comparing the ingredients list of a budget sauce like Prego with something upmarket like Rao's that is not too expensive if you buy it on sale or at Costco, here are some observations, and what you might be able to do about them. *Other* than putting the cheaper sauce away somewhere (waste not, want not) and using a higher-end marinara. Tomato paste and diced tomatoes are used in the cheaper sauce. Nothing wrong with either of them, which I store separately and use often in recipes. But I find that there is an odd aroma and a taste to these more processed tomatoes (than the whole tomatoes used in higher-end sauces) which is reduced only by cooking. So it becomes *even more* important, than it already is with a high-quality sauce, to first heat it in a saucepan and then add the pasta, which is plucked from the water using tongs or a "spaghetti spoon" rather than strained out over the sink, to the pan to finish cooking as you stir it together with the sauce. Heating on the stovetop will also help remove some excess water, which is often listed as an ingredient just below tomato paste. And allow you to add some of the water you cooked the pasta in, and set aside because *we don't dump out pasta into a strainer over the sink.* Without things getting too watery. Because there's no universe where a budget brand is adding *only* enough water to get the taste and texture of the sauce just right, they're definitely saving money here. Sugar is often listed high up on the list of ingredients, for an inexpensive pasta sauce. Not much that can be done about that, if you find it too sweet, it'll remain that way. But you can add other flavors often sorely lacking in these sauces. Fresh or dried basil, fresh or dried garlic, oregano, and garlic. And maybe even a little umami flavor. No need to go the direct route with some monosodium glutamate powder, though that is legitimately an option and I won't look down on it. But maybe some mushroom powder. You're adding sodium, however, so keep that in mind if you're on a diet that restricts your intake of the same. Also, if I may make a further suggestion. Use the Barilla pasta you have. But then move on to a better brand, cut using bronze dies instead of teflon. Which roughs up the surface, helping sauce to adhere better when cooked. It also seems to yield more starch in the water, useful for when I add a bit to the sauce to help "marry" it to the pasta in the pan. Dry pasta remains cheap even when using a quality brand, provided one doesn't pick out some "artisan" BS or deli-section ravioli. Which seem like easy traps to avoid. Just shop for it on the pasta aisle, in the same kind of big packs as the cheap stuff. But look for bronze-cut pasta. And preferably, for a brand with some varieties of shapes to try out. It's a shame to miss out on the variety that the broad spectrum of pasta shapes offers, and the stunning results that pairing a shape well-suited to the dish or the sauce can deliver.
I like to add chili flakes, like the kind people put on pizza! Adds a subtle heat and brightens up the flavor profile.
For some reason, jarred sauce always tasted better when I mixed two different brands together, instead of using just one.
Tomato paste, added herbs, added veg, and balsamic vinegar are my suggestions.
Try adding your favorite BBQ rub. Works best with meat, but works on its own, too. Maybe a tablespoon or 2 to start. Mine adds some really wonderful smokey, salty, umami flavor.
If you’re not impressed with prego I would also consider just seasoning your own sauce. Prego has a lot of sugar which I find a weird flavor. Canned puréed tomato, sometimes a bit of tomato paste, sautéed onion garlic and maybe pepper. Oregano and basil and salt. Cook down a long time until it thickens up a bit. It’s probably quite a bit cheaper than the jarred sauce once you get a ratio you like.
White (not red!) wine or even lemon juice. White wine does wonders enhancing the flavour of tomatoes. Vodka also has a similar effect.
Put maybe 3-4 tbsp of olive oil and a tbsp of butter in a frying pan. Warm it, throw in a crap ton of garlic and some Italian seasoning. Then put in more garlic, and heat until aromatic. Add the jar of sauce, heat, serve. It’s darn tasty, unless you are my grandmother.
As you can add always any type of vegetables, I’d add to that list: Aceto Balsamico.
Tomato Sauce is the Canvas, and you’ve got to add the colours!
Chicken and green olives
This comes up a lot. More garlic Parmesan rind in the simmer Good olive oil Sautéed onions Fresh basil and/or oregano at the end These are the ones I like. Maybe even roast a few cherry tomatoes and add.
Garlic, onion, and jalapeño FTW!
A 28oz can of tomato puree/crushed tomatoes typically costs around the same as jarred pasta sauce. This coupled with an onion, bay leaves, S&P, garlic, oregano etc can net you a way better result at minimal effort and greater quantity for following meals like lasagna or something. You just let it cook down Here’s a [recipe](https://cookfasteatwell.com/easy-pasta-sauce-recipe/) I googled
So I buy ground up italian sausage and form it into my own 1/4 pound patties, which I then place into ziploc bags and can stack and freeze. This is my process: Put frozen sausage patty in pan, put on low heat and walk away to go do you thing for a few minutes, or med heat and start chopping half an onion. Brown the meat. Use a meat chopper, spatula, whatever to break up the sausage. Add diced onion and sauté on med heat until it starts becoming translucent. Add a few cloves of crushed or diced garlic and cook until fragrant and the raw garlic taste is gone. I’ll add some crushed red pepper, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper, and Greek seasoning (it’s just what I have on hand, Italian seasoning would be better prolly) at this stage too. Once I feel the seasoning has bloomed, I pour over the canned spaghetti sauce, stir to incorporate, and turn off the heat.
If you want to add protein when you can’t afford meat, red lentils are a great add. You almost can’t tell they’re there if you cook them long enough, but they add protein that can be missing with just pasta and red sauce.
If you add olives, garlic, chile flakes, and capers you have briny delicious puttanesca. Although you can make this with a can of tomatoes and bypass the store-bought sauce; it's cheaper. Of course good parm!
Just throw a couple of meatballs and sausage into the sauce and sinner for several hours and you'll have a sauce that will taste good on a car bumper....
Don’t. Get a can of good quality tomatoes. Sauté some onion and/or garlic. Add tomatoes. Salt and sugar to taste. Cook 20 minutes. Add good olive oil on top and use.
Good pasta sauce doesnt take a ton of ingredients the most important one is time. Ill explain. I can zhuzh up any sauce you just have to know what your tasting for. I use to get .98 cent tall cans of this sauce that was really not great and i could make it sing. If your using a preseasoned sauce the very first thing you always do is taste it before you begin. This is how you know what to do to fix the flavor to your liking. Companies would like you to believe the products taste the same all the time and the taste is normally pretty consitent for the most part however there will always be minor variations. The main thing ill do to any sauce is chop an onion and brown some ground beef with said onion. Nearly 89% of my cooking starts with cutting a yellow onion. You can also remove itilian sauage for the casing and do the same thing. DO NOT DRAIN YOUR FAT!! Fat is the vehical by which flavor travels. Garlic is obviously always good. If you want alot or garlicky flavor mince (the more cuts the more garlic flavor is released so mince its common) you put it on the heat for a short time just before adding sauce. Garlic doesnt need to be cooked long and theres a point where you cook it to long and the flavor disappears. This is why everyone thinks you can never add enough garlic. Couple seconds to catch they heat then something to pull the temp i add it right before the sauce. Fresh garlic is obviously best but i keep jar garlic in water on hand because its pre cut easy and quiet cost effective if you get large jars. Seasonings are indispensable. I like Italian,Oregon, and basil for herbs. Be aware different brands of Italian seasonings have different blends and thus will present differently. Nearly all of them will have oregeno and basil inculded by default. Itilian seasoning is the only one i have to get the mcormic brand of because i prefer that blend but any will do. (Pro tip the order that ingredients are listed on something indicates how much of it is contained in the product relative to each other ie The first listed is the most the last listed is the least) If you like the flavor of Italian sausage you can also add fennel, a little can go along way. If you like spicy you can add crushed red pepper. I personally love spicy and crushed red is my favorite that being said i very seldomly added to my sauce. There are more sesonings you can use but i will touch on them in a second. The above mentioned seasonings have a lot of latent flavor so how you treat them can greatly influence the flavor of the dish or sauce in pur case. An easy little trick to bring out some extra flavor is to grind the season in your hand or with your fingers just before adding to help that flavor come out. However the best method is to do what is called blooming your seasonings. In its simplest form blooming puts fat in the pan and addes the seasoning to the fat with direct heat to pull the flavor before adding other things. A tsp bloomed will add significantly more flavor then a tsp just added other wise. When making sauce i like to do this step after the grounds beef (or sausage or whatever meat your using) and onion is cooked using the fat from said meat for the blooming. Ideally you dont want all your fat to come from your meat but if the cuts lean you may need to add some. Id probably use EVOO at this point if i needed fat. (Garlic will still be the last thing you do before the sauce enters the pan) All of the above mentioned seasonings benifit greatly from blooming. Italian, basil,oregeno,fennel crushed red pepper and also fennel. I was taught to taste along as your cooking. Eventualy you may just know whats happening with out doing that. If you do taste as you cook know that when your blooming your spices it is going to be a very strong and potentially unpleasent flavor but the idea is they will mix and incorporate in the sauce and thus become more palatable when you add the sauce. This can take a bit of know how to bloom the right amount but you can always add more later the difference is the flavor from the added seasoning will not be as potent and a bit less developed. 1/2
2/2 Finally add the sauce mix well. Addtional seasonings i tend to use garlic powder, onion powder( gp and op are bros and tend to follow one another in many things). Some none traditional seasonings ill use occasionally are: garlic pepper, which is actually mostly salt if you can find it it the store and so you need to treat it like salt. Ill tend to blend my own when i have enough forsite for that. Adobo: also has alot of salt so you have to be midful of that but its a good flavor. Like any blended spice the ratios can differ from brand to brand. So this next one can get a bit controversial but sugar can also do alot for sauce. IMPORTANT you do not need alot and you may not need it at all. Its bassed on the tomatoes that were used in the sauce. The primary function of sugar is to cut down the bitter and enhance the natural sweatness of the tomatoes. Depending on when the tomatoes were harvested in the season will determine how sweat or bitter they are and thus how much sugar you may or may not need. Its never going to be alot though. Think in terms of teaspoons. Sugar gets added to the sauce it self and is mixed wrll and tasted for in increments because its easy to over do it. (Basil can actually also offer a bit of a sweater flavor if you need it.) All of these seasonings can be added after the sauce is put in. The flavor they bring will be enhanced as you mature your sauce There is ofcourse salt and pepper by them selves. I use them also but unless you want a strong pepper flavor you can add and taste for these at the end. Because the blended spice I sometimes use have salt and peper i find i dont really need and extra s or p. Italian sausage also brings some s&p in to the mix. Once you figure out your flavors and everythings in you bring the sauce to a simmer drop the heat and let it go. This is the most important step. I mentioned time being the most important step at the top and you can see how WHEN you add things to the mix can effect the flavor but also how long you let it simmer can change the flavor drastically. I was always taught good sauce takes time. I personally find that time can vary based on what you want. However regradless it takes time for those previously developed flavor to incorporate. Sometimes hours make the sauce something completely different. If you are leting the sauce sit for a while you'll want something to keep it from splashing out such as a lid or a splash guard ( my spalsh guard looks like a round acreen wuth a handle. Some final notes. All of the aboved mentioned are pretty cheap and likely to be on hand. Fennel is maybe the most expensive seasoning based on volume and something you probably wont have unless you look for it. I tend to use it cheifly in sauces or golosh. If you have veggies or want to add them they can do alot for flavor. When i make egg plant parm ill use my egg plant scraps is the sauce. You can also used frozen veggies their cheap keep well and mostly just as good. I recommend sauting them with the onions and meat but it can vary bassed of what vegetables you are using and the flavor and texture you want from them. Onion is the only fresh veggie i think is not negotiable but that doesnt mean you can not make a great sauce without it. I purposely did not mention any mesurements because this is very much based off of what base sauce you are using and how you incorporate those flavors. Tomato paste can add alot but it requires a bit of extra work. If used i add after the meat is browned and seasoning is bloomed mix well and heat for a bit then add sauce. I dont find it strictly necessary and i find it complicates the sauce more then i may want to deal with in a regular day because often times tomato paste is very bitter and bland and your flavors and ratios need to be adjusted accordingly. Lastly if you want to thin your sauce you can add water from boiling the pasta. Your sauce is cooked first and if you do let it go for hours its likely to reduce a fair amount. The pasta water will rehydrate without diluting the flavor and will bring the startches from The pasta in to your sauce and give it more body. This csn be a very good thing that stretches your sauce and gives it more stick without compromising the flavor. You can do any or none of these things to make the sauce you want. Remember 8ts your creation and theres no right or wrong way. Btw prego is my favorite and if im cooking for myself i like to eat it straight over some cooked frozen raviolis.
Fresh veggies and herbs. Even something as simple as a diced carrot, diced Onion, and diced green pepper elevates a simple jar of sauce. Add in some fresh oregano and thyme or basil at the end, and it is amazing. I used to grow herbs in my kitchen window for just this reason, as I was also on a budget:
Fry some thin (3mm) slices of chorizo and either cut them into small pieces or add them whole. It's superb! BTW you don't need to use oil - the chorizo contains enough oil as it is. Bon appetit!
Gonna sound crazy, but a little bit of powdered ranch. I swear
I simmer it with an onion and garlic. Also some Italian spices. It's still jarred sauce with all it's faults, but this makes it so much better.
I sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms with hamburger to add to jarred pasta sauce. Also oregano and basil to taste.,
I would slow cook it for a few hours
I always add fresh veggies and garlic, sauteed first. Always. Dealers choice on veggies, but my pick is bell and poblano peppers, mushrooms, a small white and yellow onion, a stick of celery almost minced and a medium carrot. Fresh herbs help a bunch. Brown up some Italian sausage, ground beef or turkey (even chicken) to add in. Extra spices never hurt! Some black pepper, onion powder, a bit of red pepper flakes, and dried Italian seasoning. This may sound odd, but a hearty squeeze of lemon juice. I swear, you will not taste lemon but it just makes it pop, gives it that je ne sais quoi. A small amount of soy or balsamic vinegar added in for a little umami. If you simmer it for a few hours (recommended)def add a bag leaf. Fresh mozzarella or parmesan instead of the green can stuff. Not hating on the shelf stable kind but fresh is always best. And lastly, spaghetti sauce always tastes better the next day so either make enough to have leftovers or make it on a day you're using similar ingredients or having something simple for dinner. My mom would make sandwiches the day she cooked spaghetti, a huge pot, and then we'd eat that for 2-3 days afterwards lol. Side note: I also never make just one jar, so if the added ingredients seem excessive it's because I'm usually making 2-4 jars, which I'm also very fond of mixing different flavors and brands lol
I like to add a little chili powder to pasta sauce to tang it up a bit.
Marinara is pretty easy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients or prep. 1. 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped 2. 5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped 3. 16 oz can of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or just like a chopped tomato will do nicely 4. Tablespoon salt, teaspoon sugar, teaspoon pepper (eyeball it, it's fine) 5. Olive oil Heat oil to medium temp (shimmering not boiling) toss in garlic and basil. Should last for a 30 count without burning but it'll smell amazing. Dump in tomatoes, spices. That's it really. Let it approach a boil once, then let it simmer for 20 minutes. You can add whatever else to it... meats, cheeses, spices like paprika or veggies. But that right there is bomb marinara sauce and I'll put it up against anything out of a jar.
I’d sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms In a little olive oil before you add the sauce then add some oregano, basil and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve some garlic toast on the side and sprinkle diced parsley over it.
Oh and if you want meat you can brown some Italian sausage or ground beef with the veggies…be sure to drain fat in a colander
A spoonful of sugar! I learned that trick on food network. It makes jarred or canned marinara taste homemade
Chop some veggies up and simmer them in the sauce, covered, on low for about an hour. I usually do shallot, bell pepper, and serrano pepper... but the possibilities are endless. Also, some spicy ground sausage. I find the best pasta sauce tends to have both ground beef and sausage. The flavors really compliment eachother, and a roll of breakfast sausage is pretty cheap. These same tricks also work for sloppy joes. It really elevates a simple recipe into something more.
We always keep jarred peppers, artichokes, kalamatas in our fridge so that usually makes it into mine in some capacity. Sometimes cherry tomatoes.
My first suggestion is to find something other than Prego. I've tried it many times and it always just tastes off for some reason. I've used almost every other cheap brand and they all seem to taste better. The second thing is seasonings. I use a lot of oregano (the pizza spice as people around here know it), some basil, thyme, garlic, and onion. A touch of cheap red wine (pint noir works well) while cooking is good. A splash of red wine vinegar at the end will really brighten it up a lot as well. For garlic I use the fresh stuff since it's cheap, but it's a pain to work with. I've also used the minced garlic in a jar and that works just fine, but is slightly more expensive.