OK, we’re not really in a cult. But we do think Rao’s is the best. Generally speaking, jarred pasta sauce is pretty terrible. Sometimes that’s because there are added preservatives or coloring. But mostly, it’s because they taste too sweet, too salty, or maybe even a combination of the two.But Rao’s is none of those things. Rao’s is a pasta sauce that falls in line with the sauces we’d cook, and it starts with the ingredients. Rao’s uses high quality tomatoes and olive oil, without any added preservatives or coloring. The rest of the ingredients won’t surprise you: salt, pepper, onions, garlic, basil, and oregano. You know, the stuff you’d expect to be in tasty marinara. And the biggest omission from that list is added sugar. Which already tells you something about how it tastes. (...)
The flavor tastes...homemade. Yeah, we’d be pretty happy if we made this sauce. It's the kind of sauce we want to spoon over pasta and dip stromboli or calzones in. Compared to other national brands, Rao’s sits on an entirely different plane.
While all of these flavors and ratios are important, there’s one ingredient that sticks out more than the rest. In fact, you can tell it’s there immediately. Rao’s uses a large amount of olive oil. You can see it sitting right on top of the sauce, before you even crack open the jar. We love that commitment to the fatty, olive oil-y side of the sauce. That fat is the key to a fantastic, well-rounded marinara.
by Alex Delany, Bon Appetit/Basically | Read more:
