I like to add toasted crushed fennel seed (if you like Italian sausage) and some red pepper flakes. Family likes the Ragu thick and chunky sauces.

My girls loved the Prego stuff. I used to brown hamburger and add it to the sauce for a meat sauce or sauteed a whole bunch of vegetables and added the sauce. I don't really think it helped a lot, but it made me feel like I was adding some nutrition, at least.

I usually just chopped an onion, saute until softened, add a couple of diced tomatoes, some fresh basil from the windowsill and a whole lot of grated parmesan. It's not a long cooked pasta sauce, of course, but it's passable for a quick meal.

Of course my grandkids only want butter and parmesan, no sauce at all!

Annie

LOL, Carol, I think you've gotten the wrong thread. You DID mean the kumquat thread, didn't you? Or do you have a very unique way of saucing pasta?

Annie

There are some good jarred sauces but they aren't the cheapest. Victoria marinara and Classico reserve basil are two I like as is. But extra evoo, onion, garlic, wine do help others.

Add fresh herbs.

Start with the best store bought sauce.

I imagine Rao's is good but way too expensive for me, and something in me rebels at paying that for what is easily made with a can of tomatoes and all the stuff you would doctor a sauce.

Oh, yes. I operate from the premise that spaghetti w/ pasta sauce is supposed to be a budget meal. The price of Rao's puts it way out of that realm. And, if it is so wonderful as to approach justifying the price, then I would need two jars to feed my pasta loving crew.

Raos is really good. My neighbor with three kids love it. They call it 'the good stuff'. Our local Italian market has it often 2 for 12 or 6.99. It has its own full end-of-isle display right by the check-out and nearly every shopper buys it. That jar is enough for 2 lbs of pasta so she gets a couple meals out of it.

I make my own basic sauce from garden toms, then do the doctoring depending on what is in the pantry/crisper drawer/fridge/freezer.

For easy mid-week, pick and choose from a list of what you like, or the family likes.

Saute garlic, onion, shallot, celery, celeriac, red pepper, fennel, grated carrot, grated sweet potato, and beets, zucchini, cubed eggplant, chopped olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts...capers, lots of spices work. Fresh basil, parsley, cilantro.

*I don't mean ALL of the above, just what combination sounds good and on hand.

Any of the sausages work. Cut them up like mini meatballs when you bring the package home and freeze in zip-lock portions so its easy to thaw or take out of the freezer in the morning. Same with ground beef. Flat pack it in quart zip-locks, press it down and get all the air out flat on the counter. Freeze in portions.

Our house favorite is any of the above on hand, but always shallot, red pepper, garlic, celery, poblano,...saute, then white wine, then olives, capers, a few shrimp, scallops, and a small salmon fillet cubed. Toss pasta with tom sauce, then top with veg, and either seafood or meatballs. *I make a big batch of meatballs on a weekend a few times a year and bake just short of done and freeze in 6-8 per package depending on size. Fully cook some for that nights pasta meal. Crisp prosciutto bacon is great on both seafood and meatballs. DH like some crumbles feta or goat cheese on top. As well as some parm. And he likes adding anchovies.

As a family stretch meal when I was a kid, Dad did the ground beef and Mom worked that box grater on the small side and added a ton of veg. Small enough that it melted into the sauce unrecognizable by first sautéing, then cooking with the tom sauce. None of us four kids liked it chunky. Mom always opens a tiny can of olives and tin of anchovies the two of them added at the table. Of corse we thought that was gross.

While I would never buy sauce in jar, the best thing you could do to it would be to brown some ground chuck and mix it in. Other than that, make a large batch of homemade sauce. Store the bulk of it and keep a jar or two in the fridge for just such an emergency.

Add some tomato powder.

dcarch

I've told this before....but will again...
When I had teen aged kids that often needed a quick meal because they had work or reheasal or a lesson in 20 minutes, I always kept a jar of pasta sauce in the cupboard.
One evening, we were having spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, the last of my big batch of cooked all day "Sunday Gravy" deliciousness....and a friend stopped in and I said, stay for dinner, we're having spaghetti. Then looked at the spaghetti sauce and realized it would be skimpy, so I thought i would add a can of the jarr stuff ( likely Prego!)...so I did and tasted it...WOW! Hotter than he!!....checked the jar and I had added a jar of salsa. So I added a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, some wine, oregano....and another small can of tomatoes.....and served it up. It was pretty good, spicy but good....but I now had enough for 2 more meals!!

I, too, like Rao's but only buy it when it's on sale and not that often. I like Victoria'a marinara and it's half the cost of Rao's. It more frequently goes on sale as well. I add a glug of red wine to the jar and shake it out.

http://victoriafinefoods.com/productdetail/marinara24oz/

I buy Rao tomato/basil. I don't add anything to it. I use one jar, 1 pound hamburger, 1 package mushrooms. and one package thin spagetti. This feeds 3 grandkids, (15/13/11 years) plus my husband and I. I doubled it last time and had enough sauce left to make a pan of lasagna.

It is more compared to cheap sauce, because it is all real food and not chemicals. It is cheaper than my home made sauce. The first time I tried it I knew I had hit the lottery. Easy to keep on hand, easy to fix, and no unpronounceable ingredients.

Ingredients: Italian whole peeled tomatoes, olive oil, onions, basil, salt, garlic, black pepper, dried oregano.

I don't even look at the price, it is the only one I will buy.

Amazon Prime <$7/jar

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rao-s-Homemade-Tomato-Basil-Sauce-24-0-OZ/30113248

$6.98

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rao-s-Homemade-All-Natural-Marinara-Sauce-24-Oz/31008715

$6.98

I also get it a Publix or Krogers for the same price.

There is a local brand I prefer (actually a Safeway product) that is an arabbiata sauce that needs NO alterations!! It is absolutely delicious all on its own. And not too spicy.....just enough of a kick.

Prepared pasta sauces are a boon for fast, last minute meals and for those who are cooking just for one or two! Homemade pasta sauce is lovely and can be made to any personal specifications, but a couple of quarts of pasta sauce is overkill for a single person with no freezer space to store the excess!!

Rao’s is almost always on sale by me, usually the 32 oz size but this week it’s 24. I use the stuff a lot.

OOH!! Mallomars!!...we don't get those here!!

Alexa can help.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rao%27s+tomato+sauce&sprefix=rao%27s%2Caps%2C182&crid=2AVYBUE1BLKPT

dcarch

foodonastump, what grocery ad is that from? Thanks.