I don't use a jarred red sauce, because it's just as easy to make Marcella Hazan’s Simple Tomato Sauce: http://steamykitchen.com/8375-marcella-hazan-tomato-sauce-with-onion-butter.html (not my blog :))!

beatrix, I do the same thing! I keep plenty of cans of whole tomatoes on hand instead of jars of sauce. It takes just as long to reheat a jar on the stove as it does to pour in the can of tomatoes, a halved onion in half, and 5tbsp butter, and BTBRTS. So why not? If I want a less chunky, thicker sauce I'll use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of whole peeled.

i say use the jar and add your own seasoning! a dash of cream/ricotta or some cinnamon sugar can freshen it up a little. just taste it and add cheese or red wine or whatever u have around.

I think all jarred "red sauce" is gross, so I don't buy it. The texture (or rather, lack thereof) is off-putting and the flavour is dull - no real tomato taste. Instead I use a can of diced tomatoes (or a diced fresh, very ripe one), add garlic and seasonings, and that's much tastier and pretty much just as fast.

Ground sirloin and Classico sauce. No chopping, easy-breezy. When I get home from class at 9 pm the last thing I want to do is cook anything.

I can't remember the last time I bought a jar of sauce. I always have cans of tomatoes on hand, and it only takes a minute to throw a little garlic and olive oil and some basil in as I heat it up, and its way better than any jarred sauce.

My parents love jarred pasta sauce, so it's a total comfort food for me and I have no guilt about keeping a couple of jars in my pantry. I get Safeway Select--Safeway is a grocery store here, and Safeway Select is their "gourmet at generic prices" store brand. Not bad at all!

Hmmmm...when I make sauce at home, it's a big deal. I use fresh tomatoes & cook it for ages and put it in the freezer for the year. It's a labor of love; but it is l a b o r

I do keep Pomi tomatoes around, and I buy the grocery store organic brand of jarred sauce to throw into things that need a little shoot of tomato sauce.

I used to always keep pasta sauce in the cupboard, but just stopped buying it about two years ago. It was always just a little too expensive and unless I really broke the bank there were always a couple ingredients I didn't want in there. It also made lazy, unhealthy dinners too easy. Now that I have to make my own sauce, I'm more likely to incorporate more vegetables and eat a better portion. I'm also more likely to be creative and try new flavors and combos.

I use Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce, which is pretty excellent, and add sauteed mushrooms, green peppers, green onions, black olives, garlic, and chicken. Fast and very good.

I grew up on doctored cans of Hunt's; these days I usually make it myself or bust out the Newman's Own.

Scarpetta sauce is awesome!

Good grief. I wondered how many comments it would take before people started with "why buy that jarred, processed crap when making your own is so easy?!?"

Making your own red sauce is great, and is what I usually prefer. But the post was addressing those people who do keep a jar ready for those nights when you need something quick, or just don't feel like making something from scratch. It's not a moral failure, I promise! I really like Rao's, but that can be kind of hard to find. I grew up with Classico, and there is still a part of my lizardbrain that craves their traditional red sauce with basil ("Classico di Napoli"!).

My husband is the sauce buyer--I can whip up a topping for spaghetti out of nothing if I have to, and when do we not at least have tomato paste? (Yes, you can do a quick sauce with just paste, no news to this crowd.) He used to spend 10 bucks for Rao's, which is tomato water if you ask me. He switched to cheaper Classico, but they recently began adding sugar (didn't used to) and it doesn't taste as good. Don't know what we'll find next. I get mad at him for spending so much on Rao's but it's hard to find an all-natural without sugar. (Newman's has sugar, last I checked, but I'll check again.)

I am Italian and homemade sauce is asy to make but Rao's is one brand that is close to granmother's sauce.

If I am using a jarred sauce, no matter what brand, I always pour it into a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with paper towels (to prevent splatters) and nuke it on HIGH for 10-15 minutes. Makes it thicker and richer and ready for any recipe.

I also grew up on cans of doctored Hunt's Traditional. A little oregano, a few crushed garlic cloves and some ricotta cheese scooped on top and voila! Dinner for two picky kids served by a dad who meant well, but couldn't cook his way out of a paper bag.

I still keep a can or two in the cupboard for when nostalgia strikes. Otherwise, for quick-and-easy pasta nights, I will just overdose on pesto and parmesan.

I don't use the jarred sauce. I bought two when I got my first apartment, but found them so off putting that I've been making my own ever since.

I like Kroger brand tomato basil sauce. Simple and tasty. It's a good basic sauce without a lot of crud added in. And it's cheap.

My parents buy Classico, but I've never really found jarred marinara sauce to be particularly appealing. I eat my pasta with pesto and parmesan. (And the brand we buy of *that* is Buitoni.) Sometimes I'll put a little of the marinara in it, if there's an open jar in the fridge, because I *do* like tomatoes.

While we do always have tomatoes on hand, and I am a fan of Marcella's butter sauce, I am pro-jarred sauce. Either Raos or Trader Joe's (Rustico - if that's the chunkier sauce with vegetables).

If my husband and I are totally wrecked after work, using jarred sauce and boiling some pasta is better than take-out.

What about the fresh made sauces from Whole Foods, etc.? I know the post is about having something "around" the cupboard, etc., but sometimes I am tempted to get one of those to have in my fridge during a week I know will be particularly hectic. I once tried the Whole Foods vodka sauce and it was really good, but I haven't been able to bring myself to get it, mostly due to health reasons (and a wee bit of guilt for buying something premade that is so easy to make from scratch).

I second Safeway Select marinara. Laugh, if you must, but I have tried them all and this is the best one. All of the other red sauces are TOO SWEET! Safeway Select marinara is perfectly seasoned and full of tomato chunky goodness. Their Vodka sauce is quite good as well. I often add garlic, sauteed onions, browned meat or sausage and the Safeway Marinara is the PERFECT base for any additions you may try.

I hate it but my husband really likes traditional Prego. I think it tastes like sugary ketchup but I still make it for him.

MCB in MD - you said, "Good grief. I wondered how many comments it would take before people started with 'why buy that jarred, processed crap when making your own is so easy?!?'"

Dana Velden, the post's author asked, "Who doesn't keep at least one jar in their cupboard, tucked in with a bundle of spaghetti or a box of penne?"

The people responded. I personally do not like jarred tomato sauces at all and I find it very easy to make a quick tomato sauce even when I'm exhausted. When I make a long, simmer type of sauce, I usually make extra to freeze.

I'm a Classico gal. I think there isn't a single sauce of theirs that I don't like.

I do both! I sometimes just want jarred sauce with some sausage for a quick dinner, or I can do something easy with diced tomatoes, or I can take a few hours and make a nice homemade Italian sauce and freeze some.... all depends on my mood and what I have on the shelf.

Another vote here for Classico. Yes, it's easy to make your own. Yes, I make and freeze big batches of the stuff and keep it for such a night, but I don't mind the jarred stuff. It's not hard to doctor with some herbs and wine or meat, and it keeps the dish count minimal, something you don't take for granted when you're exhausted and don't want to order out.

Plus, every so often I am intrigued by a new variety of sauce, so I try it to help inform what new things to add to my own. Those reverse-engineers have almost always yielded great results.

I tend to buy what's on sale, but I prefer Classico and Prego red sauces. I love Classico for its thick sauces with chunks of tomato and veggies. I love saving Classico jars too. They may great containers for dry goods, such as coffee beans. Prego is not as thick, but it'll suffice in a pinch. I particularly like Prego's Italian sausage and garlic red sauce. I also save Prego jars. :)

I'm not too proud to say that I use Hunts canned sauces sometimes. They're less than a buck.

I used to use whatever was cheapest at the store. Since I started to really study cooking, I don't even bother anymore.

Living alone, I could never use a whole jar anyway- plus even refrigerated they would pretty reliably grow mold anyway. It's so much easier now to just start from scratch. If you have parsley, a tube of fish paste, a tube of tomato sauce, a small onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, and a few tomatoes, you can be well on your way to sauce before the pasta water is even boiling...

@sierracreek & mandarinmarie Yes! Love the Safeway marinara--it's got a nice kick and holds up nicely to whatever you want to add. Whenever it goes on sale I buy a couple jars. I used to really like the Classico Tomato Alfredo but it sadly disappeared a few years back.

I keep jars of bertolli or barilla around, or make marcella hazan's sauce if I have some extra time.

I'm with MCB in MD. Jarred sauce != moral failure.

I'm pretty fond of the newman's own sauces and sometimes the muir glen. there is a vodka sauce with a little ringlet-having girl on the front with a gold label which i find perfectly adequate for emergency dinner.

Where I live there's a large variety of jarred pasta sauces available. I can't get enough of Sal & Judy's Creole Italian tomato sauce. As far as the major brands, I go for Barilla.

Ragu Super Chunky Mushroom is delicious. I like to add an extra can of mushrooms, some garlic, greek seasoning, and spinach if i have it. yum!

Definitely Paul Newman's Napolitana. Yes, I usually make my own, but a 'Jar of Paul' is our shortcut to a quick and delicious dinner. My non-cook boyfriend likes to make it with chorizo, zucchini and eggplant.

I grew up on Prego Original, and sometimes it's the only thing that hits the spot. I'll add ground beef, onions, garlic, a can of tomatoes, a bay leaf, and a tablespoon of sugar. It's how my mom did it, and I'm not ashamed!!

I have never really liked any jarred tomato sauce. It doesn't taste like anything, the texture is watery etc. But imagine my surprise when in a pinch I bought Barilla tomato and basil sauce. Delicious! Real tomato flavor and basil you could see and taste!

I buy Trader Joe's organic and put some fresh herbs in it on nights when I don't want to make my own sauce or heat fresh tomatoes and garlic on the stove. Sometimes I'd rather spend my time making homemade bread!

If use part of a jar of sauce - put a little vodka in top of the remainder - keeps it from molding so quickly in the fridge.

Jar sauces rule!

trader joes bolognese

If you're looking for a really excellent red sauce from a jar and have a BJ's nearby, check out Rozzano (one of their house brands). The sauce is by far the best jarred sauce I've ever had and it tastes like real homemade sauce. Its all natural as well, which unfortunately is not always true of jarred red sauces.

I don't keep jarred pasta sauce around. I'm not a big fan of tomatoes, and therefore am very picky about what tomato sauces I will eat. In addition, pasta has never been a "go-to" meal for me. Not sure why, it's just never been something I think to make when I'm in a hurry and hungry.

Victoria sauce is delicious! Like Rao's, but cheaper. Hate most other jarred sauce because it's sugary and too pureed.

Newmans. I rarely do have a jar on hand preferring to make my own but I try to have a jar on hand before winter storms just knowing that in a pinch. i am sure there are some decent super expensive brands but I don't try them simply because I do make my own and at least if i am buying Newmans the proceeds are going to charity.

In order of favoriteness: Trader Joe's Garlic (super cheap & super yum), Newman's own Sockarooni, Emeril's Gaaaaahlic sauce (although it is s bit spicy).

It might be a regional product, but the best jarred red sauce is Vincent's from the eponymous restaurant in NYC's Little Italy. SO GOOD.