Ina Garten's Favorite Store-Bought Pasta Sauce Is A Beloved Brand
From good olive oil to good vanilla to good Dijon mustard, Ina Garten is the queen of demanding high-quality, homemade ingredients in her kitchen. Fans of The Barefoot Contessa (Garten's moniker that she shares with the specialty grocery store she once owned) know her saying, "store-bought is fine," all too well. It turns out, there are several instances where Garten truly is "fine" with store bought ingredients — including pasta sauce.
In a video with "Today," Garten expressed her love for her favorite brand of grocery store pasta sauce. "Of course it's always good to make it yourself, but I find Rao's is fantastic, so store-bought's good too." Of course, quality comes with a price — Rao's pasta sauce is known for being one of the most expensive options available on grocery store shelves. That being said, you tend to get what you pay for, and Rao's sauce consistently ranks super-high when it's stacked up against other grocery store sauce options. Garten is open about her love for Rao's — on the "Ask Ina" section of her website, a fan asked her favorite jarred marinara sauce, and she answered, "That's Easy! Rao's Marinara Sauce."
Why Rao's is so good — and tips to make the most of using it in your kitchen
If you've been lucky enough to give any of Rao's jarred sauces a try, you likely understand why they're a mainstay in Ina Garten's pantry. Just like Garten, the folks at Rao's are committed to using super-high quality, simple ingredients (think hand-picked tomatoes, basil, olive oil, onions, etc.). Their sauces are slow-simmered, creating a depth of flavor similar to what you'd achieve if you spent the day cooking your own sauce at home.
Want to take your Rao's sauce to the next level? Whether you choose straight-up marinara, vodka sauce, or another variety, try adding a bit of fresh pepper and basil to make it taste like it spent hours simmering on your stovetop. No matter what type of pasta you're using (Garten is partial to the De Cecco and Cipriani's brands), be sure that you're mixing the pasta and sauce correctly before serving it to your guests (or enjoying a big plate of deliciousness for a party of one). Reserve a bit of pasta water, then mix the pasta directly into the Rao's sauce. Add a bit of the reserved water to create your desired sauce consistency.