Compare pasta sauces

Research · Pasta sauces

What our research found about pasta sauces

A good tomato sauce can be tomatoes, olive oil, onions, garlic, basil and salt. Many jarred sauces add sugar, soybean or other refined oils, “natural flavors” and thickeners, and sodium varies widely. Cream-based sauces such as alfredo and vodka sauce add dairy and are much higher in saturated fat. Recipes labeled “no sugar added” or “sensitive” (low-FODMAP, without onion and garlic) change the ingredient list in predictable ways.

Compare sauces by serving (often a half cup), added sugars, sodium and the type of oil. Because tomatoes are naturally acidic and sweet, a short, tomato-first ingredient list is the strongest signal of a simple sauce.

Products

267 brands

Full labels recorded

1038% of the shelf

Maker says organic

10maker’s claim

List an added sweetener

0of 10 labels

List a seed oil

0of 10 labels

Typical label length

8ingredients (median)

Counts use complete, current ingredient labels only. Records without a published label stay unknown and are never counted as clean.

What to compare

• Tomato first. The first ingredient should be tomatoes or tomato puree rather than water or paste.
• Added sugar. Many sauces add cane sugar or juice concentrate; compare added sugars per half cup.
• Oil type. Olive and avocado oil are common in cleaner formulas; soybean and canola are common in cheaper ones.
• Sodium. Compare mg per half-cup serving.

References

1. Added sugars on the Nutrition Facts label U.S. Food and Drug Administration
2. Sodium in your diet U.S. Food and Drug Administration
3. Olive oil Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
4. Vegetables and fruits Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health