Do you use jar spagetti (marinara) sauce?

[ecj98]

Yes, I use a jar almost every time. DH does not like marinara sauce, so it doesn't seem worth it to make it from scratch for me and the kids.

[OrganicAnn]

We usually grow lots of tomatoes, so we make spaghetti sauce and freeze it in mason jars. So technically yes it comes out of a jar. Eventually we run out of homegrown stuff. Then we do occasionally buy jarred sauce. Ever year I keep trying to figure out how much we need. 1 pint about every week and 1/2 would be about 35 pints so that is about five tomatoes per pint or 175 tomatoes, 70 garlic cloves, etc. Well we don't grow that much.... yet.

[Matryoshka]

They feel kind of "dead" to me, and they tend to add sugar to them- a lot of sugar in some form or another.

 

An addendum to my earlier post - while I do use jarred sauces, I will NEVER buy anything with added sugar (I don't buy the "it's to cut the acid" excuse, especially when it's HFCS). But I won't even buy the organic brands with added organic sugar. Yuk.

 

TJ's Organic Marinara (and I think the other one with Basil) don't have added sugar. Classico is another brand that doesn't have sugar/HFCS - that's what I used to buy before I decided to try to switch to organic. It was actually really hard to find an organic brand without sugar... :confused: :glare:

[In the Rain]

I voted other because I use jarred sauce and add to it. I usually saute onions and also throw in any veggies from the fridge and tomato products that need to be used up.

[Mrs Mungo]

An addendum to my earlier post - while I do use jarred sauces, I will NEVER buy anything with added sugar (I don't buy the "it's to cut the acid" excuse, especially when it's HFCS). But I won't even buy the organic brands with added organic sugar. Yuk.

 

When I make homemade, I cook down carrots to add some sweetness and I add milk at the end, those things cut the acid without adding sugar.

[MamaBirdX7]

I use Hunt's Zesty & Spicy in a can. It is $.99 for a large can. Tomatoes are $3/lb. for the majority of the year.

This. With 8 people in our household it's always a balancing act between time and money.

[justamouse]

We usually grow lots of tomatoes, so we make spaghetti sauce and freeze it in mason jars. So technically yes it comes out of a jar. Eventually we run out of homegrown stuff. Then we do occasionally buy jarred sauce. Ever year I keep trying to figure out how much we need. 1 pint about every week and 1/2 would be about 35 pints so that is about five tomatoes per pint or 175 tomatoes, 70 garlic cloves, etc. Well we don't grow that much.... yet.

 

 

I started jarring my own tomatoes this year and learned fast it was too much of a task for how much of it we eat. It's much cheaper for me to buy the huge can from costco. I mean, four bushels of tomatoes seems to make something like five quarts. We would go through that in one meal. :glare: Not to mention doing it int he summer, heating up the house, sweating, peeling them.

 

Nope, I'll just stick to buying the cans.

[elise1mds]

Another other. When I'm baking with it or if I'm in a rush, organic jarred stuff rocks my world. When I have the time, fresh makes my soul happy. :)

[Stacy in NJ]

:001_smile:

[hsbaby]

Always from a jar. Specifically Newmans Sockarooni or Emeril's Gaaahlic;). Though I use Ragu for Manicotti.

[Ibbygirl]

I mostly make my own sauces, but I do usually keep a jar sauce on hand in the pantry for busy nights when I need a quick meal. :)

[Jan in SC]

Earthfare organic. I can barely make toast, so I obviously have to buy sauce.

[OrganicAnn]

I started jarring my own tomatoes this year and learned fast it was too much of a task for how much of it we eat. It's much cheaper for me to buy the huge can from costco. I mean, four bushels of tomatoes seems to make something like five quarts. We would go through that in one meal. :glare: Not to mention doing it int he summer, heating up the house, sweating, peeling them.

 

Nope, I'll just stick to buying the cans.

 

We cook them in the crock pot on the deck. Then blend them with skin on. So no heat, no peeling.

[littlebug42]

I'll buy white (alfredo) sauce, but not the red (marinara). I've never found one that I like well enough to continue using. They are all way too sweet for me.

 

I make homemade alfredo but every time I try to make the red sauce, I don't get something right and it doesn't get eaten. Also between work and everything else, I have to cut some corners where I can. I try to buy only the sauces with the best ingredients.

[mcconnellboys]

Well, I said yes because I use that as a base, but I add a ton of stuff to it....

[lisabelle]

I only use jar sauce when I'm making lasagne. When it's sauce over noodles and that's it, I make it from scratch.

[Lady Florida.]

Most of the time I make my own. Sometimes though, I can get Classico (the only jar sauce we like) practically free by matching sales with coupons. When that happens I'll buy several jars and keep them on hand for busy nights.

[Lady Florida.]

(I don't buy the "it's to cut the acid" excuse, especially when it's HFCS).

 

:iagree:My mother was 100% Italian, though she was 2nd generation American. No one on either side of her family put sugar in their sauce.

[ereks mom]

...and I add meat, tomatoes, vegetables, and spices. Maybe that qualifies as "other", but I didn't want to be the one in this crowd. ;)

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Too expensive here to use the stuff in the jar, although, I did use it when I lived in the US. But, I have to say, I'll never go back--the real stuff is just too good and not as much work as I though it would be.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Depends on the day. Jarred sauce is great for busy nights (so is frozen homemade though).

[mrsrevmeg]

I'd like to make to make it homemade, but my family prefers Gia Russa or La Famigla DelGrosso.

[gardening momma]

An addendum to my earlier post - while I do use jarred sauces, I will NEVER buy anything with added sugar (I don't buy the "it's to cut the acid" excuse, especially when it's HFCS). But I won't even buy the organic brands with added organic sugar. Yuk.

 

:iagree:My mother was 100% Italian, though she was 2nd generation American. No one on either side of her family put sugar in their sauce.

I don't care what it's called (acid, etc), spaghetti sauce without sugar is too tart for me. I just put a pinch or two of sugar in.

[justamouse]

I don't care what it's called (acid, etc), spaghetti sauce without sugar is too tart for me. I just put a pinch or two of sugar in.

 

my MIL, 100% Italian put sugar in her sauce, as did her mother. It's the canned tomatoes-they have citric acid in them. That's why I use a carrot grated very fine and San Marzano tomatoes-they're sweeter. All that volcanic ash.

[nmoira]

I started using jarred sauce as the base -- Muir Glen Cabernet Marinara -- mostly so I don't have to worry so much about BPA's with the glass bottles. I like this particular sauce because it's thick but still has a nice texture. Onion, zucchini, and sometimes mushrooms and garlic are added. For parties I make two pots, one vegan, one meaty (a 4:1 mixture of ground beef and ground pork).