Italian tomato sauces are renowned for their rich flavors and use of high-quality, natural ingredients, making them a staple in kitchens around the world. Here are ten top Italian tomato sauce brands that bring authentic Italian taste to your home cooking.
This article contains affiliate links which supports us at no extra cost to you.
Italian tomato sauce, the basic ingredient in many of Italy’s traditional dishes, is prepared with a few simple, fresh ingredients and transformed into a flavor-saturated foundation for a myriad of creations.
The star of the show, of course, is the tomato. Italians prefer certain varieties as the basis of their sauce, those with the right proportion of sweetness, sourness, and texture that will produce a rich, well-bodied, flavorful base.
What Kind of Tomatoes Do Italians Use?
The best tomatoes for sauces are San Marzanos or Romas. San Marzano tomatoes are an Italian heirloom variety from the Campania region. They are picked green, left to ripen slowly on the vine, and are known for their sweet, rich flavor, concentrated without a lot of acidity. They are dense, and this is part of their appeal for sauces.
To be labeled as ‘San Marzano,’ the tomatoes must come from the Valle del Sarno, in Campania, where the volcanic soil contributes to the flavor of the tomatoes. They’re canned and exported widely: most restaurants use San Marzano tomatoes. They’re considered a gold standard.
Roma tomatoes are another option. These have a firmer, meatier texture and less water content, helping them reduce readily into a chunky, rich sauce. They’re also the preferred tomato for canning and making tomato paste. Heirloom tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine can also be used, preferably if you want a more complex flavor, but a bit more prep time is allotted because of the higher water and seed content.
How is Italian Tomato Sauce Made?
Fully traditional Italian tomato sauce is slow-cooked: the tomatoes cook down with garlic, olive oil, salt, and, perhaps, fresh basil leaves. (A pinch of tomato paste added and stirred in releases flavors and adds a touch of thickness.) Slow-cooked, the natural sugars and acidity of the tomatoes balance nicely. And then Italians like to leave their sauce simmering for hours.
This simplicity, combined with an emphasis on the quality of the ingredients (especially the tomatoes), has led to world-class Italian tomato sauces, from pasta through to pizza, and even for meat dishes. Not least of which, the right tomato translates to the right sauce—rich in flavor and a satisfying texture.
The 10 Best Italian Tomato Sauce Brands
When you love high-quality tomatoes and simple, natural ingredients as much as Italians do, it’s no surprise their tomato sauces make their way around the world.
If you wish to cook Italian at home with good ingredients, it helps to get the right brand. Here are 10 Italian tomato sauce brands that are known for their authentic flavors and high-quality ingredients:
1. Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce
Rao’s is beloved for its intense, holy-cow-I’m-actually-tasting-tomatoes-and-olive-oil-and-nothing-else flavor. Made with straight-up Italian tomatoes and Italian olive oil, without sugar or preservatives, and keto-friendly to boot, it’s Italy in a bottle. It’s health food—health food for humans.
2. Cucina Antica
Cucina Antica is made with premium Southern Italian tomatoes and has no artificial ingredients; the flavors are clean and rich, and it comes in several varieties, including marinara and tomato basil.
3. Cento San Marzano
Cento’s sauce is made with San Marzano tomatoes, which are sweeter and less acidic than standard tomatoes. Their marinara sauce is good in almost everything it touches.
4. Pomì Strained Tomatoes
Pomì offers a smooth, creamy tomato sauce made from 100% fresh Italian tomatoes with no preservatives, no added sugar, and a creamy, smooth consistency, perfect for pizza and pasta dishes.
5. Barilla Tomato & Basil Sauce
6. Hoboken Farms Marinara Sauce
Hoboken Farms’ line is made with fresh ingredients—olive oil, garlic, and basil—and comes in a low-sodium version as well.
7. Mezzetta Tomato Basil Sauce
Mezzetta uses fresh ingredients such as olive oil and garlic in their tomato basil sauce, resulting in the type of classic, thick taste that many people prefer.
8. Dave’s Gourmet Organic Sauces
Dave’s Gourmet focuses on natural, high-quality ingredients, and their Organic Hearty Marinara and Red Heirloom sauces are just that, with a few additives for flavor.
9. Tuscanini Premium Italian Tomato Sauce
Tuscanini makes authentic Italian passata, a strained tomato sauce that’s non-GMO and has a smooth texture, perfect for lighter pasta dishes.
10. 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Pasta Sauce
This product from Whole Foods is a reliable organic alternative, made with natural ingredients and no preservatives. It is great for those who want to eat healthily.
Leave a Reply