Redeem now - I'm a chef trying to find the best jarred vodka sauce at the grocery store.
- I tried sauce from Bertolli, Isola, Prego, Full Circle, Whole Foods 365, and Rao's.
- Rao's sauce was my pricey favorite, though Whole Foods 365's is much cheaper and still pretty good.
I'm a chef and I love vodka sauce's luxurious blend of tomato, heavy cream, and, yes, vodka.
Put simply, the vodka helps the tomato and heavy cream bind or emulsify. In other words, it keeps the ingredients all evenly incorporated into each other — and adds a kick to the sauce.
All vodka sauces contain the dominant components of tomato, heavy cream, and vodka, but beyond that, you'll find as much variation in the sauce as with the chefs who make it.
To find the best jarred vodka sauce at the grocery store, I tried varieties from six brands: Bertolli, Isola, Prego, Full Circle, Whole Foods 365, and Rao's.
To each sauce, I heated about 2 ounces of each until warm, but not piping hot. I then prepared organic semolina pasta and spooned each of the remaining sauces on the noodles.
The first sauce I tried was from Bertolli
The first thing that I noticed about the Bertolli sauce was its thin, watery nature. It barely coated the pasta.
For me, the ingredients list was telling. The first two were both forms of tomato, but both included liquid — "tomato puree (water, tomato paste), diced tomatoes in juice".
The sauce was a pale, washed-out orange and pureed smooth. Although I could taste the pleasant tang of the Romano cheese, I thought the sauce tasted mostly like canned tomatoes.
Full Circle's vodka cream sauce was chunky, not smooth
A little bit of water pooled at the bottom of my bowl as the sauce spread over the pasta. It tasted a bit sour to me — when I checked the ingredients I was surprised to see lemon juice in the mix though it helped explain the flavor.
The chunks of tomato seemed like they would add interest and texture, but the pieces themselves were quite tart to me. This sauce needed a sweet note that tomato paste, not diced tomatoes, can provide.
I thought Full Circle's sauce had a slight vodka taste to it, but that just accentuated the need for something sweet or creamy to round out the one-note flavor.
Isola's sauce was super creamy
This sauce advertised the addition of mascarpone cheese — a rich, Italian soft cheese similar in texture to cream cheese. Right off the bat, the thickness of the sauce, likely helped by the mascarpone, was impressive. It not only coated the pasta, but also could be ladled on top of it and barely move.
This sauce tasted intensely of canned tomato, giving it a bright and pleasant acidity. It was a nice balance to the dense richness.
I also appreciated the simple ingredient list that focused on tomatoes, olive oil, heavy cream, and cheese.
Prego's creamy vodka sauce was thick and rich right out of the jar
Prego's sauce still clung to the noodles even after it was heated and served on the hot pasta,
It was the sweetest of all the sauces I tried. The flavor of the tomato paste was most dominant, and there was little nuance to it beyond that.
There was no hint of any Italian cheeses or richness from heavy cream. To me, this was similar to a super-thick jar of standard Prego. It had the same aggressive oregano note I'd say Prego sauces are known for.
It was not a bad sauce, but it didn't have the qualities I think a vodka sauce should have.
Rao's sauce lived up to the hype
Rao's is an iconic NYC Italian restaurant beloved by many people who swear by the brand's sauces.
The ingredients list offers a hint at why Rao's is so renowned — the first is peeled whole Italian tomatoes, then olive oil, then Parmesan cheese.
In my opinion, this is as close to a homemade vodka sauce as you will find. The fruity ripeness of the tomatoes, the richness of the heavy cream, and the aged tang of Italian hard cheeses combined to create a stunningly tasty sauce.
Whole Foods 365's sauce was a deeper red than the others
This sauce had the perfect balance of acidity from chopped tomatoes. It was sweet from the use of tomato paste and had a smooth, velvety feel from the heavy cream.
It also had the lovely taste of fresh herbs infused throughout. The sauce seeped a bit of liquid after it had been sitting a few minutes, but nothing a good piece of crusty bread can't mop up.
Overall, my favorite sauce was on the pricey side
Each displayed certain dominant qualities, but the ones that tested best and shined brightest allowed each component of the sauce to play its part in both flavor and texture, which is exactly what makes vodka sauce so very delicious.
If I had to choose, I'd go with Rao's vodka sauce. It was the highest-priced jarred sauce of them all at around $9. Though it cost way more than some of the other sauces I tried I'd say, in this instance, you're paying for pure quality that you can taste.
Fortunately, if you're looking to spend less, Whole Foods 365 also has a tasty vodka sauce for about a quarter of the price of Rao's.
This story was originally published on February 15, 2023.
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