A staple in kitchens across the country, everyone has their own favourite pasta sauce. Perhaps you favour a thick consistency, or maybe it comes down to the seasoning. As food prices continue to skyrocket, cost will understandingly become an increasingly important factor for many families.
Just recently, shoppers were shocked to see the price of a standard jar of Dolmio at £2.20, as the cost of some groceries has more than doubled.
Keen to spend keep her bills down, Surrey Live's Laura Nightingale, set out to see if she could find a cheaper supermarket alternative that tasted just as good. Eight different taste tests later, she says she found a clear winner, meanwhile the popular Dolmio option finished halfway up the league table. Here's her verdict.
8. Morrisons
Morrisons' Bolognese Sauce had a horrible onion aftertaste. Even though it had a high tomato content, and was a good price at £1.09, it just wasn't for me. At first glance, the labelling looked very similar to Dolmio.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 83%, tomato purée 8%
Weight: 500g
Price: £1.09
7. Aldi
Aldi's Everyday Essentials Tomato and Herb Pasta Sauce had a low tomato content and, as a result, was pale in colour. It was watery and had big chunks of onion in it. It was the cheapest at just 47p for a 440g jar, however, it didn't boast that rich tomato taste.
I would mix it into a pasta dish, but it was not my favourite of all the sauces I tried.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 29%, tomato puree 42%
Weight: 440g
Price: 47p
6. Waitrose
If you love red wine, get your mitts on Waitrose's Essential Bolognese Sauce as it has a strong boozy flavour. Not only did it contain red wine, but it was also quite pungent in terms of flavour as it contained onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, black pepper, dried rosemary, dried bay leaf and dried thyme. It was very thick too.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 65%, tomato purée 17%
Weight: 340g
Price: £1.00
5. Co-op
Co-op's Bolognese Pasta Sauce was bright red in colour, but not bright on flavour. It was a bit tasteless to be honest and there was a very subtle taste of oregano.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 67%, tomato puree 14%
Weight: 500g
Price: £1.50
4. Dolmio
Dolmio Bolognese Original Pasta Sauce was rich, thick and delicious, just as I knew it to be, but at £2.20 it was more than double the price of many of the other brands I tasted. Yes I enjoyed it, but it was no more superior than some of the cheaper supermarket versions. It also had some chunky tomatoes in it, which I liked.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 75%, tomato puree 13%
Weight: 500g
Price: £2.20 (currently at Tesco)
3. Tesco
Tesco's Bolognese Sauce had a brilliant red colour and a thick texture. It tasted just of tomato (perfect if you hate onion), but I couldn't get any hints of herbs. It was smooth and reminded me of just blended chopped tomatoes.
Tomato content: Tomato 67%, tomato puree 24%
Weight: 500g
Price: 85p
2. Marks and Spencer
The M&S Classic Tomato Everything Pasta Sauce was thick, rich and silky. However, at £1.70 for a small 340g jar, it's a bit of a treat.
If it wasn't for the price, I would happily eat this sauce straight from the jar as a makeshift tomato soup with a nice hunk of buttered bread.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 79%, tomato puree (% not included)
Weight: 340g
Price: £1.70
1. WINNER: Sainsbury's
But the winner in terms of value for money, in my opinion, had to be Sainsbury's Tomato and Herb Bolognese Pasta Sauce. It was quite loose in consistency, but it was nice and flavoursome as it was packed with tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano and black pepper.
It would go perfectly in a hearty bowl of ravioli or family-size spaghetti bolognese. And on that note, I made a large dish of pasta for my whole family so that no jars in this experiment went to waste. I froze the rest.
Tomato content: Tomatoes 66%, tomato purée 10%
Weight: 500g
Price: 0.87p
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