Pasta with sauce is probably one of the easiest weeknight dinners to whip up when you’re tired, hungry and need something filling to finish off the day.
A good pasta sauce is easy enough to throw together. All you need is a good glug of olive oil, cloves of garlic, a can of tomatoes, and torn basil leaves if you’re feeling fancy. It can be paired with pasta of all shapes and sizes, from reliable crowd-pleasers like penne and spaghetti for an exceptionally speedy pasta al pomodoro or, if you fancy something heartier, paired with meat and made into a ragu to spoon over mafaldine or rigatoni with a generous dusting of parmesan on top.
It may be designated as pasta sauce, but tomato sauce can be used for myriad other dishes - think shakshuka, pizza, chilli con carne, soup and more.
That is why, despite homemade being best, it’s handy to have a jar or two of the stuff hanging around in your kitchen cupboards ready to use when you’ve got a crowd to feed.
A stroll down any supermarket aisle in the country will reveal the wealth of tomato-based cooking sauce brands available in the UK.
From established players such as Heinz and Sacla to names like Mutti and Filippo Berio full of fresh flavour that tastes of Mediterranean sunshine, there are oodles of choices to ponder.
That’s why we’ve decided to cut through the noise and give you the lowdown on the best tomato sauce brand available now.
See the best below
Mutti
With a tomato-canning history that stretches back from 120 years, Mutti is the go-to when hunting for high-quality tomatoes. The Italian brand prides itself on offering only the best tomatoes and is the preferred producer for many of Lonodn’s top-ranking chefs and restaurants.
The reason? Each Mutti can, carton or bottle is packed with flavour, thanks to growing the fruit in the best possible conditions and being harvested at the height of summer by some 400 Italian farmers.
As well as peeled, crushed and pureed tomatoes, Mutti offers a line of ready-to-cook sauces ideal for pasta, pizza bases and other saucy dishes. Like it hot? Try the Mutti Pepperoncino Pasta Sauce for an extra hit of fire.
Buy now £2.52, Amazon
Loyd Grossman
Broadcaster and celebrity chef Loyd Grossman’s line of cooking sauces and store cupboard staples are perhaps better known than he is at this point.
Sitting on the slightly higher end of the scale, there’s a line of Thai and Indian cooking sauces in the mix, but the Italian sauce range is what the brand is best known for. Spanning Bolognese, Tomato & Chilli, and a classic Tomato & Basil, sauces are on the chunky side, reinforcing a feeling of being homemade.
Tomato & Chilli is our favourite, rich and juicy with just the right level of kick to wake up tastebuds. It’s easily customisable too; chuck in more garlic or chilli to strengthen the flavour.
Buy now £3.00, Amazon
Dolmio
As the leading pasta sauce brand in the UK, Dolmio needs little by way of introduction. The green-topped glass jars have been a culinary MVP since 1986 and can be used alone or with cooked mince to make a bolognese or a lasagne. More recently, it’s developed a line of microwavable packets and stir-in sauces that quickly inject Italian-style flavour into meals and make office lunchtimes more exciting.
It’s not all memorable catchphrases and families of puppets; the brand strives to include more veg and less sugar in its recipes. Its most recent launch is a line called ‘Intensify’ which dials up flavours with the help of ingredients like chilli, garlic and paprika.
Buy now £1.75, Amazon
Barilla
Starting life as a bread and pasta shop in Parma in 1877, Barilla has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Some 147 years may have passed, but the Italian company is still family-owned and prides itself on ‘bringing people closer to the joy of good food’. If you’ve ever tried one of its pasta sauces, you’ll know it's up to scratch.
The range includes pesto as well as popular Italian sauces: think bolognese, arrabbiata and basilico, all made with sunflower-based Italian tomatoes and top-notch veggies.
Buy now £2.95, Amazon
Jamie Oliver
If there’s one cuisine TV’s Naked Chef loves more than others, it’s Italian. So much so that Jamie Oliver launched an entire restaurant chain focused on them, and there’s a line of retail sauces available for those who want to try recreating them at home.
The glass jar sauces sit alongside packed of fresh gnocchi and pasta, making it easy to get a quick dinner on the table when time is tight.
There are seven varieties in the range (one for every day of the week, if you fancy), from a traditional Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce to a creamy Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta Sauce.
Buy now £2.85, Amazon
Sacla
Perhaps better known for its pesto, Sacla also offers a healthy line of tomato-based pasta sauces to drive home cooking up a gear. Another Italian company with a huge appetite for bringing premium sauces to kitchens everywhere, you’ll find a colourful lineup of its jars on any supermarket shelf.
For high octane flavour, rach for its Intenso range above all others: expect tasty combinations like Sweet Red Onion & Gorgonzola and Tomato & Mascarpone.
Buy now £3.35, Amazon
Heinz
Heinz has mastered the world of condiments and soups; now it’s coming for pasta sauces.
A fairly new addition to the range, the pasta sauce collection shows what the American giant can do with a tomato beyond ketchup. There are jars galore to try - tomato and basil, tomato and chilli, tomato and lentil ragu, mascarpone, bolognese, and red and white sauces for lasagne - all made from Italian-harvested tomatoes.
The company has even incurred the wrath of the Italians by launching a tongue-in-cheek tomato ketchup pasta sauce. Whether that’s bold or completely bonkers is for you to decide.
Buy now £1.50, Amazon
Filippo Berio
A healthy glug of olive oil is a key component in the making of a decent tomato sauce, at least if you’re doing it the Italian way. So it's perfect logic that a brand specialising in the golden elixir makes a play for the pasta sauce market.
Established in 1867 in Lucca, Italy (the bottles still bear a vintage-style label with the founder’s face and date), the brand is all about producing, bottling and selling the very best olive oil that can be squeezed from Italian groves. Pasta sauces are now part of the portfolio, with four excellent options to choose from: basilico, arrabbiata, grilled vegetables and olive.
From £2.
Buy now £2.00, Amazon
