How To Make Store Bought Pasta Sauce Better
Learn how to make store bought pasta sauce better with these easy hacks! You’ll fool everyone into thinking your doctored jarred sauce is homemade because it will taste so rich and delicious.
We are all busy people right?
Too busy to spend tons of time making homemade sauce the way grandma did.
If your grandma was anything like mine, she’d start her sauce bright and early on Sunday morning and cook it all day, stirring and adding ingredients until it was finally time for Sunday dinner.
As much as I’d love to be able to do that, let’s be realistic here.
There’s no way that’s happening.
But I can doctor a jar of pasta sauce with the best of them.
I’ll tell you everything you need to know on how to make store bought pasta sauce better- so good it’ll taste homemade!
Ingredients
Part of the secret to this spaghetti sauce hack is what you add to the store bought sauce to make it taste better.
Well, I’m happy to report the answer is not much!
Just two spices and one secret ingredient.
To make your sauce shine, you’ll need:
- Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce– Use your favorite brand and make sure you aren’t using chunky style.
- Spices– Garlic powder and onion powder
- Red wine– Just a quarter cup of your favorite dry red wine. Make sure you don’t use sweet wine.
How to Doctor Up Store Bought Spaghetti Sauce
Making store bought sauce taste better is so easy!
Just stir all the ingredients together in a large pot.
Bring the sauce to a low simmer and let it keep simmering for at least 2 hours- but up to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Taste periodically, adding any extra seasoning if needed.
Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!
Storing leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
What else can I add to spaghetti sauce to give it more flavor?
The garlic and onion powder along with a nice dry red wine will go a long way to add lots of extra flavor to a jar of sauce.
But if you want to add even more flavor to it you could also stir in a pinch or so of crushed red pepper flakes and simmer the sauce with a parmesan cheese rind.
If using a rind of Parmesan cheese, be sure to fish it out and discard before serving/using the doctored sauce.
For wow factor, at the end you could add chopped fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, or oregano.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t buy the chunky kind of sauce for this. It won’t give you as tasty a result.
- Use a red wine that you would drink but go for one that is drier and full bodied.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as you go. If you find the sauce is too acidic, you could add a pinch of sugar. But if the sauce is too sweet, I like to add a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar.
Other Hacks to Doctor Store Bought Products
Learning how to make store bought pasta sauce better will make pasta night a family favorite!
Try it and be prepared for deliciousness.
Looking for other ways to make store bought products better?
Try these:
If you’ve mastered my method for HOW TO MAKE STORE BOUGHT PASTA SAUCE BETTER, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
How To Make Jarred Pasta Sauce Taste Homemade
Ingredients
- 2 24 oz cans tomato basil spaghetti sauce NOT chunky style, use your favorite brand
- 1 tbsp onion power
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup red wine NOT sweet
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a large pot. Stir well to combine.2 24 oz cans tomato basil spaghetti sauce, 1 tbsp onion power, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1/4 cup red wine
- Bring the sauce to a low simmer, and let it slowly simmer for 2-4 hours- stirring occasionally.
- Taste every hour, and adjust any seasonings as needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Don't buy the chunky kind of sauce for this. It won't give you as tasty a result.
- Use a red wine that you would drink but go for one that is drier and full bodied.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as you go. If you find the sauce is too acidic, you could add a pinch of sugar. But if the sauce is too sweet, I like to add a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar.
