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There are some food debates that never seem to die. Are burgers better on the grill, or in a cast iron skillet? Does pineapple belong on pizza? And speaking of pizza, which city makes it best? But there’s no food battle that’s more commonly considered around these parts than the simple question of which store bought marinara is best. We use at least one jar of tomato sauce a week around here, and though we know that, yes, it’s easy to make marinara from scratch, sometimes we literally only have the energy to open a jar. In the past, we’ve always heard that Rao’s is the best brand around, with fans that include our culinary hero Ina Garten. But according to some shoppers on Reddit, there’s another brand of jarred marinara at Costco that might actually be number one.
Victoria Marinara ! Better than raos (in my opinion)
byu/vp_21 inCostco
So, what’s the brand that some Costco users say rivals Rao’s? It’s Victoria, which makes several different types of pasta sauce. However, the subject of the Reddit post by vp_21 was Victoria’s Organic Marinara. “It’s absolutely delicious,” the poster raved. “Reminds me of sauce my Nonna would make growing up.” They also said, “I’ve tried Rao’s before and favor this.”
Victoria’s sauce is made with Italian tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onion, basil, and spices, and is kettle-cooked for 90 minutes, which the brand says helps give it that homemade taste. Commenters who were fans of Victoria praised its “bright tomato forward” flavor and “balanced profile,” saying things like “Victoria’s is the best sauce I’ve ever had” and that it “tastes like a real Italian tomato sauce.”
But not everyone agreed. Rao’s Homemade Marinara had many stalwart defenders who made it clear that to them, nothing beats this grocery-store pick. “Rao’s is the only jarred sauce I’ve had where I didn’t feel the need to add anything,” shared one Costco shopper, and many users were in agreement, saying that the thick texture and deep flavor of Rao’s means it doesn’t need to be “doctored” in any way before serving.
Then there were the peacekeepers. Many people said they just bought whichever brand was on sale, because they’re both delicious, and another person mused, “If you come from an Italian background, I think your preference will be which one tastes more like your family’s.”
Luckily, if you make a red sauce dinner at least once a week like we do, you can pick up both Rao’s and Victoria brand marinara at Costco to save big, or find them on Amazon. Then, you can choose for yourself which brand suits your family’s tastes — or decide if it’s time to start making marinara from scratch after all.
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