Rao's Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce

My friend, Ivy, has been raving about this spaghetti sauce for as long as I've known her.  She posted recently that she had the most AMAZING meal at Rao's Restaurant in Vegas.  It peaked my interested again and I was on a mission to taste this wonderful sauce.

 I've been making most of my sauces from scratch lately but there are days that I just don't want to cook.  I've tried many jarred spaghetti sauces and many of them taste watered down and down right nasty. My kid's palate is now advanced enough to know a good quality sauce over....well...uh....salt and water in a jar. Ok, maybe it doesn't have to be that advanced for spaghetti taste testing. You get my point.

Ivy didn't disappoint. This is hands down the best jarred marinara sauce I have had.  It is full of flavor. It is all natural. It has imported Italian tomatoes. It's the bomb. Right out of the jar it is perfect. I can't wait to try this on spaghetti squash. 

You may be thinking...why don't I know about this sauce? Is it really on the shelves of the local grocery store?  Yes, it is. I found this at Kroger.  The thing is folks, it doesn't come cheap.  It was reg $8.99 at Kroger and $1 off at the time.  If you are wanting to make delicious Italian meal and don't want to fuss with making your own sauce, give Rao's a try. They have many different flavors and I am betting that they are all just as good as the Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce we had. 

I sautéed orange and yellow peppers (what I had on hand) to add to the sauce and served it on gluten free pasta. It was awesome! I will be buying this again. It is worth the extra money if you don't want to sacrifice taste and quality.

Here's a link of a great way to "stretch" the marinara sauce a little further.... Clean Cuisine: Rao's Marinara 

Stop up on this when on sale. I have found it as low as $6.50 at Super Target.

Local friends: You can find it at Tasteful Times in Fishers, Indiana. Super local small businesses!