My daughter is enamored with the Food Network, and on a recent visit to Costco she spied a display of Mario Batali Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce. She became so excited that I decided to give it a try. The two pack glass jars, each containing 24 ounces, retailed for around $8.00.
The label pictures Mario Batali, and it sure makes the pasta sauce sound very impressive! A gold stamp promises no preservatives, no sugarm and all natural fresh ingredients. It goes on to say that the sauce is “Crafted from Imported Cherry Tomatoes & San Marzano Tomatoes from Italy and fresh garlic”. How could one resist?
Reading from the back label, I was sure we were going to love this new to us pasta sauce. It states the ingredients are fresh herbs and spices, fresh chopped garlic, no paste or puree added, and to top it off it’s even produced in a green facility.
Indeed, the ingredients do look extremely healthy and natural. Manufacturers do change their ingredients from time to time, but as of this writing my jar of Mario Batali Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce contains San Marzano Imported Italian Plum Tomatoes, Imported Italian Cherry Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Fresh Garlic, Black Pepper and Fresh Basil.
Nutrition wise, Mario Batali Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce seems like a very healthy pasta sauce. One half cup contains only 60 calories and 4 grams of fat. It is a bit high in sodium, with 340 milligrams, so if you are on a low sodium diet be sure to read all labels. There is even one gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein per serving.
Now that you know all there is to know about Mario Batali Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce, I’m sure you want to know what it tasted like. Two out of three in our home liked it. I, however, was not one of them. This sauce has a bit of a kick to it. I don’t know if it comes from the fresh black pepper, but it is slightly spicy hot. My husband loved it, saying he likes spicy pasta sauce. I wasn’t so impressed.
My son-in-law likes pasta sauce, but he does not like chunks of tomatoes in his food. I am betting he wouldn’t eat Mario Batali Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce because the texture of my jar was quite chunky. It is definitely not a puree like my standby Ragu or Prego, which I truly prefer to the Mario Batali. I love sauce with my pasta, nice thick sauce that sticks to noodles, but I found this sauce too watery and it all ended up on the bottom of my pasta bowl.
Does the pasta sauce taste authentic? I’ve never been to Italy so I couldn’t say. I suspect it does, but unfortunately it was not to my liking. When I use the remaining jar I plan to mix it with a bottle of Ragu.