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canyonwalkerA few weeks ago I read in one of my usual haunts on FlyerTalk.com about a new (to me) variety of Rao's pasta sauce. Rao's basic marinara sauce has been a fan favorite among Costco fans for quite some time. I've tried it myself and have been... underwhelmed.
"It tastes like a basic marinara sauce I'd make myself," I lamented to the fan group.
"Yes, that's the entire point!" they assured me. "It's the most like homemade!!11!"
But here's the thing.... For 3x the price of other brands of jarred sauce at Costco, I'd rather actually make homemade. Making marinara sauce isn't even hard.
Thus I was skeptical about this newly available variety, Rao's Homemade Calabrian Chili Marinara. But I have a rule about food: don't hate it 'til you try it.
By the way, Rao's Calabrian Chili variety is even more expensive than their basic stuff. Ounce for ounce this stuff comes out to almost 4x the price of Prego or Classico marinara sauce when Costco has it on sale.
But how did it taste?
I tried it first with a basic pasta. In the bowl (photo above) are gemelli noodles, Rao's Calabrian sauce, and shredded Parmesan cheese. Curious this is a Costco trifecta. The pasta, sauce, and cheese are all from Costco! (The bread with garlic and melted mozzarella cheese you see in the opposite corner is pretty much all ingredients bought at Safeway.)
I've got to say, for all the ambivalence I have about Rao's basic marinara sauce, I am impressed by how good their Calabrian marinara tastes. The Calabrian chilies have a nice, medium-low spice burn. They don't bite at all upfront but provide a nice, sustained heat. Underneath that the sauce has a brighter tomato flavor than Rao's basic variety. I like that aspect of it, too.
As I write this I've now had 4 or 5 dinners with Rao's Calabrian marinara. So far the simplest is the best. After trying it with spinach and cheese ravioli (also bought at Costco!) I've come back to basic pasta garnished with Parmesan cheese.
"It tastes like a basic marinara sauce I'd make myself," I lamented to the fan group.
"Yes, that's the entire point!" they assured me. "It's the most like homemade!!11!"
But here's the thing.... For 3x the price of other brands of jarred sauce at Costco, I'd rather actually make homemade. Making marinara sauce isn't even hard.
Thus I was skeptical about this newly available variety, Rao's Homemade Calabrian Chili Marinara. But I have a rule about food: don't hate it 'til you try it.
By the way, Rao's Calabrian Chili variety is even more expensive than their basic stuff. Ounce for ounce this stuff comes out to almost 4x the price of Prego or Classico marinara sauce when Costco has it on sale.
But how did it taste?
I tried it first with a basic pasta. In the bowl (photo above) are gemelli noodles, Rao's Calabrian sauce, and shredded Parmesan cheese. Curious this is a Costco trifecta. The pasta, sauce, and cheese are all from Costco! (The bread with garlic and melted mozzarella cheese you see in the opposite corner is pretty much all ingredients bought at Safeway.)
I've got to say, for all the ambivalence I have about Rao's basic marinara sauce, I am impressed by how good their Calabrian marinara tastes. The Calabrian chilies have a nice, medium-low spice burn. They don't bite at all upfront but provide a nice, sustained heat. Underneath that the sauce has a brighter tomato flavor than Rao's basic variety. I like that aspect of it, too.
As I write this I've now had 4 or 5 dinners with Rao's Calabrian marinara. So far the simplest is the best. After trying it with spinach and cheese ravioli (also bought at Costco!) I've come back to basic pasta garnished with Parmesan cheese.
