Missing the Old Rao’s Pasta Sauce Formula? Stop by Aldi.
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When it comes to spaghetti dinner at home, there’s no sauce like one that has been tried and tested for years and the entire family can get behind. For many households, that pasta sauce is Rao’s. Generally, a 24-ounce jar of Rao’s can retail anywhere between $7 and $10, making it one of the pricier pasta sauces on the market. And if you shop at Aldi, you can usually find a jar for around $6.88, which is a fair price considering what some places are charging.
Despite the high price point, Rao’s is still highly regarded by those in the know as a well-balanced sauce that is not too sweet or acidic. Rao’s is credited by some as being about as close to homemade sauce as jarred pasta sauce can get. Rao’s Homemade Marinara specifically is an excellent example of the brand's short, no-nonsense ingredients list: tomatoes, olive oil, onions, salt, garlic, basil, black pepper and oregano.
There is, however, a contender to the beloved Rao’s that might have more relation to the latter than initially meets the eye. Speculated by online internet sleuths as a direct duplicate of Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce, Aldi’s Specially Selected Premium Marinara is half the price and “tastes nearly identical to Rao’s,” according to some very dedicated fans in the popular Aldi subreddit.
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Like Rao’s, a quick read of the ingredients list shows that Aldi’s Specially Selected Premium Marinara is similarly made up of crushed and whole tomatoes, olive oil, onion, salt, pepper and oregano. The sauce lists no sugars or herbs and is described as having a “purely tomato flavor,” as well as a smooth and not too chunky texture.
“The only difference is a slight difference in sodium content – which is almost certainly on purpose,” wrote the author of the post shared to the highly intrigued Reddit community. “Companies have clued in to people realizing generic brands are often identical to the name brands,” they continued, “so they purposefully change the nutritional info so it seems at least somewhat different.”
Speculation online centered mostly around the theory that Rao’s and Aldi’s Specially Selected Premium Marinara were once made under the same roof and therefore, must have shared the same recipes. But despite the ongoing theory shared by many Redditors who stand by the Rao label, there is no real proof. In fact, last summer, Rao’s was purchased by Campbell’s, making it even less likely that Aldi and Rao’s would ever share the same bottling facilities.
In any case, if your family loves weekly pasta nights and you find yourself willing to venture outside of your beloved Rao’s comfort zone, Aldi’s Specially Selected Premium Marinara is the way to go. Not only is a jar just $3.99, it's rumored to only need the simple addition of a little extra olive oil to taste exactly like Rao’s. Still a little on the fence? Don't knock it till you try it; you just might replace your go-to sauce with a much cheaper, just as tasty option.
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