7 easy ways to make jarred tomato sauce taste better, according to chefs

• Jarred tomato sauce is a supermarket staple and a quick, affordable dinner fix with many uses.
• Add fresh herbs to finish, or brown meat, onions, shallots, and/or garlic before heating the sauce.

Whether you call it tomato sauce, gravy, spaghetti sauce, pasta sauce, or red sauce, jarred sauces can be one of the most convenient, versatile tools in your quick-fix arsenal.

After all, from scratch or from a jar, tomato sauce is something every family has its own spin on. But, sometimes the jarred stuff just doesn't do the trick and you want to change up the flavor. Luckily, there are many delicious and easy ways to do so.

Frank Pellegrino, Jr., co-owner of Rao's Restaurants, says he likes to think of jarred sauce as "a blank canvas that can be enhanced or doctored up without too many limitations." This means full permission to elevate jarred sauce to semi-homemade, by adding your own stamp.

According to executive chefs and sauce experts, here are the best ways to spice up jarred sauce and save you time and money along the way.

What is jarred tomato sauce typically made of?

The universal ingredients in jarred tomato sauce are simple: tomatoes, herbs, oils, spices. Peeled Roma or plum tomatoes are favored for this type of sauce. Some mass-produced red sauces also include preservatives, and varying levels of sugar and salt.

Common herbs and spices include garlic, onions, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Olive oil is preferred by most upmarket jarred tomato sauce brands, high end restaurants, and home cooks, but more affordable ready-made red pasta sauces may use cheaper substitutes like canola, soybean, sunflower, or a blend of vegetable oils.

There is no one accepted recipe or ingredient list for tomato sauce perfection, though. The secret to great sauce lies in proportions, cook times, and any additions to that basic formula — all of which change its texture and flavor.

1. Toss in fresh or dried herbs

The easiest way to put the trim on jarred tomato sauce is to accent its flavors with complementary elements.

Sprinkle dry herbs into the sauce as it simmers, or add fresh. "I love adding some freshly torn basil or oregano right at the end before I serve it," Pellegrino says. Winslade also steeps fresh basil in the sauce as a finishing touch.

"Specific herbs like oregano and basil pair well with pretty much all Italian food," Zachary Lanier, executive chef for Double Zero in Atlanta, says. "Dried Sicilian oregano has a robust aroma and flavor," so keep that kind in your cupboard if you like zesty Italian. Parsley, marjoram, and thyme work well with tomatoes, too, Winslade attests.

Quick Tip: It's important not to have an overly heavy hand with your greens. Echoing Lanier's "less is more" warning, Tre Vele's executive chef Ian Winslade cautions that "too many pungent herbs can take away from the flavor."

2. Sautée garlic and onions

Adding caramelized garlic and onions is a go-to for increasing sweetness and complexity in a cheap jarred sauce. You can then use the jarred sauce to deglaze the pan and get the most of the allium combo's extracted flavors.

As little as a quarter cup of diced onions can go far. Sauté them until translucent, then add a minced clove or two of garlic in the last 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and let the sugars in the cooked onions and aromas of the garlic infiltrate the sauce as they simmer. Together, they create the harmony and balance that Pellegrino says is important to "complement the rest of the meal."

Quick Tip: Afraid it'll be too sharp? "Adding a touch of honey can balance the natural acidic qualities of tomatoes," Lanier says. Because jarred sauces have different levels of existing sugar and acidity, it's best to add it to taste.

3. Chop up some vegetables

Adding vegetables is a great way to use up produce to reduce waste, since so many veggies are fantastic with tomato sauce. However, you might want to be selective about which ones you use and how.

For example, watery veggies like zucchini and fresh tomatoes can make your sauce soupy, and while carrots help cut down on acid while adding natural sweetness, celery can enhance sharpness. You'll want to gauge what balance of ingredients you prefer.

If you want to give your jarred tomato sauce a bit more personality, Pellegrino and Lanier are both in agreement that red bell peppers and mushrooms are great options.

"Red peppers are a classic pairing with red sauce — they become silky and sweet when simmered together. Same goes with shallots. And mushrooms bring a meaty flavor and texture if you're looking for something vegetarian," Lanier says. Saute the peppers and mushrooms until they're tender and browned, then pour in the sauce to simmer.

Quick tip: You also want to note cooking times, as some vegetables need more time to soften. Sauté any veggies with longer cook times quickly, or pre-steam them in the microwave to get dinner on the table faster and help avoid overcooking the sauce, which might overly concentrate the flavor and acid levels.

4. Add some heat

If you're a fan of spice and want to take it up a notch, add some Calabrian chili paste. The chilis are spicy, smoky, and unique due to terroir, making any pasta night something special. Simply heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat, add in 1 teaspoon of the paste and stir, then pour in a jar of sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes before tossing with pasta.

For a quicker option, infuse crushed red pepper flakes for a minute or so into some olive oil over medium heat, then add in the sauce.

5. Stir in cheese or cream

"One of my favorite enhancements is the addition of ricotta cheese, which I fold into the sauce as I'm heating it up. In a minute or two, you have a creamy pink, delicious sauce that will take your favorite pasta to the next level. It's also perfect for dishes like a cacciatore," Pelligrino says. Just be careful not to overdo it, since "adding cream or dairy takes the sauce in a whole other direction," as Lanier points out, and you can lose complexity if you allow dairy to take over.

Many connoisseurs of Italian cuisine will come to a consensus that hard grated cheese is an excellent topping and flavor enhancer. Enough of a high quality cheese can do wonders for your jarred sauce.

Reach for Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano if you want something salty and nutty, or Pecorino Romano for something funkier.

Quick Tip: Don't add cream or cheese to the sauce while it's at a rolling boil and piping hot. It will cause the dairy to break and become grainy rather than rich and smooth.

6. Add meat or meat alternatives

Few meats don't go well with tomato sauce, jarred or not. Their addition contributes to the texture, enhances flavor, and boosts protein, all of which apply to plant-based substitutes as well.

For even more decadence and a punch of flavor, cook whole, crumbled, or sliced regular or vegan Italian sausage and add in the sauce to simmer.

If ground meat isn't your thing, make some meatballs, as Winslade does. "We love making them with ground pork and veal, then finishing them in our rich tomato sauce."

"You can add pork or grilled chicken, too, depending on what you're serving," says Pelligrino.

Quick Tip: Opt for low-sodium jarred tomato sauces so you can tweak it to taste, using higher quality salt than basic table salt. Lanier recommends refined sea salt or kosher salt. For even more saltiness, there's always hard cheese.

7. Mix and match the above suggestions to make a different sauce entirely

Adding a vegetable medley makes your jarred sauce a loose Primavera and stirring in meat can make a Bolognese approximation, but there are specific tomato-based sauce variations you can tap into by mixing and matching our above tips. For instance, adding sauteed eggplant to the sauce, then topping it with salty crumbles of ricotta salata turns a jar of supermarket sauce into classic Pasta alla Norma. Or, channel a traditional spicy Amatriciana by starting with guanciale cooked with black and dried red pepper and adding pecorino cheese.

Ways to use tomato sauce

• Tossed pasta night: Splurge on fresh pasta and add one of our flavor-enhancing hacks and a 15-minute prep can taste like you spent all day. Look for bronze-cut pastas, which have slightly rougher surfaces and therefore excellent sauce-gripping capabilities. For chunkier sauces, choose types that will cup your ingredients, like ruffled mafalde, squiggly rotini, or cascatelli.
• Dressed up stuffed pastas: Ravioli, tortellini, sacchetti, and their like are often served with simple sauces, letting their fillings take center stage. But rather than spending double for gourmet varieties with interesting fillings, why not just top classic meat or cheese pasta packets with a glowed-up sauce?
• Casseroles & bakes: Elevate your basic baked ziti or lasagna with a gussied up tomato sauce to give it an exciting new spin. Make it the basis of a chicken or eggplant parm, or add rice and stuff peppers with your custom sauce creation.
• Shakshuka-inspired breakfast: Bake, simmer, or poach an egg or two into your dolled-up sauce and your jarred tomato sauce and you've got an excuse to have red sauce in the morning for a hearty brunch of breakfast. Better yet, add cumin, paprika, and cayenne to channel the real deal.

Insider's takeaway

While made-from-scratch pasta sauce will always wear the crown, there's a wealth of ways to make jarred tomato sauce rich. More importantly, there are lots of hacks to make it yours — personalized and the base of a new family recipe. Everyday pantry ingredients and empty-the-fridge vegetables let you do it cheaply and without waste, and just a little bit of the right meat can go a long way.