12 Rao's Jarred Soups, Ranked

Getting into Rao's original NYC location for a meal has been labeled a nearly impossible task. Reservations don't come easy, with only 10 tables in the entire restaurant and a reputation for celebrity sightings. Luckily, though, for us everyday consumers, getting a taste of those legendary Rao's flavors doesn't have to come with a three-month-long wait. The retail side of the business has us covered.

An entire collection of signature Rao's products is available on grocery store shelves. You can find classic offerings like the brand's diverse lineup of pasta sauces and dried pasta to go with them. Then, there are picks like frozen meals and pizzas. And finally, there's another category worth exploring, which comes in the form of slow-simmered soups.

Rao's store-bought soups have been around since 2019, and now come in a wide variety of styles and recipes –  all Italian-inspired, of course, and made without artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. But the real question is, which jars are good enough to transport you to one of those 10 coveted tables, surrounded by history and old-school Italian charm? Which bowlfuls are steeped in comfort, depth, and authentic flavors? I recently tried 10 of Rao's jarred soups to find out. From classic staples like chicken noodle and tomato basil to heartier varieties like Tuscan Style Beef and Sausage & Potato, here's how each one fared. 

I'm a big fan of French onion soup, don't get me wrong. For me, it's one of those soups that has no season. I've been known to order a cup at Panera in the dead heat of summer, no shame anywhere in sight.

That said, Rao's recipe doesn't live up to what I envision a delicious crock of French onion soup to be. Its appearance wasn't a good start. Consisting mostly of beef broth and caramelized onions, it sits in the bowl like a ladle of dirty dish water (apologies for the visual, but I couldn't unsee it). As for the flavor, the addition of brown sugar makes it extra sweet, and it only gets sweeter once you heat it up to a spoonable temperature. You only get a small sample of acidity, salt, and sharpness from the cheese. In addition, the onion bits are too few and too small for my liking, so they don't do enough to break up the monotony of a greasy, lackluster broth.

It's the bottom of the barrel compared to Rao's other soups, but it's nothing a few heavy-handed garnishes can't fix. Throw on a thick layer of melty Gruyere cheese and a toasted French baguette, and suddenly it's a completely different dish.

Despite being an omnivore's dream, this soup doesn't pop the way I thought it would. It should have been the best of both worlds — essentially a vegetable soup base paired with beef flavorings and real hearty chunks of beef. Yet, it falls short in both authentic flavor and execution.

In all honesty, I think it's the broth and beef that present the problem. Like the brand's French onion soup, the broth here leads with a strong sweetness and a touch of grease. It also carries a faint meaty flavor that doesn't land quite right on the palate. The small bits of beef are sometimes tender and sometimes tough, so you never really know what you're going to get. These two components make it harder to enjoy the bright veggies. Italian tomatoes, onions, and potatoes would have made for a solid soup by themselves. They're the reason why the Tuscan Style Beef beats out the French onion. Overall, though, I think this Tuscan style of soup could use some upgrades. Perhaps beef of higher quality or a few more dashes of garlic or other spices for a flavor that's more savory than sweet.

Rao's pasta sauce roots are as evident as ever in this tomato basil soup. The brand actually offers two different tomato soups — this one and a creamy version — and I ended up liking this one a bit less. It didn't bother me that it looked, and sometimes felt, like a bowlful of straight pasta sauce. I just thought more could have been done to up the flavor ante.

If you look at Rao's tomato basil sauce versus this tomato basil soup, you'll notice a few key differences. Yes, Italian tomatoes, garlic, and basil plant the seeds for both recipes, but the soup differentiates itself with the addition of carrots and celery. Its consistency lands between smooth and chunky, and the flavor is fresh with a good amount of sweetness — a level of sweetness that isn't as overwhelming as it was in the previous two soups.

However, it needs more garlic and herbs. A soup as simple as tomato relies on these ingredients to give it depth. Without that, it's hard to imagine eating an entire serving without help from a gooey grilled cheese sandwich loaded with fontina and Gruyere cheeses.

The official soup of fall makes an appearance on the Rao's lineup. My taste buds were ready for that glorious combination of creaminess, warmth, and autumnal flavors. It delivers on some of these promises, but not all.

It's a decent soup and more nuanced than tomato basil, but it bears little resemblance to a classic butternut squash recipe. I could hardly taste the earthy, nutty flavor of butternut squash at all. And despite the addition of brown sugar, it's not very sweet. It feels closer to a cross between butternut squash soup and a tomato soup, where the tomato soup ingredients trample the squash. Blended carrots and onions flavored with garlic and Parmesan cheese carry a lot of the taste. This would be fine if they didn't leave what should be the star of the bowl (aka, the squash) lost in the background. 

I felt the need to sprinkle some nutmeg or ginger on top just to regain some of that fall essence. But hey, at least it's decadently creamy. Both cream and skim milk play a part in the recipe, making the soup nearly smooth enough to drink. If you decide to indulge (by spoon or by sip), be prepared for more savory tastes than sweet and a slight deviation from the cozy flavors you're likely hoping for.

The Chicken & Orzo eats more like a meal than any of the previous soups, and I applaud it for that. But at the end of the day, it's a simple chicken and noodle recipe trying to masquerade as something fancier. And Rao's already has a more classic take on chicken noodle soup on its books that does it better.

The ingredient list is pretty much what you would expect. Pastina (in the shape of short-grain rice) is obviously front and center, swimming in a chicken-based broth. Carrots and onion bits are plentiful, but small chicken chunks play hide and seek. To make matters worse, the chunks I did find turned out to be dry and chewy. The seasoning blend combines standard flavors like garlic and onion powder.

It's filling. It's passable. It's just not great. I think orzo is a culinary buzzword and big trend right now, but I'm not so sure it's the best fit for this kind of soup. While I love it in a cold pasta salad, here it turns a tad slimy and doesn't stand up as well to the broth. Give me big, chunky egg noodles every time.

Tortellini & Vegetable is another soup that incorporates pasta, a fair amount of the Rao's lineup do. However, this one does so in a way that you don't see all too often, especially in shelf-stable jars or cans. It marches to the beat of its own drum by throwing tortellini into its veggie stew, creating a half-pasta, half-soup dish that intrigued me.

The tortellini itself (which I obviously dug out first) was the clear star of the show. Filled with both Romano and ricotta cheeses, it carried a mildly cheesy taste. More impressive, though, is that even after sitting for who knows how long in the jar, it still maintained a nice tenderness and chew without ever becoming mushy. Your typical veggies like crushed tomatoes, carrots, and floating spinach leaves play supporting roles.

Overall, it's a good soup, and the tortellini automatically pulls it above the Chicken & Orzo in my book. The only caveat is that the broth needs an upgrade. It seems to have all the makings for a flavorful base. Chicken stock meets peeled tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. There's even a slew of herbs and spices piled in. But even with all this, I couldn't help but think it tasted like the sauce in SpaghettiOs. Rao's could do better.

This is the superior Rao's tomato soup. Go with the creamy, you won't be disappointed. I originally thought it was redundant for the brand to offer two different kinds of the staple soup, but now it makes perfect sense. Just as a tomato basil pasta sauce needs a vodka sauce companion, a tomato basil soup needs a creamy tomato counterpart to round out the lineup.

Essentially, the creamy tomato soup takes everything good about the tomato basil — the freshness, the ingredient variety, the light sweetness — and elevates it further. Creaminess is a given. It has those bases covered. Cream combines with a blend of veggies to create a thicker, velvety consistency with few chunks. What really makes the soup is the surprise additions of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, which add a careful complexity, acidity, and zest to the recipe. They transform it from a boring, been-there-done-that tomato soup to something with more intrigue and flavor.

Don't discount this soup simply because of its spot in the rankings. It is a tasty bowl, and its placement speaks more to the quality and depth of the remaining Rao's soups than anything lacking in this one.

Rao's take on chicken noodle is one you'll want to eat even when you're completely healthy. It has that 'it' factor of a cozy homemade soup.

If you look at the ingredient list, you won't notice anything out of the ordinary for a soup in this category. You have your chicken broth, chicken, and noodles, of course. These basics are joined by the obligatory veggies, like carrots and celery. Then, much of the flavor is in the hands of garlic and Parmesan cheese. Just looking at the build alone, you may notice a great deal of similarities between this brew and the brand's Chicken & Orzo, but this is the better bowl, no question. The chicken chunks are larger with more juiciness and flavor, while the broth is fatty, saltier, and cheesier. And the thick, wavy egg noodles make all the difference. Orzo pasta simply can't compare to its rich flavor and satisfyingly chewy texture. The curly noodles soak up all the broth and make for a wholesome bite when paired with a piece of chicken and a few veggies.

If you're looking for a well-done yet no-frills chicken noodle, this is it. Although you could also reach for the next pick. It's just as good, but bolder with a more herbaceous finish.

In the past, I've named this jar as one of the best store-bought vegetable soups out there, and I stand by that statement. You can tell it's going to be flavorful and well-balanced with something different in every spoonful, from the moment you pour it out into your bowl.

There's certainly a lot to it, starting with the bright orangey-red broth itself. Italian whole peeled tomatoes are once again behind it, enlivened by herbs and spices. The vegetable list is also a mile long, from carrots and peas to zucchini and potatoes. And we're not done yet. My personal favorite part is the three different filling and wholesome components, including chickpeas, dark red kidney beans, and, of course, the small tube-shaped ditalini pasta. This trio ensures that you're getting at least some carbs and protein per serving, so you leave the meal feeling satiated instead of curious about what you're going to eat next.

The vegetable minestrone is savory, herb-forward, and multi-layered. But so is the next soup, and it leans even heartier if you can believe it.

Lentil isn't exactly a glamorous soup. It's more of a working-class recipe that's humble and practical, with a rustic backbone. However, Rao's manages to dress it up in a way that makes it one of the most underrated soups it offers.

Legumes are clearly a part of every bite and give the soup a chunkiness that nearly promotes it to the stew category. Since Rao's variation builds off of tomatoes and Italian flavors, it shares similarities with the vegetable minestrone. Garlic and other spices still work their magic in the background while a myriad of veggies swim in the broth. Chickpeas, beans, and noodles don't show up here, but it still manages to feel robust because of its thickness and flavor additions — where the soup really begins to shine. Chicken fat, turmeric, and balsamic vinegar combine to give it a punchier, richer profile; it even has the slightest bit of a kick to it. 

This light spice is exactly what the lentil soup needed to surpass the minestrone, despite a shorter ingredient list. Even if it is edged out by a few meatier offerings, it still deserves some praise. It's a true underdog success story.

This marriage of ingredients is certainly cause for celebration. I love how the Italian Wedding soup comes together, from broth to mini meatballs. It's undoubtedly one of Rao's best. It's actually rather understated, but that's what I like about it. It doesn't overdo it with the salt, but it's not bland either. 

The foundation is a simple chicken broth that relies mostly on fattiness and herbs to give it its flavor. It's not that far off from the brand's chicken noodle broth. This leaves room for the pasta and meatballs to do most of the talking. Soft little acini di pepe pasta balls are there more so for their texture than anything else, though they give the soup a comforting feel. It would honestly feel incomplete without them. 

Then come the meatballs made of both pork and beef, which I found to be high-quality and juicy. Even pumped full of Romano cheese and seasonings, they're not overly assertive, but they don't necessarily need to be. They serve their purpose perfectly, just the way they are. Italian Wedding was a quick favorite. But there's one last Rao's recipe out there that's slightly richer and more homestyle.

Potato soup is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Whether it's loaded up with cheese and cream or spun up into a thick chowder, it's bound to be irresistible thanks to those melt-in-your-mouth, starchy spuds. Rao's gives potato soup an Italian twist, and needless to say, it's delicious.

I've never met a more stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup. Not only is it filled with dices of potato, but it also incorporates crumbles of Italian pork sausage and tender Cannellini beans. Packed with all this substance, it's ultra-filling and backs it up with plenty of flavor as well. The base starts with chicken broth, but there's a subtle creaminess that makes the entire bowl feel far more indulgent than you'd expect. It's a bit garlicky, cheesy, and tastes of fennel and black pepper from the sausage leak out into the rest of the soup. To tie a bow on it, Rao's also adds spinach leaves, giving the soup some color and freshness to balance out the rest.

This is exactly the kind of soup that would warm you from the inside out on a cold, winter night, but that I would also unexpectedly crave in the middle of summer. It's hearty and comforting with enough unique flavor to land it in a league of its own. A soup fit for a high-end New York ristorante.

I've started to see Rao's jarred soups at nearly every grocery store I visit, from Kroger to Walmart and even Target. But I happened to find 12 of these options at my local Meijer, which had an astoundingly good selection. When I got them home, I briefly heated them up in the microwave one by one, so they were warm to taste and started taking diligent notes.

I'm no Potager. But I've indulged my fair share of comforting bowls and know what a good soup should A) taste like and B) make you feel like. All of Rao's soups are made with quality ingredients, and nothing artificial, so that was never a concern. What I looked for instead was flavorful broths. It didn't matter whether it was creamy or more of a standard stock, as long as it had some character. I also wanted a nice medley of ingredients that all maintained their textures and offered something exciting in every bite. Herbs and seasonings were important, but couldn't be overdone. And lastly, I evaluated each one on its authenticity. The Rao's name comes with weighty expectations of rich Italian flavors, and the brand's jarred soups are no exception.