What's The Actual Difference Between Aldi's Reggano And Priano Pasta Sauce Brands?

Most grocery stores offer a selection of name brand products as well as private label store brands. This can create a tiered system of products for shoppers to choose from. Walmart offers Great Value products as a budget-friendly option, while also offering fresh foods under the Marketside label, and more premium products under the bettergoods label. Aldi operates in much the same way with its Reggano and Priano pasta sauce brands. Though there is some overlap between the two, they are separate products with different ingredients and characteristics. Both can be the cornerstone of a family meal for under $10.

Priano sauces are the more expensive option of the two, with a 24-ounce jar of Priano marinara sauce costing about $3.20. While for about $1.90 you can get a 23-ounce jar of Reggano marinara. A half-cup serving of Priano has 80 calories while the same amount of Reggano provides 70. Both Priano and Reggano are made from tomato puree and diced tomatoes as the first ingredients, but Priano's includes citric acid in its puree. Priano has four grams of added sugar compared to three in Reggano. Priano also contains extra virgin olive oil while Reggano uses soybean oil. The Reggano brand has sugar, onions, citric acid, garlic, parsley flakes, salt, soybean oil, and spices. Priano's seasoning includes basil and more salt.

Priano marinara is sweeter than Reggano, though older versions had less sugar. The olive oil and seasoning blend could contribute more to an authentic, homemade sauce taste than the soybean oil and less flavorful seasoning in the Reggano sauce. Priano's ingredients appear to be higher quality overall, which helps explain the higher price.

Aldi currently offers 6 types of Reggano sauce and 8 different Priano sauces. All of the Reggano sauces are tomato-based. Priano has four tomato-based sauces. One, the Rosso Pesto, is partially made with sun-dried tomato and has been well reviewed online. The other four non-tomato sauces include Genovese Pesto, Four Cheese Alfredo, Roasted Garlic Alfredo, and Creamy Alfredo. In the past, Priano Calabrese Pesto proved to be another fan favorite.

Reviews of the sauces on Facebook are mixed. Some fans love Reggano, while others stand by Priano. "I get the Priano brand Tomato & Basil. It tastes identical to Classico Tomato & Basil sauce," said one Facebook user. We've recommended the Tomato and Basil flavor as one of several Aldi pantry staples you should keep on hand.

Another Facebook user suggested adding ingredients to the Reggano sauce, saying, "Spice it up the way you like it." The same sentiment was expressed on Reddit by a commenter who said, "I generally add more spices and peppers and onions to doctor it up."

Reggano got another vote from one Redditor, who likes it "because it's less acidic than many other sauces, and the price is fantastic." At least one Redditor called out Priano for the sugar content, saying it was "so sweet it's like dessert." But another Redditor proclaimed their love for it and said, "The Priano brand is more like Classico with a few chunky tomatoes in the sauce." 

Both sauces have a good mix of supporters and a few critics. While the Priano brand seems to stand on its own, Reggano often benefits from a few tweaks and additions. Because of its lower price, it's still viewed as a good starting point for a basic pasta sauce.