We Found The Best Aldi Pasta Sauce (And It's A Rich Classic Flavor)

Aldi shoppers will already know that the budget-friendly grocery chain offers an impressive variety of jarred pasta sauces — something that can be both a blessing and a curse for those who have neither the time nor the means to test them all, so as to determine which to avoid and what reigns supreme. Well, you may now slurp your spaghetti with confidence, as Tasting Table has done the job for you, determining which of Aldi's pasta sauces is best. Thankfully, it's a rich, classic flavor: In our taste tester's ranking of 11 Aldi pasta sauces, the top spot went to the Specially Selected Premium Tomato Basil Sauce. 

Gluten-free, with no artificial colors, flavorings, or preservatives, the sauce is available in a 24-ounce jar for just $4.39. The selection was a pleasant surprise to Tasting Table's correspondent, who found the other basil-infused sauces from Aldi to be harsh and bitter — a problem by no means restricted to jarred sauces (make sure you know what you need to do to keep your home-grown basil from turning bitter). When it came to the Specially Selected Premium Tomato Basil Sauce, however, our critic admitted it was much better than the others, adding that the sauce offered "a level of herbaceous flavor that enhanced the sauce instead of hindering it."

Tasting Table's taste tester admitted to feeling conflicted between the Specially Selected Tomato Basil Sauce and the Reggano Meat Pasta Sauce, which came in second in the ranking. Ultimately it was both the pleasant notes of basil and what our critic described as "the strongest tomato base out of all the sauces on this list," that landed the Tomato Basil Sauce at the top of the list. But don't just take their word for it — Aldi customers have good things to say about it as well. 

A common point of praise is how similar the sauce is to those from Rao's. On Reddit, a fan of both the Tomato Basil Sauce and the Marinara from the Specially Selected line commented that "The rumor is that it's pretty much Rao's for a fraction of the cost." Others enthused that Aldi's Specially Selected range "is the clear winner for the price," and that "Specially selected premium IS Rao's." Commenting more broadly in a seperate Reddit thread, another said Aldi's sauces were "the only ones we use now."

Hopefully Tasting Table readers enjoy the Specially Selected Tomato Basil Sauce as much as our tester did, but if you find yourself dissatisfied — or stuck with a less tasty option in your cupboard — remember there are a number of ways you can elevate a substandard sauce. Feel free to consult the 15 ways to make jarred tomato sauce taste homemade, such as by incorporating fresh herbs, folding in canned clams, or adding a splash of red wine or balsamic vinegar.