There’s more than one way to use a jar of pasta sauce! Get dinner on the table in no-time with one delicious store-bought shortcut: jarred pasta sauce.
It feels a little sacrilegious writing a post about jarred pasta sauce. I’m Italian; so homemade pasta sauce is something I can make in my sleep. But I’m also a mother. And any Mom knows there aren’t enough store-bought shortcuts in this world that make dinnertime a whole lot easier than a jar of pasta sauce. While I have a recipe for 10-minute marinara and traditional Sunday gravy [both work well with all 10 of these dinner ideas], I’ve become partial to a store-bought pasta sauce to help get dinner on the table. And fast!
So, what’s my favorite? Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce. I almost always put a jar in my cart when I’m shopping Kroger’s online grocery program, ClickList. This jarred sauce had just the right amount of seasoning, spice, and tomato flavor. Critics of store-bought tomato sauce will say, “watch out for the amount of sugar in each jar!” But I can tell you that my Italian Grandmother used to put a tablespoon or two of sugar in her tomato sauce [to offset the acidity of the tomatoes], so I’m OK with that additional ingredient. Of course, if sugar is something you are conscious of eliminating from your diet, just be sure to check the nutrition facts label on the jar to see what and how much is in there!
Now for dinner… I’ve said in recent posts that dinner has become a whole lot trickier now that a. Ms. Lily is mobile and b. the weather has gotten nicer in Michigan. We spend the majority of our days out and about, so when 5pm hits and I have to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, I am stumped. OR looking for those pantry shortcuts. So here are a few no-brainer dinner recipes to make with jarred pasta sauce. Again, not rocket science. But delicious enough I don’t hear complaints from my toddler-duo!
2. Pasta with Chicken Sausage [no-recipe meal idea]
3. Roasted Veggie English Muffin Pizzas
4. Skillet Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage
5. Italian Beef Tortellini Soup
7. Skillet Ziti with Chicken Sausage
10. Spaghetti with Poached Eggs [photo over on Pinch of Yum’s website]
So clearly you can see my family loves pizza, pasta, and marinara sauce. Here’s the thing: my toddlers love dipping. And they love red sauce. So any chance I can get to combine a few of their favorite things in a meal, the greater my chances of seeing them eat their dinner. Jarred pasta sauce… what would I do without you?!
Tell me: What’s one of your favorite ways to use jarred pasta sauce? Do you have a favorite brand or flavor?
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[…] Like many of you, I see video and recipes online that look amazing. And require too much forethought, prep, or that ONE ingredient I never use or have on hand. So if you can relate to simplicity, and yes, sometimes freezer meals, then you’ve come to the right place! I was recently chatting with an old classmate of mine who expressed great appreciation for my recipes because a. they usually involve ingredients she commonly has on hand and b. my recipes aren’t complicated or too time consuming. Guys, that was music to my ears. And gave me the extra push to write this post [similar in theme to my 10 dinners to make with jarred pasta sauce]. […]