• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Celebration Generation
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Shop
  • Costuming
  • Spandex
  • Gluten-Free
  • Autism
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipes
  • Life
  • Shop
  • Costuming
  • Gluten-Free
  • Autism
  • Contact Us
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Media
  • Join us on Social Media - Food

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Join us on Social Media - Costuming, Etc

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » All Recipes

    Make Store-Bought Pasta Sauce Taste Good

    Published: Sep 22, 2021

    Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.

    Sharing is caring!

    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • Email
    • Tweet
    • Share
    • Tumblr

    How to Make Store-Bought Pasta Sauce Taste REALLY Good

    A bowl of gnocchi with sausage, basil, and rose sauce. Green text overlay says how to make store bought pasta sauce taste really good.

    Store-bought pasta sauce can be really blah, but you can't beat it for convenience. Here's how to make store-bought pasta sauce taste good!

    Recently, I updated my Pasta Alla Porters recipe post. One thing led to another, and it ended up inspiring this post!

    In that original post, I shared my recipe for our bastardized Puttanesca sauce. It uses store-bought pasta sauce as a base, as a super quick, tasty meal option .

    I’ve always kind of seen it as a dirty secret, or guilty pleasure, but I found out I’m not alone!

    A bunch of people who like to cook elaborate meals sometimes just want to throw on a quick, 20ish minute meal... and are totally willing to use store-bought sauce as a bit of a cheater ingredient.

    After polling a bunch of friends, I decided to write up a bit of a guide on the various ways I will make store-bought sauce taste really GOOD, without investing a ton of time.

    Everything I'm suggesting in the post can make a pasta dish in about 20 minutes, start to finish.

    This is something I’ve been doing since I was in my teens, right through my “bachelorette” years, and through marriage. I kind of assumed it would be too basic to blog about, but apparently not.

    So... Here we are.

    First, a quick heads up - this post is going to be long-ish, and may be overwhelming.

    There are a LOT of ways you can improve on any off-the-shelf pasta sauce, after all.

    I’m going to break it down into three main sections:

    - The things you should have on hand.

    - Ways to fix specific issues with store-bought pasta sauce.

    - Specific suggestions for how to improve store-bought white, rose, and red sauces.

    So, let’s get to it!

    A bowl of gnocchi with sausage, basil, and rose sauce. There is shredded parmesan cheese on top.

    Ingredients to Have on Hand

    The following isn’t an exhaustive list, but gives you a lot of ideas to play with.

    It’s also not a “must have” list, for the most part: adding just two or 3 of these ingredients to a sauce can go a long way to making it taste great!

    Pantry Ingredients

    Olive Oil

    Have a decent olive oil on hand. It doesn’t have to be super fancy - and you don’t really need flavoured ones on hand for this.

    Balsamic Vinegar

    I use Balsamic Vinegar both as a bit of acid (more on that in a bit), and to add “that little something” to boost the overall flavour of the pasta sauce. I don’t aim for the balsamic to be a featured flavour, it just adds depth.

    I like to have a few different ones on hand, for various uses. For improving pasta sauce, I tend to stick to unflavoured (ie: not the one infused with extra flavours).

    A couple of notes:

    - The older/thicker your balsamic vinegar is, the less you need to use.

    - The more complicated the flavour profile of the recipe, the more basic/cheap I go with the balsamic.

    There’s not a ton of point of using your most premium balsamic, when it’ll be drowned out by very aromatic/flavourful ingredients.

    Dried Herbs & Spices

    In general, you can go as wild with your spice rack/cabinet/drawer as you want (I have over 75!).

    For the purposes of dressing up your pasta sauce, though, here are the few I recommend having on hand:

    Basil
    Crushed Chilies
    Fennel
    Oregano
    Parsley
    Pepper
    Salt
    Smoked Paprika
    Tarragon
    Thyme

    A small ramekin with dried green herbs and pepper flakes in it.

    I like to have my herbs and spices pre-measured and ready to go

    Other Pantry Items

    Anchovies
    Capers
    Olives
    Tomato Paste

    Perishables

    Wine

    I like to keep small bottles of red wine and white wine in the fridge for cooking with. A few notes on that:

    - You want dry wine, not sweet.

    - Buy something you’d be ok with drinking, if you’re a wine drinker. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should be potable!!

    - Look for the small bottles, usually sold by the counter at liquor stores.

    I don’t use any more than ¼ cup at a time for cooking, and usually less than that. A splash of wine really helps, you don’t need a ton!

    So, don’t buy more than you’ll use in a few weeks.

    - Related to the last two points: DON’T buy “cooking wine”!

    Cooking wine is not something you’d want to drink, it doesn’t taste good... so why add it to your pasta?

    Also, cooking wine has a bunch of salt and preservatives added to it (shelf life). Just get some cheap-ish real wine. It’s worth it.

    Produce

    Garlic
    Lemons
    Mushrooms
    Onions
    Peppers - Bell and/or hot.

    Onions and a variety of peppers, on a roasting pan.

    Fresh Herbs

    I love using fresh herbs when dressing up store-bought sauce. Basil, oregano, parsley and thyme tend to be my most-used ones, but don't let that stop you from playing around with others.

    If you have the space for it, I recommend a kitchen herb garden.

    Fearless Dining has a great post on Growing Herbs in Your Kitchen Window, btw.

    A pile of fresh basil leaves...

    Dairy

    Cheeses - Parmesan, Asiago, and Mozzarella are my go-tos.
    Butter
    Cream

    Meats

    Boneless, skinless chicken breast
    Ground chicken, sausage, beef, etc
    Pepperoni
    Seafood - shrimp and scallops, mostly.
    Smoked Sausage

    How to Fix Store-Bought Pasta Sauce

    Before getting into the ways you can jazz up a jar of pasta sauce, I’d like to address ways to fix pasta sauce issues in general.

    How to Fix Pasta Sauce that is Too Thick

    Thin it out!

    There are a few different things you can use to thin your sauce, and which you choose will depend on what sauce you’re working with, and what your goal is.

    My go-to options:

    Tomato juice or V8 Juice
    Chicken, beef, or seafood broth
    Milk or heavy cream

    Just remember that if you’re adding more than a splash or so, you’ll want to adjust your seasonings.

    You’re not just diluting the thickness, you’re diluting the flavour!

    How to Fix Pasta Sauce That is Too Runny

    There are two main ways I’ll work with runny sauce:

    Simmer it Down

    Simmering it releases excess moisture as steam, concentrating the sauce. It can be a time-intensive fix, though.

    Use the Liquid

    Slightly under-cook the pasta. Strain, add the sauce, and finish cooking it in the runny sauce.

    The pasta will absorb the excess liquid - and flavour to go with it!

    How to Fix Pasta Sauce that is Too Salty

    Bulk it out with other ingredients - ingredients without salt, anyway - to dilute the saltiness.

    This can be mushrooms, onions, ripped up baby spinach, some broth, cream, etc.

    What you do will depend on what kind of sauce you’re using, and what you’re planning to put in it.

    How to Fix Pasta Sauce that is Too Sweet

    Add a bit of acid!

    Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice are the usuals for this, as balsamic vinegar adds some sweetness along with the acid.

    How to Fix Pasta Sauce that is Too Acidic / Sour

    There are two ways to do this:

    - If your sauce isn’t overly sweet, add a small amount of sugar.

    Anywhere from a pinch to ¼ teaspoon of sugar can make a big change to the amount of acid that you’re able to perceive.

    - If your sauce is sweet enough, or you don’t want to add sugar for whatever reason, try a VERY small amount of baking soda to neutralize a bit of the acid.

    Really, just a pinch. You don’t want to add too much baking soda, or you could end up with an off taste.

    How to Fix Pasta Sauce that is Bland / “Blah” Tasting

    There are a few potential culprits, when it comes to bland sauce.

    Salt

    First, does it need salt? If so, add some and reassess.

    Acid

    If it’s salty enough and still bland, add a bit of acid.

    A splash of lemon juice, some white wine, a little balsamic vinegar, even sliced black olives can go a long way to giving a bland sauce some life.

    Spice

    When in doubt, add a bit of crushed chilis to the pot. You don’t even necessarily have to get it *hot*, for the bit of spice to fend off the blah taste.

    Fat

    Chuck a lob of butter, a drizzle of olive oil, or pour a glug of heavy cream into the sauce. It can make a huge difference!

    A Combo Approach

    Salty hard cheeses like Asiago or Parmesan add both fat and salt.

    Capers add acid and salt.

    Pickled hot peppers add salt, acid, and spice.

    A large measuring cup of chunky pasta sauce.

    Quick Pasta Sauce Ideas

    Overwhelmed? Here are the specifics for a few of my favourite ways to doctor up canned pasta sauce - each should only take about 15-20 minutes, sometimes less.

    In terms of timing, this is how I go:

    - Start a pot of water boiling.

    - Prepare any ingredients - chopping onion, pressing garlic, etc.

    - Get the first step going (usually sauteeing onions)

    - Put the pasta in the now-boiling water.

    For each of these ideas, the sauce is generally ready by the time the pasta is cooked.

    Note: For each of these, I’m assuming a standard size jar of about 3 cups, and about 12 oz of dry pasta

    A bowl of penne arrabbiata with shrimp.

    How to Improve Store-Bought Red Pasta Sauce

    Red sauce comes in a bunch of different varieties - meats, mushrooms, basil - but I treat them pretty interchangeably when it comes to dressing them up.

    The Basic Improvement Set

    Here’s a walkthrough of a pretty basic order of operations for dressing up any red sauce.

    Feel free to add to or leave out anything mentioned below ... but this is the general order I work with:

    - If you’re adding meat, cook it first and then set it aside.

    - Olive oil and chopped onions in a pan, cook until the onions are tender. If I’m using mushrooms or peppers, I’ll toss them in with the onions.

    - Add some garlic. Like a LOT of garlic, usually. Cook another minute or so.

    Note: If I’m using anchovies, I’ll mash a couple of them into a paste and toss them in with the garlic.

    - If you’re adding some tomato paste, do it now. Allow the tomato to cook for a minute or so, until browned and fragrant.

    - Add a splash of red wine or balsamic vinegar. Sometimes both. Whatever! Cook another minute or so.

    - Add the jar of pasta sauce, and a bit of herbs/spices. Allow sauce to heat fully.

    - If you want to add ⅓-1/2 cup heavy cream to make it a rose sauce, do that now.

    - If you’re adding olives, capers, etc... do that now.

    - Taste, adjust seasonings. Add some fresh herbs now if you like.

    - Add your meat, if applicable, and let it heat through.

    - Add your pasta.

    - Serve hot, topped with some cheese or fresh herbs if you like.

    A bowl of penne arrabbiata with shrimp.

    Quick “Arrabbiata” Sauce

    - If you want meat in this, cook it first. I sauteed some shrimp in olive oil and pepper flakes. Set aside.

    - Chop an onion and a serrano pepper or two. You’ll want the pepper chopped finely!

    - Saute the onion and pepper together until onion softens. Add garlic.

    - Add a good sploosh of balsamic vinegar, and/or some red wine. Cook another minute or so.

    - Add a jar of red sauce, heat through.

    - Add a good handful or two of fresh basil, stir well.

    - Taste, get a feel for how hot it is from the fresh peppers. Add some crushed chili flakes. You want this pretty spicy!

    - Allow it to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

    - Add Pasta, and meat if applicable.

    - Serve hot, topped with some cheese or fresh herbs if you like.

    Note: I like this one tossed with penne

    An 8 part image showing how to make penne arrabbiata from store-bought pasta sauce, as described.

    A bowl of penne arrabbiata with shrimp.

    Quick Vodka Sauce

    - If you want meat in this, cook it first, set aside.

    - Saute a chopped onion in olive oil until tender. Add garlic, cook for another minute.

    - Add a good sploosh of balsamic vinegar, and ¼-1/3 cup vodka. Stir well, simmer for a few minutes.

    - Add a jar of red sauce and a pinch of pepper flakes, heat through.

    - Add a good handful or two of chopped up fresh basil, stir well.

    - Add ⅓-1/2 cup heavy cream and a handful of grated parmesan, stir well.

    - Allow it to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

    - Add Pasta, and meat if applicable.

    - Serve hot, topped with some cheese or fresh herbs if you like.

    A close up view of red pasta sauce, with pepperoni and black olives visible.

    Quick Puttanesca Sauce

    - Chop an onion and a serrano pepper. You’ll want the pepper chopped finely! Also, mash up 5 or 6 anchovies.

    - Saute the onion and pepper together with olive oil until onion softens. Add a bunch of pressed garlic, along with the anchovies.

    - Add a good splash of some red wine. Cook another minute or so.

    - Add a jar of red sauce and like ¼ teaspoon or so of crushed pepper flakes, heat through.

    - Add a handful of sliced or chopped black or kalamata olives, and a couple Tablespoons of drained capers. Heat through.

    - Add a good handful of chopped fresh basil, stir well.

    - Allow it to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

    - Add cooked pasta, stir to combine.

    - Serve hot, topped with some cheese or fresh herbs if you like.

    Note: I like this one tossed with penne, rotini, bows, or other pasta with a fun texture. Spaghetti is traditional though.

    A bowl of pasta in red sauce, with bits of pepperoni and sliced black olives visible. There is shredded mozzarella on top - Pasta Alla Porters.

    Rose Sauce Ideas

    Basic Rose Sauce Improvement Set

    Same as under the basic improvement set under the red sauce, but:

    1. You can use red or white wine

    2. I usually don’t bother with tomato paste for rose sauce

    3. I usually don’t use capers or olives with rose. Not sure why, I just... don’t. Feel free to experiment, though!

    Chicken, Mushroom & Spinach Rose Sauce

    - Saute some chopped onions in olive oil. Add 4 or so pressed garlic cloves, cook another minute.

    - Add a couple chopped up chicken breasts, cook just until browned on the outside.

    - Add 8 oz of quartered mushrooms, and a few big handfuls of chopped baby spinach. Cook until mushrooms are nice and soft, and spinach is wilted.

    - Add a splash of white wine to the pan, if you like. Cook for another minute or so.

    - Add a jar of rose pasta sauce and a light sprinkling of pepper flakes, allow to heat up.

    - Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

    - Add cooked pasta, stir to combine.

    - Top with some grated Parmesan.

    Note: I like this one tossed with penne

    A bowl of gnocchi with sausage, basil, and rose sauce. There is shredded parmesan cheese on top.

    Rose Sauce with Basil & Sausage

    - Get a lb or so of Italian sausage*, break it up and cook it in a bit of olive oil.

    - Once the sausage is browned, add some chopped onion to the pan. Cook till softish, then toss in some crushed garlic. We usually do 4-6 cloves for this.

    - If you want to add a splash of wine - red or white works - do it now, cook for another minute.

    - Add a jar of rose pasta sauce, stir well, allow to heat through.

    - Add a couple of good-sized handfuls of chopped fresh basil.

    - If you like your Italian sausage with a lot of fennel, add some dried fennel if you like.

    - Allow it to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

    - Add cooked pasta, stir to combine.

    A 6 part image showing the steps to make sausage rose gnocchi from store-bought pasta sauce, as descibed.

    Note: I like this one tossed with gnocchi

    A bowl of gnocchi with sausage, basil, and rose sauce. There is shredded parmesan cheese on top.

    * Chicken Based Italian Sausage

    Neither one of us can handle eating pork anymore, so I make a quick seasoned ground chicken mixture that tastes EXACTLY like actual Italian Sausage:

    1 lb ground chicken
    4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
    1 tablespoon each: dried parsley, smoked paprika
    2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon each: coarse black pepper, fennel seeds, onion powder
    ¼ teaspoon each: crushed chilies**, dried oregano, dried sage, dried rosemary, dried thyme

    Mix it all together.

    ** Use more crushed chilies for a hot Italian sausage substitute - this one is pretty mild.

    A 4 part image showing how to make an Italian Sausage substitute from ground chicken, as described.

    White / Alfredo Sauce Ideas

    Basic Alfredo Sauce Improvement Set

    - Saute chopped onion in olive oil. Add a few cloves of pressed garlic once the onion is softened, cook for another minute.

    - Add a splash of white wine if you’d like, cook for another minute or so.

    - Add a jar of white sauce, allow to heat through.

    Optional: Add a good handful of chopped parsley or basil right before serving.

    Roasted Garlic Alfredo

    - Roast a few heads of garlic - 4 or 5.

    - Squeeze out the cloves, mash, and set aside before starting.

    - Follow the above “Basic Alfredo Sauce Improvement Set”, but add the mashed roasted garlic in with the pressed garlic.

    Note: For a more mild garlic flavour, just use the roasted garlic, and skip the pressed fresh cloves.

    A bowl of chicken tetrazzini. Linguini noodles, chicken, mushrooms, peas, cream sauce.

    Chicken Tetrazzini

    - Cook a chopped-up chicken breast or two, set aside.

    - Saute a chopped onion and a lb of sliced mushrooms until soft. There should be a fair amount of liquid from the mushrooms, don’t let it cook off!

    - Add a few pressed garlic cloves.

    - Add a good splash of white wine, cook for another minute or so.

    - Add a can of Alfredo sauce, some frozen peas, and the chicken from the first step. Allow to heat through.

    - Season with a bit of pepper and fresh or dry thyme.

    - Add slightly undercooked pasta, stir well, and allow to cook for a few minutes, until the pasta is fully cooked and sauce has thickened as a result.

    - Traditionally, you’d put this in a pan, top with some bread crumbs and cheese, and bake it for a bit... but we usually don’t bother.

    An 8 part image showing the steps to make chicken tetrazzini from store bought pasta sauce, as described in the post.

    A bowl of chicken tetrazzini. Linguini noodles, chicken, mushrooms, peas, cream sauce.

    More Pasta Recipes

    Looking for tasty ways to carb load? I've got you covered!

    Acorn Squash Tortellini with Nutmeg Cream Sauce
    Antipasto Salad
    Basic and Flavoured Pasta - Homemade!
    Chocolate Dessert Ravioli
    Marie's Pasta Salad
    Pasta Alla Porters
    Spinach Pine Nut Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce
    Spanakopita Tortellini

    So, that’s about it, hope it wasn’t too much to read!

    What are your favourite ways to dress up a jar of pasta sauce?

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense.

    Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Related posts:

    A bowl of pasta in red sauce, with bits of pepperoni and sliced black olives visible. Pasta alla Porters The Juicy Goosey Burger A Sloppy Joes sandwich on a paper plate, with chips and a pickle spear. Homemade Sloppy Joes A white plate is piled with baked Reuben poppers, with one cut in half. There is a small bowl of thousand island dressing on the plate, as well. Baked Reuben Poppers Recipe
    « Custom Nerds Wedding Favors!
    Replica Swiss Chalet Sauce Recipe »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Marie Porter


    Evil Cake Overlord, All -Around Kitchen Badass!

    More about me →


    Join us on Social Media - Food

    Facebook logo, a white F on a blue background. Instagram icon - a stylized white camera image on blue background. Pinterest Logo - White on red background.

    Join us on Social Media - Costuming, etc

    Facebook logo, a white F on a blue background. Instagram icon - a stylized white camera image on blue background. Twitter logo - a white stylized bird icon on an aqua background.

    More Than Poutine: A Uniquely Canadian Cookbook.
    Learn to sew with spandex

    Most Recent Posts

    • Crab Rangoon Pizza
    • Red Velvet Muffins
    • Hot Dog Sliders
    • Pretzel Buns

    We'd love to have you subscribe to our newsletter!


    META

    Site Admin

    Logout

    Entries Feed

    Comments Feed

    Footer

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Contact
    • Media

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up

      for emails and updates

    Our Other Blogs

    • Autism Rants
    • Beyond Flour
    • Low Carb Hoser
    • Spandex Simplified

    Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. While I’ll only ever link to items that I, personally, wholeheartedly recommend, I do need to put that disclosure out there!

    Copyright © 2020 Foodie Pro on the Foodie Pro Theme