Just realized my go-to pasta sauce is a total time trap on a Wednesday

Last night I had to pick between making my usual 45-minute simmered sauce from scratch or just using a jar of Rao's I had in the pantry. I went with the jar, added some extra garlic and red pepper, and dinner was ready in 15 minutes flat. Does anyone else feel guilty for not 'cooking' when they use a good store-bought base, or is it just smart on a busy night?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.blair3mo ago

Oh man, the "guilty for not cooking" feeling is my whole life. My grandma would probably faint if she saw me doctor up a jar sauce, but some nights the choice is between that and just eating cold cereal. A good jar sauce with your own spin is still a real meal.

lindareed3mo ago

My grandma's ghost haunts my kitchen every time I open a jar. She whispers "that's not real cooking" while I'm adding a whole extra head of garlic to the Rao's. Honestly, if a ghost is that mad about a 15 minute dinner, she can come back and stir the pot for 45 minutes herself.

jessew831mo ago

Had a buddy who spent a whole Sunday making sauce from scratch, then his wife came home and dumped in a jar of Prego because she didn't know. He was so mad he didn't talk for like an hour, but then they ate it and admitted the Prego version was actually better. He still tells that story like it's a war wound. I think about it every time I reach for a jar on a Tuesday.