I tried every flavor of Prego tomato sauce I could find and ranked them from worst to best

4 days ago 15

Ten jars of Prego tomato sauce staked, with six on the bottom row and four on the top.

I tried 10 flavors of Prego tomato sauce and ranked them from my least favorite to my top pick.
I didn't like the traditional Prego tomato sauce, which was too sweet for my liking.
The herby tomato, basil, and garlic sauce was my favorite and would pair well with any pasta.

At most well-stocked grocery stores, the jarred pasta sauce aisle feels never-ending. Even within a single brand like Prego — owned by The Campbell's Company — there are dozens of flavor variations to choose from.

To narrow down the options, I taste-tested every jar of Prego tomato sauce I could find and ranked them from worst to best.

Here's how they stacked up.

The traditional Prego tomato sauce was my least favorite.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego traditional sauce lying on a wooden table.

When I sat down to taste the sauces, I was surprised to find that the traditional Prego tomato sauce was my least favorite.

I thought the added sugar overpowered the tomatoes, and there wasn't much else going on in terms of texture or flavor.

Prego's roasted-garlic and herb sauce had a powerful flavor.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego roasted-garlic-and-herb sauce lying on a wooden table.

True to its name, Prego's roasted-garlic and herb sauce had a powerful garlic flavor.

Though the ingredient list included dried roasted garlic, I thought the sauce tasted more like it contained raw or granulated garlic and was missing the rich, caramelized flavor that typically comes from roasting.

This sauce was full of tiny chunks of onion, and I could also see bits of herbs in the mix. However, the herbs didn't add much flavor.

Prego's mushroom sauce let me down.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego mushroom sauce lying on a wooden table.

I expected more umami mushroom flavor in this sauce, and again, I thought it was too sweet. There were tiny chunks of soft, squishy mushrooms, but they weren't meaty enough to sink my teeth into.

Prego's meat sauce left me wanting more.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego meat sauce lying on a wooden table.

Prego's meat sauce was richer and more savory than most others I tried, but it only contained small pieces of beef.

It smelled like a hamburger, especially when warm, and I got that rich, beefy flavor — just without the texture.

The Prego chunky tomato, onion, and garlic sauce was OK.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego chunky tomato, onion, and garlic sauce lying on a wooden table.

Yes, this sauce was chunkier than the standard Prego sauces, but it wasn't any thicker. It had the same smooth, pourable tomato base as the others, with large pieces of tomato.

Although I didn't see any visible onion or garlic in this sauce, it had a strong garlic-powder essence.

The Italian sausage and garlic sauce had a nice texture.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego Italian-sausage-and-garlic sauce lying on a wooden table.

The Italian pork sausage in this sauce was savory and soft. It was mostly broken into small crumbles, making this one of the more textured sauces I tried.

The garlic flavor was milder and more of a background player compared to the aforementioned roasted-garlic sauce.

Prego's three-cheese tomato sauce was creamy and rich.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego three-cheese sauce lying on a wooden table.

The three cheeses in this sauce—ricotta, Parmesan paste, and Romano — added creaminess and richness to the tomato base.

It was still as bright red as the other Prego sauces, but had a slight grittiness to it.

The cheese flavor wasn't as strong as I expected, though this sauce was more umami than the others. However, if you want a really cheesy bowl of pasta, you'll need to sprinkle more on top.

I enjoyed the Prego chunky garden-combo sauce.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego chunky garden-combo sauce lying on a wooden table.

I thought this sauce tasted sweeter than the cheese- and meat-based options I tried. It also had a nice freshness from the pieces of cooked zucchini and green pepper.

This sauce was chunky, but still juicy and not overly thick.

The Prego marinara sauce tasted like a less-sweet version of the traditional sauce.

A small bowl of red tomato sauce next to a jar of Prego marinara sauce lying on a wooden table.

I thought Prego's traditional and marinara sauces were similar, but the latter wasn't as sweet. It had a chunkier texture and a less herby flavor, making it milder but preferable because of the lack of added sugar.