Before you whip up your next Italian masterpiece, make sure to read the nutrition label on that marinara. Sauces can be filled with un-touched tomatoes and fresh basil, or they can filled with not-so-good-for-you things like corn syrup and added sugar—some pack as much sugar as a half-can of Coke. Of course, sauces labeled “low carb” or “no sugar added” are often sweetened with artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda), which have been shown to up your chance of weight gain.

So before you twist the top off another bottle, flip it around and check out the ingredient list. In general, a good store-bought tomato sauce should only have ingredients you can recognize and pronounce—i.e., tomatoes, basil, olive oil, etc., the shorter the laundry list of ingredients, the better—and should never, ever say “corn syrup or sugar” or start with an ingredient other than tomatoes. In general, reach for sauces that are no more than 70 calories per half cup.

Want to make your red-sauce dishes healthier? Check out this quick roundup.

SMARTER SPAGHETTI SAUCES—AND ONES TO LEAVE ON THE SUPERMARKET SHELF
All nutritional stats based on half-cup servings.

SMARTER SPAGHETTI SAUCES

Barilla Marinara Sauce
70 calories, 12g carbs, 6g sugar, 2g fiber, 1.5g fat, 0g sat. fat
Ingredients: Tomato, onion, and a unique combination of spices (Thyme, Parsley, and Black Pepper)

Cucina Antica Tomato Basil Sauce
35 calories, 4g carbs, 3g sugar, 1 g fiber, 2g fat, 0g sat. fat.
Ingredients: Imported San Marzano Italian Plum Tomatoes, Fresh Onions, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Fresh Basil, Pepper

Classico Tomato & Basil
50 calories, 11g carbs, 6g sugar, 2g fiber, 1g fat, 0g sat. fat.
Ingredients: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Diced Tomatoes (Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Citric Acid, Calcium Chloride), Onions, Salt, Basil, Garlic, Olive Oil, Dehydrated Garlic, Spice

Great Value Tomato Sauce (Target brand)
40 calories, 8g carbs, 4g sugar, 2g fiber, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat
Ingredients: * Unable to find them. If anyone has a bottle at home, please let me know!

Massimo’s Organic Gourmet Tomato Basil Sauce
20 calories, 4g carbs, 2g sugar, 2g fiber, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat
Ingredients: Tomato, Crushed, Organic, Onions, Fresh, Organic, Oil, Ex. Virgin Olive, Organic, Salt, Sea, All Natural, Basil, Fresh, Organic

Ragú Light No Sugar Added Tomato & Basil
50 calories, 9g carbs, 6g sugar, 3g fiber, 1g fat, 0g sat. fat
Ingredients: Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), diced tomatoes in puree, onions, salt, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, spices, basil, natural flavor

Trader Joe’s Organic Tomato Sauce
40 calories, 10g carbs, 2g sugar, 2g fiber, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat
Ingredients: Tomato puree, Sea Salt, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder. All organic.

SAUCES TO LEAVE ON THE SHELF

Chef Boyardee Meatless Spaghetti Sauce
60 calories, 9g carbs, (Sugar not listed), 1g fiber, 2g fat, 0.5g sat. fat.
Ingredients: Water, Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Modified Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: Soybean Oil, Salt, Onions, Cultured Dairy Solids (Whey, Maltodextrin and Yeast Extract), Smoked Torula Yeast, Oregano and Natural Flavorings.

Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce –Traditional
70 calories, 14g carbs, 10g sugar, 3g fiber, 1g fat, 0g sat. fat.
Ingredients: Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Corn Syrup, Salt, Soybean Oil, Dehydrated Onions, Onion Powder, Tomato Concentrate, Carrot Fiber, Citric Acid, Spices, Garlic Powder.

Hunt’s No Added Sugar Italian Style Sauce
35 calories, 6g carbs, 3g sugar, 2g fiber, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat.
Ingredients: tomato puree (water, tomato paste), water less than 2% of: salt, soybean oil, dehydrated onions, carrot fiber, spices, citric acid, xanthan gum, sucralose, acesulfame, potassium, natural flavor

Prego Traditional
80 calories, 34g carbs, 10g sugar, 3g fiber, 3g fat, 0g sat. fat.
Ingredients: Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), diced tomatoes in tomato juice, corn syrup, vegetable oil (corn and/or cottonseed and/or canola), salt, onion powder, spices (basil, oregano spice), dehydrated garlic, citric acid, dehydrated parsley and flavoring

Ragu Chunky Super Vegetable Primavera
110 calories, 18g carbs, 12g sugar, 3g fiber, 3g fat, 0g sat. fat,
Ingredients: Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), zucchini, corn syrup, diced tomatoes, carrots, onions, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: soybean oil, corn oil), celery, green bell peppers, salt, garlic powder, parsley, basil, spice, natural flavor.

Walden Farms No Carbs Marinara
0 calories, 0g carbs, 0g sugar, 0g fiber, 0g fat, 0g sat. fat.
Ingredients: triple filtered purified water, tomato paste, sald, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, natural flavors, natural herbs and spices, soy protein, xanthan gum (thickener made from vegetables), citric acid, benzoate (to preserve freshness), sucralose (SPLENDA)

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