For you guys that are into tomato sauce on your pasta, you really should try Marcella Hazan's. It is beyond simple to make...almost sounds too easy but it is rich. I will add a few red pepper flakes and maybe sprinkle on some fresh basil. It is almost as easy as opening a jar but it takes more time.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/...s-tomato-sauce

i still love spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce. I loved it as a child and I still love it.

the Marcella hazan is pretty amazing to read - it�s gorgeous in photos. I forget if it uses much butter.
before 2018, I would take the time to make tomato sauce using canned San marzano DOP tomatoes and little else. I also would cook Italian sausage and even invite my birth family to the house for spaghetti supper. It was a longer time process and so fun. Then I got busy or I decided that I enjoyed the Rao�s brand so that I quit making it and just use Rao�s marinara.

It uses a ton of butter...I actually use less and it is just as good. Most of the time is hands off.

I'm surprised to see Mid's mentioned, as it's from a small town near where I grew up. I didn't think you could find it outside of the rust belt. Mid's was our choice of jarred pasta sauce growing up, as it's better than Ragu, Prego, etc., but I don't think it's as thick and rich as compared to Rao's, our current favorite.

Now if someone mentions Hartville Kitchen salad dressings, I'm going to get all nostalgic.

I found it on sale at Winn Dixie and tried it tonight. It�s very tasty. I dipped a finger in the jar before I started messing with it and it reminds me of pizza sauce, although not as thick.

Glad you enjoy it. It’s my go to.

You’ve got me trying fancy pastas now. At least something above store brand.

OUr meal delivery service (Sunbasket) sent us a tasty pasta dish this week, papardelle with chorizo. I'd never had fresh pasta before (just the dried stuff) but it is really much better!

Fresh pappardelle with chorizo, chickpeas, and ricotta salata

• 7 ounces Talluto’s fresh pappardelle
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• � pound fresh loose chorizo (contains pork and spices)
• � cup organic mirepoix (onions - carrots - celery)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 ounces organic baby kale or other leafy greens
• 1� ounces ricotta salata
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

Cook the pappardelle

Bring a medium sauce pot of generously salted water to a boil. Separate the pappardelle so the noodles don’t clump together during cooking. Add the pappardelle and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain the pappardelle, reserving 1 cup (2 cups) pasta cooking water. Return the pappardelle to the pot; if needed, toss with about 1 teaspoon oil to keep the noodles from sticking. While the water is heating and the pappardelle is cooking, prepare the sauce.

2

Make the sauce

• Rinse the chickpeas.
• Cut a small corner from the chorizo packaging and drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; pat dry with a paper towel.

In a large frying pan (large sauce pot) over medium-high heat, warm 2 to 3 teaspoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the mirepoix and tomato paste, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the tomato paste is caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chorizo and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until lightly browned but not yet cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add � cup (1 cup) reserved pasta cooking water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly and the chorizo is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.

3

Finish the dish

To the pan with the sauce, stir in the pappardelle, chickpeas, kale (the kale in batches if needed), and more pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Cook until the chickpeas are heated through and the kale is just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve

Transfer the pappardelle and sauce to individual bowls and crumble the ricotta salata over the top. Garnish with as many chile flakes as you like and serve.

For those in the Central Mass area, try Pastland pasta up in Leominster. Tiny little counter front place, everything is super fresh. Makes it hard to go back to the box stuff.

We "discovered" Rao's nearly 20 years ago when it was not being sold outside of the northeast. It's been my go to jarred sauce ever since. Pricy, but does go on sale from time-to-time. I try to find the smaller jars as it will go bad after about a month in the fridge and we cannot always work through the large jars in that time.

Looks like I commented on this thread 12 years ago. Now that we live in Indiana, access to good Italian food is harder. My favorite pasta is ravioli from Durso's Pasta & Ravioli Company on Crocheron Avenue in Flushing, Queens.

https://www.dursos.com/about-our-store

My family has been hopping there since I was a little kid. I'd go with my grandmother who lived down the street. Whenever we drive back east (usually Christmas and Summer), I bring 3 empty coolers and stock up with their spinach, meat, and oso buco ravioli, along with their arancini, cauliflower fritters, roasted peppers, and semolina bread.

They were actually featured on Food Network's "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" for their ravioli several years ago. Bobby won. No justice.