I thought we’d tried all the Rao’s sauces, but they’re not done with us yet. Three new Rao’s sauces have hit shelves: Roasted Garlic Pizza Sauce, Bacon Alfredo, and Alfredo Arrabiata. Are they as good as their signature marinara sauce? (It’s one of the best marinara sauces, if you ask us.) We tasted each new Rao’s sauce—right off a spoon—to find out.
- Rao’s Roasted Garlic Pizza
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What makes pizza sauce different from pasta sauce? We’ve discussed this very quandary in the Sporked offices (we are very fascinating people) and our theory is that pizza sauce is thicker than pasta sauce. It’s more tomatoey. And, often, it has more oregano. But Rao’s new pizza sauce is a totally different beast.
Pros: This new Rao’s sauce tastes great. It has a rich roasted garlic flavor and it’s wonderfully oily. It’s extremely savory and it tastes like freshly pureed tomatoes. I ate many spoonfuls of this sauce, and I will probably eat more. I’ll also put it on pasta, because it would make a totally great pasta sauce. On pizza, it’s not going to taste like that concentrated tomato pizza sauce—the kind you find on a Domino’s pizza. It’s more like homemade pizza sauce.
Cons: While I love the oily quality of this sauce, it won’t coat a crust quite like the pizza sauce you’re used to. And it’s quite chunky (a quality I love in a pasta sauce but some may not love in a pizza sauce) with lots of noticeable bits of tomato and herbs.
Credit: Liv Averett / Rao’s
- Rao’s Bacon Alfredo
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Pasta coated with creamy, cheesy butter sauce not decadent enough for you? Well, the year 2005 has a great suggestion: Just add bacon!
Pros: I’ve tried Rao’s Four Cheese Alfredo, and this Rao’s alfredo might be even cheesier. It’s so savory and salty, with fresh ground pepper liberally sprinkled into the mix. And there are little, tiny bits of bacon, as well. While the bacon flavor isn’t the star of the show, it tastes like real, actual meat, rather than some fake smoky simulation.
Cons: If you’re buying this sauce for the bacon, you might be a bit disappointed. There’s definitely a bacony flavor, and there are bacon bits, but there are no big chunks of bacon. And you won’t be hit over the head with a bacony flavor. Personally, that’s fine by me. But I know you bacon freaks out there with your bacon bandaids and bacon flavored lip balm and bacon scented air fresheners just cannot get enough.
Credit: Liv Averett / Rao’s
- Rao’s Alfredo Arrabbiata
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I had no idea so many alfredo variations were possible, but Rao’s now makes an alfredo for pretty much anyone. They’ve got classic, garlic, four cheese, bacon, and now, spicy. I’m just going to put this out into the world: mushroom alfredo. Do you hear me, Rao’s?
Pros: The heat is on. Seriously. My mouth was flooded with spice after one little lick of this spicy alfredo. You can see the tiny red pepper bits throughout the sauce; they give it almost a reddish tinge. Other than that, it’s creamy and salty—a standard alfredo.
Cons: I don’t think the spice actually elevates this alfredo in any way. You don’t get any real flavor from the pepper—just heat. Personally, I think you’re better off getting the Four Cheese or even the Bacon and shaking some red pepper flakes into the mix. Out of the three new Rao’s sauces we tried, this one was the only miss for me.
Credit: Liv Averett / Rao’s
Roasted Garlic Pizza
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
Bacon Alfredo
Rating:
8.5/10
Sporks
Alfredo Arrabbiata
Rating:
6.5/10
Sporks
