Soups On!
For consistency, we tested low- or reduced-sodium varieties of plain old chicken noodle soup. Each was scored from 1 through 5 (5 being the highest) based on flavor, ingredients and nutrition info. We paid especially close attention to the sodium amounts. The daily recommendation for sodium is 2,300 milligrams (and more like 1,500 milligrams per day if you have high blood pressure). That means a soup with 470 milligrams of sodium contains about 20% of the daily recommendation (or 30% if your target is 1,500).

Prices ranged from $1.25 to $1.50 per serving. All cans indicated that they served “about 2” but ranged in size from 14.5 to 18.5 ounces, so the bigger cans give you a bit more for your money.

Campbell’s Chunky Healthy Request Chicken Noodle
Rating: 2
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup serving): 120 calories; 2.5 grams fat; 410 milligrams sodium
Our Take: While it looked very appetizing, the flavor didn’t deliver. “Blech” was how one of our tasters described it. The long list of ingredients was also a turn off — what exactly is an “enriched egg white noodle product”?

Progresso Reduced Sodium Chicken Noodle
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup serving): 90 calories; 2 grams fat; 470 milligrams sodium
Our Take: Like the previous one, this soup looked tasty too. The noodles were nice and firm, but it was bland — not enough chicken flavor going on. You might be able to use this as a base and boost it with added veggies or chicken chunks.

Muir Glen Organic Reduced Sodium Chicken Soup
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup serving): 90 calories; 2 grams fat; 470 milligrams sodium
Our Take: This is your best bet for a canned chicken soup — it has nice big chunks of chicken and veggies. While it was kind of boring in the flavor department, overall it was the favorite.

Campbell’s Select Harvest Healthy Request Chicken With Whole Grain Pasta
Rating: 2.5
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup serving): 100 calories; 2 grams fat; 410 milligrams sodium
Our Take: Here’s another one from Campbell’s. We appreciated the addition of whole grains but it wasn’t enough to like this soup. The veggie and chicken chunks were on the small side and there was an unpleasant tangy flavor that we couldn’t quite figure out. The ingredient list indicated that it contains a small amount of milk, which might make it a no-no for those with allergies.

Health Valley No Salt Added Organic Chicken Noodle
Rating: 3.5
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup serving): 80 calories; 2.5 grams fat; 135 milligrams sodium
Our Take: We had to check this one out because it had a third of the sodium the others contain. Like the rest, it was on the bland side, but surprisingly didn’t taste much different than some of the other saltier brands. It’s made with lots of organic veggies, but the first ingredient is water — the other soups are made mostly from chicken broth.

Quick Tip: Canned soups can be helpful in a pinch but nothing beats something homemade — plus, then you can control the amount of salt. Make a big pot of homemade stock and prep batches of homemade soups to store in the freezer for when you need a convenient dinner choice.

TELL US: What’s your favorite canned soup? Any other flavors of soup you’d like us to taste test?

Whole Grain Options
Whole wheat used to be the only whole grain pasta choice; nowadays there are pastas made of brown rice, barley, oats and even spelt — all great whole-grain picks. Some food manufacturers take it a step further and use egg whites, flaxseed and flours from legumes such as beans and lentils to tweak the texture and boost a pasta’s nutrient content.

For our test, we chose a variety of whole-grain pastas and scored them on a 5-point scale (5 being the highest). We focused on taste, texture and nutritional value. Prices varied significantly — unlike most white pastas that come in 16-ounce (1 pound) boxes, these brands ranged anywhere from an 8-ounce to a 16-ounce package. Costs were anywhere from $0.13 to $0.33 per ounce.

Prep Tip: Some whole-grain pastas (especially the whole-wheat kinds) have a nutty flavor that doesn’t jive with the acidity of tomato sauce. Think outside the jar of marinara and mix it up with olive oil and garlic, pesto or even a lightened-up alfredo sauce.

Barilla Plus
Rating: 5
Nutrition Info (per 1 cup of cooked pasta): 210 calories, 4 grams fiber, 10 grams protein
Our Take: Great chewy texture and a neutral flavor. Made with flax, barley, wheat, legume flours and some egg whites, this pasta is a little lower in fiber than some of the others but highest in protein — a great all-around pick.

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 180 calories, 6 grams fiber, 7 grams protein
Our Take: Containing whole-grain wheat, flax and semolina, this pasta was our least favorite due to its gritty texture and slight aftertaste. The flavor was just okay at best.

Hodgson Mill
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 210 calories, 6 grams fiber, 9 grams protein
Our Take: Simple is best. Made with one ingredient (whole-wheat durum flour), this Hodgson Mill pasta was slightly nutty, and though it wasn’t as chewy as white pasta, it had a nice bite.

Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 200 calories, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams protein
Our Take: Another one-ingredient wonder, this brown rice pasta has a neutral flavor and chewy texture that is closest to regular pasta. Downside: lower fiber and protein count. Make sure to follow the package directions — this pasta requires a lengthy cooking time (16 to 17 minutes) and can be gummy if you don’t rinse it after cooking. If you haven’t seen this pasta before, you will — Tinkyada has been popping up in the natural food aisle of many grocery stores. (P.S. It’s also gluten-free.)

DeBoles
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 210 calories, 5 grams fiber, 7 grams protein
Our Take: DeBoles gets points for creativity — their pasta is made with whole-wheat flour and Jerusalem artichoke flour (Jerusalem artichokes are a starchy root veggie from the sunflower family). It was pleasantly chewy and downright tasty. The only hitch: It was the priciest!

Another Brand Worth Mentioning
When we spotted Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Pasta in the store, we just had to try it. Made by the same company as the sprouted grain bread from our whole-grain bread taste test, this pasta has 7 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein, which is impressive. Thing is, this pasta is, well, weird. The flavor wasn’t horrible but the texture was sub-par — it basically fell apart into tiny shreds when we cooked it.

TELL US: Have you tried these pastas? What’s your whole-grain fave?

Check out our other taste tests:
• Snack Bars
• Frozen Cheese Pizzas
• Natural Peanut Butter
• Jarred Spaghetti Sauce
• Whole-Grain Cereal
• Frozen Vanilla Yogurt
• Whole-Grain Bread

For this taste test, we stuck to our usual 5-point scale (with 5 being the most yummy and nutritious). To keep things on an even playing field, we chose only nut and honey-flavored bars and paid closest attention to taste, calories, fat and added sugars. As for the cost, prices range from about $0.50 to $1.50 per bar. Some bars were sold in boxes of 6 or 8, and others were sold individually.

Kashi Honey Almond Flax Chewy Granola Bar
Rating: 4.5
Nutrition Info: 140 calories; 5 grams fat; 5 grams sugar
Our Take: A thumbs-up snack bar all around, this one is made with a variety of whole grains like brown rice, rye, wheat and barley and sweetened with brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice. It’s a bit lacking in the “chewy” department, but that’s because it’s chock full of almonds.

Nature Valley – Oats n’ Honey Bar
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 180 calories; 6 grams fat; 11 grams sugar
Our Take: This is the classic go-to bar that you can find in almost any vending machine, grocery store, airport or gas station. It’s made with whole grain rolled oats (which provide 2 grams of fiber) and heart-healthy nuts and canola oil. While it’s a smart choice in the snack machine, this one did rank second highest in sugar as it’s sweetened with sugar, honey and brown sugar.

Bear Naked Fruit + Nut Grain-ola Bar
Rating: 3.5
Nutrition Info: 240 calories; 9 grams fat; 15 grams sugar
Our Take: Tasty but overly moist and sticky, this bar provides 15% of your daily fiber thanks to the oats, fruit and ground flax seeds; it’s sweetened with a combo of dates, maple syrup, honey and tapioca syrup. The Bear Fruit Bar is a bit high in calories and fat but like granola, a lot of this comes from good-for-you-ingredients such as nuts, coconut and other dried fruits. (If you can’t find this in your average grocery store, check out your health food store instead.)

LARABAR – Cashew Cookie
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 230 calories; 13 grams fat; 18 grams sugar
Our Take: Any time we talk about snack bars people go gaga for LARA. You’ve got to love a bar with only two ingredients — cashews and dates (all their flavors have impressively simple ingredient lists). Eighteen grams of sugar may seem high but every bit of it is coming from natural fruit sugar. NOTE: The calories may be too much for a snack for some folks; you could always eat half and save the rest for later.

Special K – Honey Nut Cereal Bar
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 90 calories; 2 grams fat; 7 grams sugar
Our Take: You can’t miss Special K at the supermarket or in those TV ads, but this bar has a laundry list of processed ingredients. With virtually no fiber to speak of and sweetened with corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, sugar and a tiny smidge of honey, it may be tasty but it will most certainly leave you hungry.

BONUS BARS
Here are some more you might consider trying:
Thumbs up: Cascadian Farms Almond Butter Crunchy Granola Bar
Thumbs down: Quaker Chewy 90 Calories – Low Fat Oatmeal Raisin

TELL US: What bar do you snack on?

What Is It?
Citric acid (a.k.a. sodium citrate) comes from the juice of citrus fruits and berries. It’s created by fermenting cane sugar or molasses with the fungus Aspergillus niger. Cooks and food manufacturers use it as a flavor enhancer, antioxidant and to increase the acidity of food, especially when canning. You’ll typically find it in ice cream, sherbet, carbonated beverages, candy and reconstituted instant potatoes — it shows up on a lot of packaged food labels because it’s versatile and cheap.

Is It Safe?
Citric acid was first isolated from lemon juice by a Swedish chemist in the late 1700s, so we’ve been eating it for a while. Experts consider it safe and we have long relied on it to add acidity, which helps preserve food. Some folks may be intolerant to citric acid; if that’s you, reading labels is essential since it’s found naturally in many fruits, veggies and added to so many packaged foods.

Peanuts and peanut butter contain healthy fats as well as protein, but some packaged butters have extra extra oils and sweeteners added to the mix. For our 1 to 5 rating (5 being the highest), we considered taste, texture (we tested only smooth varieties) and sugar content for a basic two-tablespoon serving. As for price, all the brands tested ranged from $2.79 to $3.19.

Skippy
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 3 grams of sugar
Our Take: I was raised on this stuff, but that was before I learned about added sweeteners and hydrogenated oils! Though it does have a good flavor and creamy consistency, I’m turned off by the added sugar and unhealthy fats.

Teddie
Rating: 4
Nutrition Info: 180 calories, 16 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar
Our Take: This natural peanut butter contains peanuts, flaxseeds and salt. It had a nice peanut flavor but a slightly gritty texture. Like most peanut butters made without extra oils, this brand needed to be mixed well initially to stir in some surface oil (if refrigerated after the first mix, it no longer separates). The flax adds some omega-3 fat but also affects the flavor. If you’re a peanut butter purist, it’s better to get your omega-3s elsewhere. (Here’s an article on better choices for omega 3-rich foods.)

Jif
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 3 grams of sugar
Our Take: This one had almost exactly the same ingredients in Skippy — added sugar and hydrogenated oils — but it did have a more peanutty flavor (my guess is they use a different variety of peanuts).

Trader Joe’s
Rating: 5
Nutrition Info: 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar
Our Take: This is the peanut butter we keep in my house. The only ingredients are peanuts and salt. It has great flavor, a silky smooth texture and won’t separate once refrigerated. I’ve been recommending it to clients for years and have been able to convert even the most loyal brand-name peanut butter lovers.

Smart Balance
Rating: 3
Nutrition Info: 200 calories, 18 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar
Our Take: I was surprisingly disappointed by this jar. Made with peanuts, flaxseed and palm oil (for texture) it is sweetened with molasses, but has a stale flavor that was, honestly, kind of gross. We also tried the Smart Balance “naturally sweetened” with agave nectar instead of molasses but it had a bitter and unappealing after taste. My husband (a fellow PB lover) asked if we could throw these two jars out pronto).

Tell Us: What’s your favorite peanut butter?

What Is It?
“Gum” additives (e.g. xanthan gum or guar gum) are used to thicken foods such as ice cream, frozen pudding, salad dressing, dough and cottage cheese. Xanthan gum is used to mimic the flavor of fatty ingredients that were removed from low-fat products. It can also replace egg yolks as a thickener.

Manufacturers add xanthan gum to candy to prevent sugar crystals from forming and to frozen foods to give them a smooth texture and mouth feel. Sometimes called “corn sugar gum,” it’s a natural carbohydrate that isn’t absorbed by the body. The additive is produced by the fermentation of the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris.

Home cooks can buy packaged xanthan gum to add thickness and viscosity to their breads and other baked goods. Because it’s free of gluten, eggs, dairy and soy, it’s the preferred thickener for those with food allergies who like to bake their own goodies.

Is It Safe?
Xanthan gum is considered safe — though it hasn’t been widely tested. Some folks with sensitivities to corn might be allergic — reported symptoms include headaches, diarrhea and stomach pain. If you think you’re allergic, check out one of the other “gums” on the market instead. Substitutes such as guar gum, gum Arabic, locust bean gum or carrageenan might be a better choice.

Fresh vs. Frozen
The National Turkey Federation claims that there is no quality difference between fresh and frozen turkeys. Both versions have pros and cons, but the ultimate choice is up to you. If you don’t have much freezer space, fresh is a good option. The downside is you need to buy it a few days before you use it since it will only keep for a couple days in the fridge. If you find a good deal on a frozen bird and have the space, go for it! Frozen birds will keep for up to six months, but don’t forget to plan ahead for defrosting.

Defrosting a Frozen Bird
Get your bird out of the freezer at least three days before you plan on cooking ir. Make room in the refrigerator and leave the turkey in there on a tray to catch any juices as its thaws out. It takes about three days to completely defrost a 20-pound turkey — smaller ones may need less time. If you didn’t get your bird in the fridge in time and it’s still bit frozen (that’s just a bit — not completely frozen), you can continue defrosting it by running lukewarm water over it for a few hours. Make sure the water isn’t hot or it will start cooking the meat.

Many folks forget to defrost their turkey until the day before and leave it on the countertop overnight for speedier thawing. Don’t! This is enough time for bacteria to grow to high enough amounts that you may make your dinner guests sick (and you can forget about hosting next year).

Still skeptical about the quality differences between fresh and frozen, check out this Food Network article for buying tips.

How Big?
One key factor to having a tasty bird is its size. Smaller turkeys are usually more tender, so if you’re planning on having a large group, you may want to get two smaller turkeys instead of one large one.

Estimate six ounces of raw meat per person — this amount of cooked meat will shrink down to four ounces, the appropriate serving size. Don’t forget to account for leftovers as well. For example, if you’re hosting a dinner for 10, calculate out 6 ounces per person (10 x 6 = 60 ounces). Assuming you want leftovers for everyone for two meals, triple that number (60 x 3 = 180 ounces). To convert ounces to pounds, divide your total ounces by 16 (180/16 = 12 pounds when you round up).

Cooking Time
Most folks forget that the time for cooking a turkey depends on how many pounds you’ve got. Cooking time also depends on if you started with a fresh or frozen bird. For a defrosted turkey, plan on cooking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes per pound. Fresh turkey’s cooking time is 10 to 15 minutes per pound. So, if you have a fresh 12-pounder, your cooking time would be 120 to 180 minutes (that’s two  to three hours); a frozen turkey of the same size would need to be cooked for 240 minutes (or four hours).

Important Tools
To outfit your kitchen to prepping the big bird, we suggest you keep these tools on hand:

Meat Thermometer: Turkey should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you think it’s done, check the temperature; if it’s not hot enough, pop the turkey back in the oven. Check out this list of cooking temperatures if you plan on cooking different meats during the holidays.
Our Pick: Digital Classic Thermometer/Timer, $22.95

Roasting Pan: Make sure your roasting pan is large enough to fit your bird. I prefer All-Clad for roasting — you can read more on about types of cookware in our previous post.
Our Pick: Roasting Pan with Rack, $159.99

Fat Separator: This handy gadget helps easily separate the fat from the pan drippings so you can make the perfect gravy every time.
Our Pick: Fat Separator Strainer with Lid, $16.95

Be Mindful
When perusing the labels, you’ll find most candy varieties contain high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners. There’s a reason why the USDA suggests eating sweets sparingly: They’re full of sugar, saturated fat and not very many nutrients (that’s why they’re called “empty calorie” foods). If you’re having some, buy the smallest kinds or the mini-sized packs to keep from overdoing it.

There are other issues to worry about with sweets, especially if you’re passing them on to others. Nut allergies are a big concern these days, so choose nut-free varieties. Also, be mindful of candy that may be a choking hazard. I’ve emptied many goodie bags from children’s birthday parties only to find taffy, bubble gum and tootsie rolls — all risky to give to toddlers! Go through the goodie bag before your child takes a peek inside. This way they won’t know what they’re missing.

Sugary Candy
Yes, candy rocks! But sticky candies such as gummies, caramel and taffy do just that — stick! In this case, it’s to your teeth, which helps cavities form. It’s always important to brush your teeth after eating tons of sugar, but those super gooey choices are even tough to get off with a toothbrush. If you want a sugary treat, try Twizzlers, lollipops, Smarties or hard candies (if choking isn’t an concern with your kids).

Don’t fall for those labels claiming a candy is a fat-free treat; sugar is naturally free of fat. All that sugar, however, will rack up those calories. Check out the comparisons below:

• Twizzlers (4 pieces): 160 calories, 19 grams sugar
• Gummi Bears (10 pieces): 87 calories, 13 grams sugar
• Candy Corn (8 pieces): 140 calories, 28 grams sugar
• Starburst (8 pieces): 160 calories, 23 grams sugar

And look at the serving size — most likely you’re not meant to eat the whole bag!

Chocolates
A large Hershey’s Symphony milk chocolate bar (2.4 ounces) contains 361 calories, 21 grams of fat and 12 grams of saturated fat. Down the entire bar and you’ve just eaten 60% of the recommended saturated fat for the entire day. Many companies have the “fun sizes,” which are smaller portions of the same bar. Even eating two or three of those is less calories than one large bag (we still recommend sticking to one mini bar).

Seen some of those commercials where a chocolate bar claims to be lighter? My 3 Muskateers bars never float! Well, here are the nutrition facts on some of those “lighter” options. Which would you choose?

• 3 Musketeers Bar: 260 calories, 8 grams total fat and 5 grams saturated fat
• 3 Musketeers Mini Bars (3 fun-sized bars): 190 calories, 6 grams total fat, 4 grams saturated fat
• York Peppermint Patty (1 piece): 140 calories, 2.5 grams total fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat
• Plain M&Ms (1.69-ounce pack): 240 calories, 10 grams total fat, 6 grams saturated fat

Peppermint Patty lovers are in luck — it has the least amount of calories and fat. If peppermint isn’t your thing, choose the 3 Musketeers minis, which have fewer calories than a chocolate bar or a regular-sized pack of chocolate candies. When you go shopping, pick up you’re two or three favorite options and compare nutrition labels just as we’ve just done above.

Dark chocolate is another choice you might consider. Read up on its health benefits here. Be mindful that companies want to sell their chocolate and may slap hyped-up health claims on their products. Stick to a small portion (more is not better).

TELL US: What’s your favorite occasional candy or chocolate splurge?

Palm vs. Palm Kernel
These days, you’ll find these oils in commercial baked goods (e.g. cakes and cookies), snack foods and some brands of peanut butter. As companies have jumped on the anti-trans fat bandwagon, they’ve started replacing their products’ trans fat (i.e. the partially hydrogenated oils) with different types of palm oil.

Both palm and palm kernel oil come from palm plants (often called “oil palms”) and are categorized as “tropical oils” along with coconut oil. These tropical oils are unique because they have a high percentage of saturated fat, which is unusual for oils that come from plants. More common sources of saturated fat are butter, meat, whole milk and cheese and cream. Too much saturated fat in your diet can increase cholesterol, clog arteries and increase your risk of heart disease.

These two types of oils come from different parts of the palm plant. Palm oil, which is sometimes called “palm fruit oil,” comes from the fruit; palm kernel oil comes from the seed (a.k.a. the kernel).

Is It Better For You?
Palm oil (from the fruit) contains 50% saturated fat and palm kernel oil is 82% — this means plain palm oil is the better choice (of the two). Some believe palm oil has the added benefit of the antioxidants (mostly beta-carotene) that are extracted from the fruit. Researchers are currently trying to determine if the saturated fats in tropical oils affect our cholesterol levels differently. Until we have conclusive findings, you’re better off sticking to heart-healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats such as the ones found in olive oil and nuts. These unsaturated fats actually help lower cholesterol.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat intake to 7% or less of total daily calories – if you follow a 2,000 calorie diet, that works out to about 15.5 grams per day. So no matter what kind of saturated fat you choose, your intake should be limited. I don’t know about you but I’d rather eat some cheese and take advantage of the protein and calcium instead of getting an equal amount of saturated from from palm oil in cheesy snack crackers (no protein or calcium there)!

Bottom Line: We should consume all sources of saturated fat in moderation for optimum heart health. These days, most of the foods that contain palm oil (that is, those cakes and snacks) don’t rank very high in the nutrient department. Check ingredient lists on your favorite foods so you know where the saturated fat is coming from.

For this taste test, we stuck with straight-up marinara sauces without any fancy add-ins. We sampled the sauces on their own and with a plain cracker. To determine our 1 to 5 rating (5 being the highest), we paid close attention to flavor, texture, and nutrition content. With jarred sauces, our biggest concerns are calories, sugar and sodium. We also looked at the average cost — these babies don’t come cheap!

And for you purists, we know nothing tops homemade. These ratings aren’t jarred sauces versus from-scratch sauces. We pitted jarred versus jarred.

Prego Marinara
Rating: 4
Price: $3.39 per 23-ounce jar ($0.14 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 80 calories, 480 milligrams sodium, 7 grams sugar
Our Take: Prego’s sauce has an overwhelming tomato flavor with a touch of sweetness. You can taste the tiny pieces of tomato in every bite. Though the label claims its “100% natural,” Prego uses citric acid to preserve its sauce (the term “natural” is loosely regulated by the FDA).

Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce
Rating: 5
Price: $8.99 per 32-ounce jar ($0.28 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 70 calories, 350 milligrams sodium, 4 grams sugar
Our Take: Our Facebook fans gushed about the delicious flavor of Rao’s. Once I tasted it, I understood why. Full of chunky pieces of tomatoes and flavorful basil, it was my favorite of the bunch. Even better: There are only eight simple, fresh ingredients listed on the jar. The only downfall: It was by far the priciest of them all (but worth it!).

Newman’s Own Marinara
Rating: 3.5
Price: $3.59 per 24-ounce jar ($0.14 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 70 calories, 510 milligrams sodium, 11 grams sugar
Our Take: Newman’s Own had a nice blend of tomatoes, basil and onions with a touch of sweetness. This one was the highest in sodium (22% of your daily recommended amount) and had the most sugar per serving — probably because the sugar is added and is listed as the third ingredient. The plus side: it also had the most vitamin A (30%) thanks to all the tomatoes and tomato products used.

Barilla Marinara
Rating: 4
Price: $3.39 per 24-ounce jar ($0.14 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 70 calories, 460 milligrams sodium, 6 grams sugar
Our Take: You can taste the basil, tomatoes, onions and pepper in every spoonful of Barilla’s sauce. A slightly sweet aftertaste lingered on my tongue — perhaps due to the small amount of sugar added. “Natural flavors” are listed in the ingredients, but who knows what that really means?

Trader Giotto’s Organic Tomato Basic Marinara (Trader Joe’s Brand)
Rating: 5
Price: $2.29 per 25-ounce jar ($0.09 per ounce)
Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup): 60 calories, 440 milligrams sodium, 3 grams sugar
Our Take: Take a peek in the jar and you can see the chunks of tomatoes and pieces of basil. The sauce has a pleasant tomato flavor that’s not overwhelming or too acidic. This was the only organic brand of the bunch (and the cheapest per ounce!) with no additives or sugar added. It also contains 25% of your daily vitamin C, which tied with Rao’s for the highest in the group.

TELL US: What’s your favorite go-to jarred sauce?