Picture cooking dinner that tastes like you slaved away all day in the kitchen but only took a short hour to cook. That is the brilliance of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, who has the secret to marrying home comfort with clever store-bought conveniences that make her a home cooking hero. Her secret ingredient? Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce, a jarred miracle that brings deep, genuine flavor without all the hours of cooking. With Ina’s guidance, you’ll be elevating your meals in a heartbeat, and this book will illustrate for you how her pantry basics, beginning with Rao’s, add joy and sophistication to every table.
The Magic of Rao’s Marinara
Ina Garten doesn’t merely cook she crafts moments. Even she, though, understands that not all recipes need to be started from scratch. Her go-to flavor shortcut is Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce, a high-end product with an uninspired dull-white label that shines in every supermarket. At approximately $8–10 per 24-ounce jar, it’s a treat, but Ina’s vocal seal of approval makes it worth it. Her Hamptons kitchen’s workhorse sauce, it elevates quick dinners to something heavenly.
What makes Rao’s so special? It’s made with love, using Italian plum tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper, cooked low and slow in small batches. It doesn’t include added sugar, starches, or fillers just a simple, wholesome ingredient list that can’t be beat by home cooking. Tasting Table praised its velvety texture, chunk-free tomato flavor, and its “unparalleled taste” that’s rich. I found Rao’s for a spontaneous dinner party, and its deep flavor rescued my spaghetti from being “just okay” to celestial.
Ina leans on Rao’s for her multi-layered eggplant parmesan, where it saves time without sacrificing quality. She’s noted that prepping this dish is work enough without making marinara from scratch. It’s also her pick for lasagna or quick pasta nights, proving that a store-bought sauce can be the backbone of a meal that feels deeply personal. With Rao’s, you’re not just cooking you’re channeling Ina’s effortless elegance.
Why Ina Loves Store-Bought
Ina’s own credo, “store-bought is okay,” is a lifeline to anyone who adores fantastic food but not hours and hours of kitchen time. Adored for scratch-cooked gems such as homemade chicken stock or freshly made ricotta, she’s also passionate about fantastic convenience food. Rao’s is a great fit, with flavor so near to homemade that, in Ina’s mind, the difference is “negligible.” That kind of attitude allows her to continue making cooking fun, not intimidating.
Her affair with Rao’s is not so much about convenience as it’s about heritage. In 2012, she filmed a Barefoot Contessa episode at Rao’s legendary East Harlem restaurant, which is so reserved that tables are saved for the regulars, so it’s impossible to eat there. Observing Frank Pellegrino Sr., who rescued Rao’s in 1975 by concentrating on no-frills, high-grade ingredients, solidified her affair. That commitment is evident in their jarred sauce, which she’s praised for over a decade.
This is a strategy that resonates with busy home cooks like me. When I’m overwhelmed with work in the middle of the day, there’s no time to simmer sauce all day. Rao’s gets me out of the way so I can make a baked ziti with some flair, quickly, and still have time for guests and loved ones. Ina’s trick isn’t really about time-saving it’s about selecting products that preserve their taste so you can concentrate on what matters most: sharing delicious meals.
Several Ways to Utilize Rao’s Marinara
Rao’s is not pasta sauce it’s a staple in the kitchen. Ina applies it to standbys such as baked ziti or chicken parmigiana, where its deep flavor takes dull ingredients to new levels. But it finds its way into less obvious applications, too, and into essential when it comes to innovative recipes that serve up like you slaved all day. I’ve used it to braise chicken thighs, and the outcome was so tender and juicy, my family demanded seconds.
Some ideas to unlock Rao’s beyond the standard pasta toss:
- Braise meats: Glaze with pork or beef as a foundation and have the meat absorb its tomato taste in a fall-apart dinner.
- Quick pizza base: Spread on dough for a homemade pizza that avoids soggy store-bought sauce.
- Panade for texture: Add to breadcrumb paste to introduce moisture and flavor into meatloaf or meatballs.
- Seafood variety: Replace canned clams with a quick restaurant-style clam sauce.
For personalization, simple changes are recommended by Ina and the other chefs. A sprinkle of salted pasta water guarantees sauce sticks to noodles, and a brief sauté of raw garlic deepens flavor. I experimented with adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra heat, and it brought a weeknight spaghetti to new heights. Rao’s is yours alone with simple changes, demonstrating store-bought can be signature.
Ina’s Pantry: A Closet Full of Essentials
Ina’s pantry is a quality and convenience master class. Aside from Rao’s, she has stocked only essentials that elevate her dishes without added effort. Her go-to olive oil, Olio Santo’s cold-pressed extra-virgin California oil, tastes “fruitier” than Italian oils and is ideal for dressings or drizzling. It’s a handy option that’s a big improvement.
For salt, Ina is selective: Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt to use when cooking due to its gentle texture, and Maldon Sea Salt Flakes or fleur de sel for a textural finish. Her condiments also bear this out she mixes together Grey Poupon and Maille Dijon mustards to give her vinaigrettes kick and swears by Heinz ketchup and Hellmann’s mayonnaise for their unmatched flavor. I began mixing her mustards together for salads, and it’s made my greens restaurant-quality.
Ina’s sensibility extends beyond puff pastry and phyllo dough, her “why bother making?” essentials for tarts and appetizers. She also keeps on hand pure vanilla extract, jam, nut milk, and frozen vegetables, showing how shortcuts can be refined. As a dessert, she gussies up store-bought ice cream or pound cake with home-made lemon curd or chocolate syrup, making entertaining easy but refined.
Pasta Picks and Homemade Musts
Pasta is a staple in Ina’s diet, and the quality that she chooses is a testament to her sense of quality. She prefers De Cecco pasta over fresh, deeming it less “doughy” and superior at retaining sauce due to its bronze-drawn, slow-dried process. It’s ubiquitous and ideal for weeknights such as penne or fusilli. For special nights, she splurges on Cipriani Tagliarelle, a thin pasta that cooks in three minutes and pairs with Urbani’s white truffle butter for a decadent, easy dish.
Though Ina adores shortcuts, she draws the line on what’s simply worth making from scratch. Homemade chicken broth is off-limits she freezes it to use in soups and sauces. Canned soup? Forget about it. She makes homemade ricotta, which she declares “so easy” she’ll never have store-bought again, and insists on freshly grated Parmesan for better texture. Homemade breadcrumbs, pulsed in the food processor from leftover bread, are a must for their flavor and thriftiness.
These decisions are Ina’s balance: save time where it matters, but dig in where it matters. I tested her ricotta recipe, and it was a lasagna epiphany so fresh and rich. Cooking with Ina is the secret to keeping cooking convenient, meaning that you can create memorable meals without anxiety.
Cooking with Ina’s Wisdom
Ina Garten’s philosophy on cooking is a blessing to anyone who enjoys food but hates prep hours. Her. affection of Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce and other intelligent essentials demonstrates that transcendent food can be easy and elegant. Through combining higher-quality store-bought food and intelligent homemade elements, she makes food that’s accessible but dramatic. Whether you’re tossing Rao’s with pasta, braise meat, or filling your pantry with her staple favorites, Ina’s wisdom teaches you to cook with passion and aplomb. Then open a jar of Rao’s, go into Barefoot Contessa mode, and make every meal a delicious celebration.
