I know that making pasta sauce from scratch is not all that difficult and is actually advisable as compared to opening packets since it would be fresher and healthier, but I personally just like experimenting with instant products and taste the varieties at least once or twice. I've gotten to taste most of my local brands and I'm hoping to get a few suggestions of ones from other countries. Do you like tasting the different instant pasta sauces? Which types or brands are your favorites? I personally prefer the sweeter ones.
If it was something like a plum sauce or a hoisin sauce for noodles, I wouldn't try to make that from scratch. But being Italian myself, I would never eat some spaghetti sauce made with a powdered mix that's been added to a can of crushed tomatoes. There is no point, that mix just just a bunch of thickeners, citric acid, sugar, and stale spices. Just simmer some fresh garlic in a little olive oil and toss in a can of crushed tomatoes, season it with salt and pepper and add some fresh herbs at the end - just as simple and much healthier and better tasting. An even simpler recipe, from Marcella Hazaan is just half of a peeled onion (not chopped, leave it all in one piece) and a whole stick of butter in a pan with a large can of crushed tomatoes. Let it all simmer for an hour and thats it. Even something like an Alfredo sauce is only three ingredients - Parmesan cheese, butter and cream. Those mixes won't have anywhere near the bright tangy flavor you will get from fresh Parmesan cheese. Plus all the thickeners and fillers will give it an unnatural consistency. A real Alfredo sauce is naturally going to be a bit pasty and slightly grainy from the bits of cheese that didn't melt down, or if the fats and milk solids started to separate a bit. I will make some Kraft Mac & Cheese once in a while though, but it's more for nostalgia's sake. If you like sweeter sauces, like some sort of sweet & sour type thing going on, you could simply cook some fruit preserves, such as apricot, in a sauce pan along with some chicken stock and a little butter. Maybe a pinch of garlic powder and some red pepper flakes for a little zing.
Jars can be useful when you don't have time. I prefer to have a garlic and onion based tomato one because it eliminates the time to chop up those ingredients and I can then add my own things like mushrooms. The ones with other ingredients tend to have little substance, so if in doubt go for a basic tomato and basil one if there are onion ones available. Another option is using tomato puree or passata which is tomato paste and then added oil or butter to the puree to make it easier to cook with and then add onions and seasoning to it. I like to use a bit of puree with some pesto and black pepper or chilli flakes, so it is a combination of a sauce but without having to open and use a whole jar.
