What is it?
Heinz Tomato, Grana Padano and Mascarpone pasta sauce (€2.99/350g €3.79/500g).
What’s good about it?
I don’t buy ready-made pasta sauces. Ever. But I was sent this to try, and I will be adding it to my supermarket basket in future. The sauce was delicious, with just the right bite of acidity to keep it interesting, and enough cheesy flavour that I didn’t need to grate Parmesan on top. A grind or two of black pepper was all it needed.
What’s in it?
The jar says “the tomatoes in this jar are grown in Italian fields following Heinz best standards”. The ingredients are 55 per cent tomato; tomato purée; mascarpone; Grana Padano; onion; extra virgin olive oil; apple juice concentrate – no added sugar is also flagged on the jar – sea salt; lemon juice concentrate; garlic; black pepper; thyme and nutmeg.
How do I it use it?
There are no instructions on the jar. I assume you’re meant to heat the sauce separately and stir it into cooked pasta. I strained my pasta when still al dente, spooned the sauce in and stirred over a gentle heat till everything was hot. I deliberately left a couple of spoonfuls of starchy pasta cooking water in the pot to help the sauce and pasta combine.
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Where can I get it?
It is widely available in branches of Tesco, Dunnes and SuperValu across Ireland.
Anything else?
There are seven pasta sauces in the range – Tomato Sauce for Bolognese; Sundried Cherry Tomato and Basil; Tomato and Chilli; Tomato, Mushroom and Bell Pepper; Tomato and Lentil Ragu and Mediterranean Veggies and Chunky Tomatoes, in addition to the one I tried. All except the one I used are vegan.
Send your Shelf Help product suggestions to marieclaire.digby@irishtimes.com
