The best jarred tomato sauce in Jersey is…

Everybody has their own idea of what the best tomato sauce is. Also, people think if you are of Italian ancestry, you never use jar tomato sauce.

My grandmothers certainly didn’t, and I don’t think my mother ever did either. They made sauce or what they called gravy on Sunday and then used it the rest of the week.

They also jarred their own tomatoes at the end of the growing season and used them throughout the rest of the year.

If they did buy anything that was packaged, it was imported canned tomatoes to make their own sauce. We live in a different era. And to be quite honest, some of the jar sauces today or as good if not better than some homemade tomato sauces.

For years, my favorite was a sauce that came from a restaurant in Palm Beach Gardens Florida called Carmines Trattoria. The marinara sauce was to die for. I don't think they sell it up here anymore.

In recent years I found that Lydias marinara or tomato and basil is the best most authentic tasting tomato sauce. By the way, it’s not a gravy because it doesn’t contain meat so it’s a sauce.

Recently I noticed a jar of sauce on the ShopRite supermarket shelf that caught my attention. It's called Jersey Tomato Sauce. The label said it was made by a company called Ethnic Cottage in Lebanon, New Jersey, so I decided to give it a try.

I’ll be honest I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t have high hopes. It was fantastic! It’s just the right consistency and the flavor is spot on. I would serve this to my mother and grandmothers if they were still around. And if I had it served me at a restaurant, I would be impressed.

It’s a well-known fact that New Jersey has the best tomatoes, so why shouldn’t we have the best tomato sauce in a jar?!

To complement my meal of mushroom ravioli with homemade meatballs I decided to try a new one called Jersey Cab. It’s made at a winery in South Jersey called William Heritage Winery and it was also very good.

A little fruitier than many of the cabs you’ll find from California but still a very good complement to a pasta meal with red sauce. I would also recommend giving it a try. The combo was a great New Jersey meal.

Look for this jar in your supermarket. It's premium but it's very affordable.