These Are the 7 Healthiest Marinara Sauces You Need to Be Buying

Jarred tomato sauce is an excellent shortcut when you need help getting a meal on the table quickly. It can feel like a healthy no-brainer, but with a little sleuthing, we found that not all sauces are created equal, especially in terms of added sugar and salt. We checked the numbers on countless labels against our nutrition parameters and tasted more than 50 sauces (that's not a typo!). Here are the seven sauces that stood out in terms of flavor and nutrition. Plus, learn what to look for when reading the label of a jarred sauce.

Sugar is often added to balance tomatoes' natural acidity. But many brands use the sweetness from vegetables, like carrots and onions, to get the job done. So, if you're watching your added sugar, stick to brands with 0 grams.

Sodium enhances the flavor of just about everything, but some marinara sauces on the market have as much as 570 milligrams per ½-cup serving—nearly a quarter of your daily recommended limit. In a perfect world, we'd opt for one with 300 mg or less, but we found they can be tricky to find. Plus, many lower-sodium options left a lot to be desired. If you pick a sauce that's on the higher side, consider balancing your salt intake by cutting back on sodium elsewhere in the day (check out these 9 easy ways to cut sodium in your diet).