Shoppers Say This Spicy Costco Find Is 'Probably The Best Jarred Sauce Out There Right Now'

There are so many jarred pasta sauces on the market right now that it can be hard to decide which one to pick up (though we did a blind taste taste to determine the best). But customers are raving about a pasta sauce brand at Costco — and surprisingly, it's not Rao's. Instead, they've been getting pretty excited about Carbone's Spicy Vodka Sauce.

As a user on a Reddit thread wrote, "Carbone's spicy vodka is probably the best jarred sauce out there right now. I buy 20 to 30 when they're on sale at Costco."  Another had a creative use for it: "This stuff is great. I used it in the slow cooker with a small chuck roast and a soffrito of carrots/onions/peppers/garlic and it was the best sauce I ever made." 

One thing you might want to note is that Carbone's Spicy Vodka Sauce doesn't contain any cream, which means if you're looking for that rich texture you get from a pink sauce, you'll simply need to add it. However, one Redditor noted, "It's good without it, too. I just bought this and dairy doesn't agree with me and it's still a solid sauce." And in terms of spice level, most people say that while Carbone's does have a kick, it's more of a medium one rather than a five-alarm version.

Here's a little secret: We're huge fans of Carbone's jarred pasta sauces, too. While homemade sauces are always preferable, Carbone's sauces feature a flavor profile that you don't get with many jarred brands. Rao's has a smoother, almost buttery texture to it, but we've found that Carbone's sauces have an added savoriness to them — as if they've been cooked down in a small pot and allowed to caramelize a bit. Those darkened sugars are what make the sauce naturally richer, and it's not a flavor you find often in a manufactured tomato sauce.

Don't get us wrong. We still love Rao's for that bright homestyle feeling. But Carbone's just has an extra depth that makes it feel and taste like something different. So it's no surprise that sharp Costco shoppers have noticed the Spicy Vodka Sauce is also a hit; the brand with the glitzy namesake restaurant (try its trick for flavorful salad croutons) knows what it's doing with jarred recipes. Just don't forget to pick up some cream if you need it.