Giada De Laurentiis' Pro Tip For Elevating Store-Bought Pasta Sauce

Pasta is a favorite weeknight staple because it's super quick and easy to execute after a long day at the office. Plus, it's always a crowd-pleaser (cue the carb lovers). Store-bought pasta sauce makes the process that much faster when you're pressed for time but, let's face it, it's kind of boring. That's where Giada De Laurentiis' pro tip for elevating store-bought pasta sauce comes in handy.

It's all about the Parmesan, the "Everyday Italian" TV chef told Refinery 29. "For a store-bought sauce, what you could do is just take a chunk of Parmesan cheese, or Parmesan cheese rind, and throw it in the sauce while you are heating it — it gives it a velvety, cheesy texture. I use Parmesan cheese rinds in all of my sauces, pretty much."

Even though you can technically eat the Parmesan rind because it doesn't contain wax like some other hard cheese, you'll want to remove it before digging in. It tends to get quite tough and chewy, especially when heated.

It's no secret that the flavor of Parmesan cheese goes well with pasta and sauce, but why is it such a classic pairing? It's because of Parmesan's unique flavor profile, which enhances and complements the different elements of pasta dishes. Parmesan-Reggiano, often called the "king of cheese," is high in glutamate, the amino acid that imparts a strong earthy, umami taste. The cheese's salty, nutty, and slightly tangy taste adds a warm depth to the relatively mild flavors of pasta. Its richness is also a nice balance to the acidity of the marinara sauce it's often served with.

You can go De Laurentiis' rind route when prepping or heating large batches of store-bought sauce, but she shared another Parmesan cheese pro tip that will leave you with deliciously creamy, cheesy pasta. Instead of grating Parmesan on your finished, plated dish like we all normally do, finish your sauce in the pan. Heat the sauce in a skillet, add in your cooked pasta, grate your Parmesan, and toss it all together before plating. "You get this really creamy mixture and every bite has a little bit of everything. It's the perfect bite of pasta, cheese, and sauce," De Laurentiis told Refinery 29.

Of course, there are other non-Parmesan ways to jazz up your at-home pasta night, if cheese isn't your thing. There are plenty of other ingredients that can instantly make your store-bought sauce taste homemade. Fresh herbs, like basil, can give any jarred sauce a flavorful and fragrant burst, while spices like red pepper flakes can give it a nice and subtle kick.

Another way to turn up the dial on boring store-bought sauce is to create a yummy fond ("stock" or "base" in French) in your pan before heating it. Choose some vegetables and aromatics to sauté with a little fat. Go with the basic carrots, celery, garlic, and onion, or switch it up with some sliced mushrooms or leeks. Once a nice browned crust has formed at the bottom of your pan, deglaze your pan's fond with wine or broth, add your jarred sauce, and use a spatula to stir and chip away at the deliciously browned bits. Fond is a great way to develop a really deep flavor and infuse it into the sauce.