The Simple, Boozy Secret For More Flavorful Store-Bought Pasta Sauce

Even real pasta aficionados — those who can spot the differences between tomato sauce and gravy on sight (or, more realistically, based on what's in their heart) — need a little cheat code now and then. And with all the shining crimson jars lining grocery store shelves, plenty of people are picking up the commercial stuff. But just because you're occasionally cracking open a store-bought pasta sauce doesn't mean you can't make it taste homemade. A spot of wine is just the thing to give those shortcuts a little more love.

You don't want to thin the sauce, so tipping your nebbiolo right into the mix won't quite cut it. Instead, saute a few handfuls of chopped onion for extra flavor and texture, deglaze the pan with about half a cup of vino, and let it reduce a bit before incorporating something like Mezzetta Family Recipes marinara, which we rated number one in a popular store-bought sauce ranking.

This one-two punch of an upgrade maximizes store-bought sauce in just a few minutes and a couple of chemical reactions. You obviously aren't going to take the time to fully caramelize the onion in this case, but a quick turn in the pan will bring out some of its flavor as it softens and begins to brown. The wine will then lift any stuck-on bits — the fond created by the color-giving Maillard reaction — and release their flavor. The wine's own notes of fruit and spice will also concentrate, creating a more sophisticated finish than you'd get without the minimal extra effort. This is why you generally want to use wine you'd actually want to drink for cooking, even if cheaper options are tempting.

You can also save leftover wine for future meals like this. An open bottle of red can last up to about five days before it begins to turn. If you're approaching that deadline and still have some left, you can freeze it to cook with later. It likely won't turn completely solid in most home freezers, but it'll get close enough to save.