Sugo: Tomato sauce for pasta, ready in a jar

Sugo is the Italian word for sauce and in everyday cooking almost always refers to a tomato sauce for pasta. Tomatoes, olive oil, onion or garlic, and herbs are simmered until the sauce is thick and coats the noodles. In this category, you will find ready-made pasta sauces that you just need to heat up, from vegetarian sugo to Bolognese with meat.

Sugo, Passata, Ragù: three terms from the tomato kitchen

On the supermarket shelf, these terms are often grouped together. Passata is strained tomato purée, unseasoned and the foundation for home cooking. A sugo is already seasoned, with oil, spices, and often other ingredients like olives, capers, or cheese, and is meant to be added directly to the pasta. A ragù, finally, is a meat sauce that is simmered for a long time; the most well-known is Bolognese.

Arrabbiata, Puttanesca, and Co.: what the names reveal

Many sugo names simply describe what is inside. "All'arrabbiata" means "in an angry style" and stands for tomato sauce with garlic and chili. "Alle olive" adds olives to the sauce, "ai pomodori secchi" uses dried tomatoes, which taste sweeter and more concentrated than fresh ones. A Puttanesca combines tomato, olives, capers, and usually anchovies. And "mediterraneo" is more of a promise than a recipe: tomato with everything that grows in the Mediterranean.

How to recognize a good sugo

A good sugo needs little: ripe tomatoes, good olive oil, and time for the sauce to thicken and lose its acidity. A pinch of sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes, while salt and herbs provide the finishing touch. The shorter the list of ingredients, the more clearly you will taste each individual one. A tomato sauce does not need thickening agents, starch, or long lists of additives for this.

Our pasta sauces from Benz and Wajos

Our bestseller is the Bolognese from Benz Feinkostmanufaktur in Köngen: a ragù made of 49% tomatoes and 30% pork and beef from their own butcher shop, sugar-free, in a 410g can and ready after ten minutes in the pot.

The tomato sauces come from Wajos in Dohr on the Moselle. The most popular is the Sugo Feta e Pecorino, cooked in Piedmont according to a Wajos recipe: tomatoes with 10% feta and 4.9% pecorino, hearty and creamy due to the cooked-down cheese. The mild Sugo Mediterraneo with olives, capers, and a splash of white wine is also a favorite; nine ingredients, vegan.

It gets heartier with the Sugo ai Pomodori Secchi: one-third is dried tomatoes, plus capers and oregano. The Sugo all'Arrabbiata contains seven ingredients, fruity with a moderate chili heat. And the Sugo alle Olive relies on tomatoes, olives, garlic, and black pepper, mild and without added flavorings. Four of the five Wajos varieties are vegan; only the Feta sugo contains cheese.

From jar to plate in ten minutes

Put the pasta water on and pour the sugo into a large pan or pot. While the pasta is cooking, heat the sauce over low heat. Then lift the drained noodles directly into the pan, add a splash of pasta water, and toss everything briefly. The starch in the water binds the sauce and pasta, making it glossy and adhesive. Parmesan or pecorino should only be added at the table.

Each sauce suits a specific shape: penne hold the Arrabbiata sugo in their tubes, gnocchi carry the creamy Feta-Pecorino sauce, spaghetti and linguine like the Sugo alle Olive, and Bolognese belongs with spaghetti or in lasagna. With a can of tuna and a few capers, the olive sugo quickly turns into a type of Puttanesca.

Apart from pasta, the jars are more versatile than they seem. The Arrabbiata sugo becomes a base for shakshuka: sauce into the pan, crack eggs into it, lid on. Spread Mediterraneo and alle Olive onto dough as pizza sauce; the Mediterraneo also goes well with fried fish. Spoon the sugo with dried tomatoes onto toasted bread as bruschetta.

Buying and storing sugo

• List of ingredients: Seven to nine ingredients, led by tomatoes and olive oil – that is what a good pasta sauce looks like.
• Mild or spicy: Alle olive, Mediterraneo, and Feta e Pecorino are mild; if you like it fiery, reach for the Arrabbiata.
• Quantity: A jar with 300g is enough for two to three servings of pasta; the Sugo alle Olive is enough for three to four plates.
• Vegan, with cheese or meat: Feta e Pecorino contains dairy, the Bolognese contains meat, the remaining four varieties are vegan.
• Storage: Unopened, keep in a cool and dark place. Once opened, place the jar back in the refrigerator and consume within the next few days.

More for your pasta evening

The pasta sauces are part of our Cooking & Enjoying category. You can find matching pasta under Pasta, such as South Tyrolean egg ribbon noodles or wavy red wine noodles. If you want something without cooking but with herbs, continue to Pesto, and other dishes from the Benz butcher shop like beef roulade and pork cheeks can be found under Meals.

Order sugo online

For the pantry, for evenings with little time, and for everyone who likes good tomato sauce: at Leni & Hans, you can order sugo and pasta sauces online, and the jars will be with you in 1–3 days.