The Prego Sauce You Can Leave Out Of Your Shopping Cart

When it comes to good pasta sauce, two things are non-negotiable: Texture and flavor. The texture has to be thick yet luscious, and either creamy or chunky. And to complement that starchy pasta goodness, the flavors have to be dancing with some combination of spicy, herbaceous, earthy, umami, and sweet. A sauce with just one of those components mastered doesn't cut it. That's why we had to place the Homestyle Alfredo dead last when we ranked 10 Prego pasta sauces. Sure, the thick, creamy consistency is on point, but the flavor is almost entirely absent.

There are so many different pasta sauce brands and products to choose from, it's not hard to grab a jar and have a mouthwatering meal on the table in no time. That's why we wanted to analyze certain offerings to help weed out the sauces that aren't worth it from the sauces that promise a family-pleasing dinner. When it comes to Prego's Homestyle Alfredo, it was immediately clear it wouldn't offer any real flavor to your pasta beyond a vague parmesan character. Alfredo sauce is a very simple combination of parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and butter plus seasoning. Parmesan is deliciously nutty and subtly funky when shaved fresh, but cooked down into a sauce with two similarly rich ingredients? You'd need a lot of that seasoning to punch it up, and Prego falls short there with just the faintest hint of garlic. 

Looking at that ingredient list for Alfredo, it stands to reason the shortcomings are the fault of the sauce style. Prego's could be more seasoned, but there's only so much you can do for a packaged blend of parmesan with cream and butter. There are many kinds of pasta sauces, and Alfredo is known to be one of the blandest, compared to meaty Bolognese, spicy arrabiata, or nutty pesto. Considering the need for seasoning when it comes to Alfredo sauce, there are two clear paths here: Make your own Alfredo, or choose a different Prego offering.

Buying pasta sauce is supposed to save you time, but because of those basic four ingredients, you can make Alfredo simply. The benefit is that you're in control of the seasoning. Go bolder with garlic, sprinkle in black pepper for a cacio e pepe-inspired twist, cut the richness with freshness from basil and parsley, and add spice with red pepper flakes. If you do need to grab a jar from the store and go, it's easy to change your dinner plans and grab one of our favorite Prego items, like Spicy Marinara or Roasted Garlic & Herb. Prego even has a good Garlic & Caramelized Onion Alfredo, demonstrating that in rare cases store-bought Alfredo can be good, but only with added ingredients.