I tried a whole bunch of canned tomatoes to find the best for sauce. Most of these I’ve only tried one can, so this does not account for natural variation between cans. Method of evaluation:
- Opened a can
- Ran through a food mill
- Ate a spoonful
Alta Cucina – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Comes pre-salted (do NOT add salt!)
- No bitterness
- Appropriate level of sweetness
- Not watery
- This is my personal favorite and it was used at Ernie’s Pizza in New Haven
- It unfortunately only comes in very large cans
- Typically needs to be purchased at a specialty store (e.g. Restaurant Depot, LC Cash & Carry)
Bella Terra San Marzano – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- No bitterness
- Appropriate level of sweetness
- Not watery
- Available at Whole Foods
La San Marzano – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- No bitterness
- Slightly too sweet
- Not watery
Bianco DiNapoli – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- No bitterness
- Not quite sweet enough
- Not watery
Rega – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Slightly too bland
- Thick
- Not bitter
- Good level of sweetness
Pepe’s – ⭐⭐⭐
- Slightly Watery
- A bit too sweet
- Not bitter
Organico Bello – ⭐⭐⭐
- Slightly watery
- Slightly too sweet
- Slightly bitter
Muir Glen – ⭐⭐
- Very watery
- Bland, lacking in sweetness
- Not bitter
Strianese San Marzano – ⭐⭐
- Somewhat bitter
- Too sweet
- Watery
Cento San Marzano – ⭐⭐
- Medium amount of bitterness
- Too sweet
- Watery
Pomidori Pelati – ⭐
- Watery
- Weird, unpleasant taste