Bland Store-Bought Tomato Sauce? Add This Common Condiment

Store-bought tomato sauce is an easy way to get a delicious pasta dinner on the table, but without all the work that comes with making fresh, from-scratch marinara. Sadly, though, unless you're really springing for some of the best ranked pasta sauce brands, the jarred stuff can often be bland and tasteless. If you're disappointed by your store-bought sauce, worry not. All you need to take it to the next level is one common ingredient you may already have in your pantry.

Soy sauce is your secret to making your store-bought tomato sauce taste gourmet. For one, it carries plenty of salt to help spruce up the flavor — in fact, soy sauce is used in place of table salt in many parts of the world. Salt isn't all soy sauce has to offer, however, as it has a delectable umami flavor that enhances the similarly umami nature of the tomatoes. Depending on the variety of soy sauce you use, you may also detect hints of caramel or other unique tastes that give the sauce a more complex flavor profile (you're more likely to notice this complexity in darker, more aged soy sauces).

Of course, soy sauce is a potent condiment, so use it with care. Dole out a small amount to start, maybe a tablespoon or so for a full jar. After tasting, continue to add it in careful and measured increments until it suits your purposes. If you're too heavy-handed, you may find that the soy sauce overwhelms the natural flavors of the tomato and seasonings, putting your dinner in jeopardy.

Of course, soy sauce isn't the only way to spruce up your store-bought tomato sauce. Plenty of other ingredients have a lot to offer, starting with fennel. Fennel is a traditional Italian spice you should definitely add to tomato sauce for its herbal, slightly spicy, and almost licorice-like taste, which makes it a wonderful complement to the tomatoes' natural richness and acidity.

If you want a stronger tomato flavor in your sauce, one of the best ingredients you can add is tomato paste. Tomato paste is far more concentrated than sauce, so it's perfect for tomato lovers everywhere who want a real boost of umami. Just add two spoonfuls to olive oil, heat on the stove until it softens, and add the mixture to your tomato sauce. Tomato paste is the perfect ingredient to upgrade either store-bought or homemade tomato sauce.

Finally, another great way to improve your store-bought tomato sauce doesn't involve any extra ingredients at all. Instead, simply cook it down on the stove. Bring it to a simmer in a wide, shallow pan to let the water boil off, leaving you with a more concentrated tomato sauce. This method is great for thickening too-thin store-bought sauce and making its flavors stronger while reducing the acidity.