The Condiment That Never Belongs In Pasta Sauce

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In an exclusive interview with Foodie's sister site The Takeout, Joe Isidori (chef and co-founder of Black Tap and owner of genuine New York Italian joint Arthur & Sons) divulges one spaghetti sauce sin he can't forgive. "If you're making Sunday gravy with ketchup, I don't know if we can be friends," Isidori firmly stated. "Tomato paste and a pinch of sugar is how Nonna did it [...] Respect the sauce."

Look, we're fully on board with either making your own pasta sauce or doctoring up a store-bought jar to taste more delicious. But even the worst store-bought pasta sauce doesn't deserve the indignity of having ketchup squirted into it. Dipping fries into ketchup has a long, solid history, and we have several other uses for ketchup that we absolutely adore. But don't get it twisted — although it may be a tomato product, ketchup is not meant for the savory, umami flavor profile of marinara. For that use, stick to canned whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste (as Isidori suggests), or tomato sauce. Should you have really great quality fresh tomatoes on hand, you can even give those a try.

Don't be fooled by the existence of "sketti," or spaghetti with ketchup and butter, which became famous as the repast of the titular child pageant queen on "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." While there are those who will eat a pasta sauce made of ketchup, this should not in any way be confused for spaghetti, or anything remotely Italian in origin.

If you're staring into your kitchen cabinets trying to concoct new and delicious ways to jazz up your pasta sauce, don't lose hope! Leave the ketchup alone, but feel free to embrace some more sensible subs. A spoonful of miso can add an unexpected savory kick that's hard to replicate, for example. Don't count out powdered chicken stock (which is a pantry ingredient that Guy Fieri loves!), Worcestershire sauce, or even mashed canned sardines or anchovies, all of which will add big umami flavor.

Also potentially on your shelves: black olive tapenade, salsa verde, or harissa, all of which make great stir-and-go sauces for pasta that will taste elevated with minimal work. If you don't have a jar of high-quality pasta sauce on hand or simply want to mix things up, you can easily whip up a five-minute pasta sauce with something in a bottle or jar ... which isn't ketchup.

If you crave some of the flavors present in ketchup and want to bring them into your sauce, break ketchup down to its components. Want a zing to your sauce? Add a dash of vinegar. Seeking sweetness? Reach for the sugar — although adding sugar to pasta sauce is another controversial move, albeit one that's more widely accepted. Ketchup may also include spices like onion or garlic powders, or even cayenne, any of which you can add to your sauce directly in lieu of dumping ketchup in and spoiling the pot.

Static Media owns and operates Foodie and The Takeout.