Dear Pasta Sauce, What Would My Family Do Without You?!

Dear Pasta Sauce,

I’ve loved you for years, but today, on behalf of moms and dads everywhere, I want to pass along a note of heartfelt gratitude. Because you’re the meaning in my life, you’re the inspiration. (Wait, no. That’s the 1984 hit “You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago. But you get the idea!)

Pasta sauce, I can honestly say you never let me down. Once upon a time, that meant that I would wait in excitement all day when I knew my mom was making us her “world-famous” lasagna. Now it means that I know five different dinners that I can prep in the time between getting home from work and herding my kids into the shower. On nights like those, RAGÚ^® Old World Style^® Traditional Sauce shines like a beacon, giving me happy news to pass along when the kids ask what we’re having for dinner.

When the storms of feeding the family get rough, you’re a life raft, giving me something to grab onto and pull dinner together

We go way back, pasta sauce – I wouldn’t lie to you. And after all these years, it’s not just about taste. You’re the base of so many of my family’s favorite recipes. You’re a dipping sauce. You’re a stealthy way to bring an armful of vegetables into the diets of the pickiest eaters in the house. Four servings of vegetables in every cup of RAGÚ^® Old World Style^® Traditional Sauce! You bring lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, to the table. Literally.

You’re a side. You’re a staple. And you deliver every time.

When you’re simmering on the stove, I can feel the sense of family and comfort that you brought to me as a kid. And I also know that I’ll have dinner prepared (and devoured!) free of complications or complaints. Quite simply, you take meals from zero to hero. Pasta sauce, it’s your superpower.

One thing that I’ve come to appreciate in the years that we’ve known each other is that we can work together no matter how ambitious I’m feeling in the kitchen. If I’ve only got time to boil some pasta and grate some parmesan, you’re only too happy to help.

But if I have a few more minutes to spare, I can count on you to help take an old favorite and make it new again, in recipes like Tomato and Mozzarella Meatloaf.

And you’re also comfortable a little more dressed up. If I have the time to prepare some vegetables, you’re the key to making our family favorite Rustic Italian Bowls. With your old world flavors and quality ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil, you make me feel like a real seasoned pro.

And it’s not just a matter of mealtime, either. On nights when book club goes late and I remember that there’s leftover mozzarella and veggie sticks in the fridge, I can put some RAGÚ^® sauce in the microwave for a minute and enjoy a solo snack. It’s great to curl up at night with an old friend.

And if I feel like indulging myself a bit, we can make a bowl of Caprese Farfalle, open a hearty red, and sweep each other away to a late summer amongst the farms of Campania.

Pasta sauce, thank you. Thank you for years of sustenance and amazing family memories, and thank you for helping me provide for my family. I can’t imagine my pantry without you, and I hope I never have to.

With old world flavors and quality ingredients like vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil, RAGÚ^® Old World Style^® Traditional Sauce is there for you, every meal, every time. Learn more at Ragu.com.