Gluten Free Pasta Sauce: Lucini Italia Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic - Product Review #74

Gluten Free Pasta Sauce: Lucini Italia Tuscan Marinara

PRODUCT NAME:                   Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic

BRAND:                                  Lucini Italia

COST:                                     $23.94 (6-pack)

SIZE:                                       13.5oz each pack

COST PER OZ:                        $0.30/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:      NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

ORGANIC:                               NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

VEGAN:                                  YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        Canada

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Lucini Italia is all about creating authentic handcrafted food using only high quality ingredients. All of their products are prepared in small batches which ensures that the quality of all their products is up to their standards. The other day, we had the opportunity to try their Tuscan Marinara with Roasted Garlic. It is 100% natural, has no added sugars, and is vegan and gluten free, which are all great characteristics for a pasta sauce.

Preparation of this sauce is very easy. The directions give you the choice of microwave preparation or stove preparation. The packaging is microwave safe so if you choose the microwave preparation, all you need to do is vent the package and throw it in the microwave for 90 minutes. We chose to prepare this sauce on the stove so we heated it in a saucepan on low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

We served this sauce over some rice and corn pasta. The consistency of the sauce was just perfect. It was just thick enough to evenly coat all of the pasta. The sauce pouch contained 3 servings in it while our pasta contained 4, so the ratio of sauce to pasta was a little low. If you prefer a higher sauce to pasta ratio, I would recommend paying attention to the serving sizes of the sauce and pasta and plan accordingly. This pasta sauce is also available in a larger jar if you plan on making larger batches. The taste of the sauce was good. The sauce itself was very simple. Diced tomatoes, tomato puree, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sea salt, roasted garlic, and herbs and spices come together and make a very flavorful sauce. You can really taste the sweetness of the tomatoes and garlic.

With all the high quality ingredients used in this sauce, does that mean it’s healthier too? We took a look at the nutrition facts and compared them to the nutrition facts of a leading brand pasta sauce and found that the Lucini sauce was marginally better. The Lucini sauce had less calories, sodium and sugar. While these numbers weren’t substantially lower, they do impact your daily values less. Combine that with their use of all natural ingredients and nice healthier alternative.

Overall, we liked this sauce a lot. The only thing that concerned us was the higher price tag, but that is due to the fact that it is handcrafted in small batches and is made with high quality ingredients. If these are things you look for in a pasta sauce, this is the one for you.

Nutrition Facts

Taste: The sauce had a nice sweet flavor from the tomatoes and roasted garlic and the consistency was just right. Everything was pureed together so it had a nice thick consistency that helped it stick to the pasta.

Labeling: The labeling on this package was nice. The sauce is gluten free, vegan and holds a Med Mark label, which stands for Mediterranean Mark. According to the Lucini Italia website, “The Mediterranean Mark is a symbol found on authorized food products verifying the product contains no added trans fats in any amount, no more than 8% of total calories from saturated fat, no more than 480 mg of sodium (side items and snacks) or 600 mg (meal-type foods), and no more than 4g of added sugar to support a healthy, balanced Mediterranean-style diet.”

Packaging: Very clever packaging. I have never seen pasta packaged in a microwave safe pouch. It is great for people who are on a time constraint because all you need to do to make this pasta sauce is to toss it in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         4
Taste:             5
Value:            2
OVERALL:      3.7

Reviewed 2/18/11 by CC