Ragu's Old World Style Versus Ragu's Organic Pasta Sauce

There are not too many people in the world today who haven't eaten spaghetti. And I haven't run into too many families who don't serve it on a regular basis. Spaghetti has become an easy and filling staple of most people's dining-at-home menus. That is why spaghetti sauces can be so important. There are more than a few on the market but recently there has been an on-set of organic products and spaghetti sauce is no exception.

This taste test is between the Traditional Ragu Old World Style and the newest creation of Ragu's Traditional Organic sauce. There isn't much change in the packaging. Same sturdy glass jar, same metal screw on lid and the labeling is quite similar with the exception of the large words at the top of the label that scream, "ORGANIC". The only difference is color. Ragu has decided to color code their new organic baby in a sage green so the consumer can recognize the difference between the diverse styles of sauce that they carry. Ragu has 35 different varieties of pasta sauce presently to choose from.

Both sauces are of the same high quality pureed that Ragu has made for years and that has kept them as one of the best sellers of spaghetti sauce, but there are slight differences to different people's palate.

The Traditional Organic Ragu sauce is proud of their all-natural products and pronounces, on the label, as not having any additives or preservatives. The sauce has only 90 calories per serving but their sodium intake is quite high for an organic product at 510mg or 21% of the product. Their ingredients also tout 11g of carbs, 8g of sugar and 20mg calcium. The label boasts organic puree, sugar, soybean oil, Parmesan and Romano cheese, organic onions, garlic, parsley, and basil. Unfortunately, don't expect Ragu's Organic to be completely organic. They make their sauces with the same equipment they use to make their meat sauces, according to several sites such as the IOG Research Committee, which keeps track of such products for their readers who are on a kosher diet. This is something to be aware of if you have dietary issues.

The Traditional Old World Style Ragu has 780mg or 33% of sodium, 6mg sugar and only 70 calories per serving. They also have only 8g of carbs per serving, 6g of sugar and 40mg of calcium. Neither the Old World Style nor the Organic have any cholesterol. But if you are trying to lose weight, label reading might be something to consider. Organic is not necessarily diet conscious in the area of pasta sauces.

The pocketbook is another reason to consider both of these Ragu products. The veteran, Traditional Old World Style, can be purchased at any grocery or discount store, at a decent price. In several stores that I price-checked, the average price was from $1.99 to $2.89. The Traditional Organic sauce was a different matter. Because of the organic ingredients, stores that carry Ragu's new sauce price it from $3.89 to $4.05. That could make quite a difference in some families' grocery budget when considering pasta sauces. Unfortunately a great many organic products that have entered your local grocery's shelf are priced at least one or two dollars higher than it's original product. So it isn't much of a surprise that Ragu would have such a high price on a 10 oz jar of sauce.

The taste of the two products is of a good quality. Both have the creaminess of Ragu's pureed sauce that they are famous for. Neither is strong in the tomato area, which gives it an excellent taste. The Organic style of sauce, however, is strong in one area and that is sweetness. The higher amount of sugar (8g versus Old World Style's 6g) makes the difference in the taste. The Organic is also a thinner sauce than the Traditional. But both still have the ability to cook at long periods without losing flavor as well.

If you are looking for an organic sauce with lots of chunky vegetables, you might want to consider Ragu's Chunky Style that has a total of nine different varieties. According to the Ragu.com website, the Organic style is strictly puree and comes in three varieties at the moment. The Old World Style comes in four.

I was quite surprised at the taste of the Old World Style and the Organic sauces. Both were similar in taste with the exception of the sweetness and high counts in the Organic of some of their ingredients such as sodium. Quite frankly, I preferred the Traditional Old World Style over the Organic sauce. I am an organic shopper but Ragu's new creation just didn't hold up to the tastes of their other classical products. In fact, I was rather disappointed for the cost versus the quality.

I think mine is a preference issue. I like my tea sweet and not my pasta sauce. And since Ragu is new to the organic game and their other sauces are such high quality, I will give it another chance when they come up with their New & Improved Organic sauce.