Aldi Shoppers Are Confused About These Marinara Sauce Jars

Marinara has truly earned its time-tested reputation. According to Paesana, the sauce originated in Southern Italy sometime after explorers brought tomatoes back from the Americas in the 16th century. The sauce's name even reflects the spirit of adventure that brought the tomatoes to Italy, as Marinara generally translates to "seafaring." The sauce has maintained its popularity through the years, thanks to its simple yet tasty ingredients — San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, basil, extra virgin olive oil, salt, onions oregano and other herbs, fresh black pepper, and red pepper flakes. 

But, if you don't have the time to slave over an oven to make this delicious sauce, Aldi has the answer. A Redditor recently found Aldi carrying jars of Specially Selected marinara sauce and posted their findings to the confusion of others. The photo featured an older, larger bottle of the sauce next to a new, smaller jar of the sauce, but the caption claims both items contain the same volume of sauce. This claim also confused other marinara fans, with one writing, "There's less product in the newer size. Old size says about 6 (1/2 cup) servings per container which would equal the 24 ounces that's on the label. New container says about 5 (1/2 cup) servings per container which would equal 20 ounces given that there are 8 ounces in 1 cup." Another added, "I suspect it's just rounding to the unit of measurement. The label isn't going to say 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp or something like that."

Shoppers have been baffled by what appears to be incorrect volume information on the bottles. One Reddit user responded with, "Seems like the old one was wrong. The density of tomato purée is 1.07x that of water. Water is 118 grams per half cup, so a half cup of tomato purée is 126 grams. The sauce is mostly tomato purée, so it should be close to that. Olive oil is less dense, 108 grams per half cup. But for that to bring the weight down to 113 grams per half cup the sauce would need to be more than half olive oil by volume which it definitely isn't." While another user chimed in with, "Even though the ingredients list looks the same, they could have changed the ratios of the ingredients a tiny bit. That could account for a 12g difference in weight per serving, as well as the extra 10 calories."

Regardless of the volume, the sauce doesn't disappoint when you add it to some pasta. The marinara, which clocks in with a $2.89 price tag, can make anyone happy if you need a marinara sauce that leans towards the healthier end of the nutritional spectrum (via Aldi Reviewer). Try a jar of this sauce today and discover a taste anyone can love, no matter how much comes in a jar.