I am not a gourmet nor am I an actual food critic so show the following what little respect it deserves. But I have tried of lot of pasta sauces that come in a jar and even a few that come in a can. I have recently come to the conclusion that the best, out of the 1.5 dozen or so I've tried, is Rao's.
This is a fairly new brand that is somewhat connected to the popular restaurants of the same brand name in Los Angeles and New York. One thing I have learned is that a name connection means nothing. The Boston Market frozen foods do not resemble in any way any food items sold at Boston Markets. The Marie Callender's items sold in grocery stores are utterly unlike anything you might have placed before you at a Marie Callender's. The White Castle burgers in the supermarket freezer section are nowhere near as good as the White Castle burgers at a White Castle. And so on.
I've never been to a Rao's restaurant but I'll bet the pattern holds. Rao's are critically-acclaimed places to dine. If I had any good money, I'd wager good money that what they serve there is much better than anything that could come out of a jar, including the jars that bear the same name.
But their marinara sauce that comes out of the jar with the Rao's label is the best I've found at my local Ralphs market and I just tried their bolognese and it's pretty good and surprisingly meaty. Haven't tried the others and probably won't but I will continue to buy those two. I hear the Costcos in some areas sell the basic marinara in bulk but the ones around me don't. Most markets in L.A. do stock their marinara and one or two more of their seventeen or so varieties and most Whole Foods have 'em all. You can also buy some of them online at Amazon or on the Rao's site.
They're not as cheap as some brands and I do not understand why they call them "homemade." In whose house are those sauces made? How many homes in America have the equipment to fill thousands of jars per hour, vacuum-seal the caps and apply labels? That aside, I have to say I haven't found a better marinara in a jar. If I ever do, I'll let you know but I won't be searching much now that I have a case of Rao's in my pantry.