| Your Health | | |  | Eating Well |
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| | Take 5 | | | | Pasta sauces with a little something extra | | | | | |
If you’re looking for that something extra for your pasta sauce, you won’t have far to go to find a suitable sauce. In fact, you may find yourself mesmerised by the vast selection available in the supermarket, with red and green pesto, carbonara, mushroom and all sorts of other additions.
The selection we chose was representative of the variety available, and you can see from the nutrition information that there was a much bigger variation this time round in terms of calories, fat, saturates, sugars and fibre, when compared with the tomato-based sauces.
Pesto may seem like a healthy option, but be aware that it contains some calorific ingredients such as parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil. Although olive oil contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, when it is one of the main ingredients of a sauce, it will contribute significantly to the calorie and fat content, as will other cheeses and any nuts. However, a spoonful can go a long way on pasta, particularly if it is a good, flavoursome pesto.
From the sauces selected here, the Dolmio light wins out in terms of recognizable ingredients and low calorie and fat contents. Note the high salt content of many of these sauces, largely due to the presence of cheese, ham or salami. The Loyd Grossman sauce wouldn’t be a bad option if you’re looking for something more than just a tomato sauce for your pasta but don’t rely on the small amount of salami for your protein. Add in some chickpeas or kidney beans for added texture, and you’ll also be getting a very low fat source of protein.
And when cooking pasta, boost your vegetable intake by adding some frozen peas or leftover veg like celery or peppers to the pot to cook along with the pasta. No extra washing up required!
| | | | Nutrition Information | | | | Per 100g | Calories | Fat (g) | Saturates (g) | Fibre (g) | Salt (g) | | Sacla Italian red onion & gorgonzola stir-through sauce | 221 | 17.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.5 | | Jamie Oliver green pesto | 430 | 42.4 | 7.6 | 2.4 | 3.0 | | Loyd Grossman Sardinian style tomato & salami sauce | 77 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.8 | | Dolmio Original Light Bolognese sauce | 33 | 0.2 | 0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | | Dolmio creamy carbonara stir-in sauce | 170 | 14.5 | 9.2 | 0.2 | 1.25 |
| | | | Ingredients | | | Sacla Italian red onion & gorgonzola stir-through sauce
Vine-ripened tomatoes (tomato puree, diced tomatoes, tomato juice) (62%), sunflower seed oil, gorgonzola D.O.P. cheese (11%), red onion (6.5%), white wine, sea salt, parsley, fructose, modified maize starch, acidity regulator: lactic acid; garlic, ground black pepper | | | Jamie Oliver green pesto
Basil (59%), sunflower oil , grana padano cheese (contains egg), salt, cashew nuts, pine nuts, pecorino cheese, garlic, sugar, acidity regulator: lactic acid | | | Loyd Grossman Sardinian style tomato & salami sauce
Tomatoes (66%), tomato puree (15%), salami (2.5%), white wine, garlic puree, sugar, onion, sunflower oil, soffritto puree (onion, carrot, celery, extra virgin olive oil), basil, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, sage, concentrated lemon juice, ground black pepper.
Salami contains pork, salt, sugar, dextrose, natural flavouring, antioxidant (ascorbic acid), preservatives (potassium nitrate, sodium nitrite)
| | | Dolmio Original Light Bolognese sauce
Tomatoes (78%), tomato puree (15%), lemon juice, onion, salt, sugar, basil, garlic, herbs, parsley, spices | | | Dolmio creamy carbonara stir-in sauce
Water, cream (26%), ham (10%) (pork, water, salt, spices, natural flavouring), cheddar cheese (8%), onion, modified maize starch, medium fat hard cheese (3%), milk proteins, salt, garlic, spices | | | | Take 5...Tomato-based pasta sauces. | | | |
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