There's An Affordable Rao's Marinara Dupe (Thanks To Aldi)

Nothing says easy weeknight dinner like a comforting bowl of pasta. And while making your own sauce is rewarding, there are also plenty of grocery store pasta sauces that taste homemade. Take Rao's, for example: a cult-favorite brand known for its high-quality ingredients and undeniably authentic flavor – even Ina Garten swears by it. But at $9 a jar, it's not exactly budget-friendly. Luckily, Aldi has a dupe so similar, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Aldi's Specially Selected Premium Marinara Sauce is made with Italian tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, onion, salt, garlic puree, basil, black pepper, dried basil, and dried oregano — the exact same ingredients as Rao's (minus crushed tomatoes and dried basil) down to the order they're listed. The nutrition facts are also almost identical, with only a 40 mg difference in sodium (Rao's being slightly higher). It's no surprise, then, that customers say the Aldi sauce tastes the same as Rao's, too.

The biggest difference is the price. Aldi's Specially Selected Marinara is $4.29 for a 24-ounce jar — less than half the cost of Rao's $8.99 version (prices vary by region and store). That means you can buy your pasta and sauce (and maybe some garlic bread for dipping) at Aldi for what you'd spend on one jar of Rao's alone.

Few grocery stores can rival Aldi when it comes to price and variety of products. Considered more affordable than Trader Joe's and even cheaper than Walmart, the chain has built a loyal following for discount food and home items. Plus, this isn't the first time Aldi has carried near-identical versions of brand-name products like Rao's. From its similar take on Uncrustables to Aldi's copycat Girl Scout cookies, the store boasts dozens of cheaper (but extremely similar) versions of all your favorite snacks.

These products are all part of Aldi's business model of private label products, many of which are designed to mimic well-known brands. This creates a halo effect, leading customers to buy Aldi products, believing they must be as good as the original (only half the price). While the retailer has run into controversies and even legal disputes over its lookalike goods (such as their Oreo-style cookies), the strategy works and keeps customers coming back for products like the Specially Selected Premium Marinara.