For those who put health and nutrition at the forefront when making food choices, it’s important to know precisely what’s in the products you’re buying. When it comes to Marinelli’s Sauces, the list of ingredients says it all. The contents of each jar are 100 per cent natural, using domestically sourced products.
According to founder and owner Adriano Marinelli, there are often declarations on labels that may not fully and accurately reflect list ingredients. That is not the case with Marinelli’s Sauces. “From a health standpoint, everything that’s on the label is actually in the product,” Marinelli explains. “Many people are concerned about those things, and it’s important that they know what’s inside when they’re making their purchase.”
All the ingredients are fresh, but it goes beyond that when discussing nutritional aspects of the product. “Our sauces are all gluten-free. You might think that all tomato sauce is gluten-free, but some tomato suppliers add citric acid as a preservative, and some citric acid powder has gluten in it. In our tomatoes, the citric acid is all naturally occurring because we’re blending tomatoes to hit a target pH level naturally.
“We’re also a non-GMO product,” Marinelli continues. Non-GMO means the product is made without using ingredients derived from genetically engineered organisms. “We were actually the very first to accomplish non-GMO certification on a Canadian-made product before it started gaining consumer awareness.”
Sugar-free is another claim Marinelli’s Sauces can make. “It’s no surprise that you can add sugar to make anything taste good. Adding sugar can also make a product non-vegan, because many sugars are refined with animal bone char. But a really ripe tomato will be sweet without sugar, just from sunlight to ripen. We never use added sugars, only sweet ripe tomatoes.”
Marinelli knows everything that goes into his sauce. “There are really not many small producers like myself out there who actually make the product every step of the way. You can only control the quality so much when you delegate that to somebody else via private label.” Marinelli’s Sauces are handmade in small batches, so it’s possible to control the freshness and quality of every ingredient that goes into each jar.
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It’s also possible to know and understand the purity of the sauce, because there are no other products being prepared and processed on-site. “At this facility, there’s nothing else that goes into that kettle other than Marinelli’s pasta sauce. So there’s no worry about cross-contamination of ingredients, or any allergen flowing through this system.”
Finally, every ingredient in Marinelli’s Sauces is ethically sourced. Marinelli chooses domestically sourced ingredients, so he knows that produce isn’t being picked or peeled under corrupt conditions where migrant workers are being exploited, in places like Italy, China and the United States. And if the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the importance of supporting local whenever possible. All this factors into how ingredients are sourced for Marinelli and affects his bottom line, but knowing products have been sourced domestically under ethical conditions is important. “I sleep better at night, and I feel better knowing that.”
For an exclusive offer, click here to place your order for Marinelli’s True Italian Pasta Sauce.
Roasted Garlic and Tomato Bread ‘Soup’
A modern interpretation of the classic Tuscan soup that was introduced to France by Caterina de’ Medici.
Ingredients:
1 loaf crusty Italian-style bread, cut into 1/2” slices
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + extra for brushing
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, sliced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 jar Marinelli’s Slow Roasted Whole Garlic
2 cups cherry tomatoes, mixed, cut in half
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Brush sliced bread with extra virgin olive oil. Toast in oven until golden and dry. Rub garlic clove over toasted bread.
3. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the onions until lightly caramelized over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and seasonings, and stir.
4. In a large round braising pan, arrange half of the toasted bread. Spread half of the onion mixture over the bread. Add half of the Marinelli’s Sauce and half of the cherry tomatoes; sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese and the basil leaves on top. Season.
5. Repeat with remaining bread, onion mixture, tomato sauce and cherry tomatoes.
6. Add about 4 cups of the stock and allow the bread to absorb the liquid – about 5-10 minutes. Add remaining stock and cover well with aluminum foil.
7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and increase the temperature to 400°F (200°C). Continue baking until top is golden and juices are bubbling.
8. Remove from oven; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.
9. Serve in warm bowls and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
