The One Ingredient You Should Never, Ever Put In Pasta Sauce

In the world of food sins, cooking a Wagyu steak well done or drinking a rare Burgundy wine over ice are up there. But there might be an even worse one, according to chef Joe Isidori, co-founder of Black Tap and owner of in New York City. "If you're making Sunday gravy with ketchup, I don't know if we can be friends," Isidori told The Takeout.

We have to agree. Ketchup is sweet, tangy, and deeply nostalgic. It's a staple in pantries across the globe and works wonders on fries, meatloaf, and the occasional late-night grilled cheese.



But it has absolutely no business mingling with the nuanced, slow-cooked elegance of a proper Italian pasta sauce. If you're a , consider this a friendly intervention. "Tomato paste and a pinch of sugar is how Nonna did it," Isidori said.

"Respect the sauce." A well-made marinara, Pomodoro, or ragu is all about the balance between sweet and acidic tomatoes, caramelized aromatics, and layers of savory depth from olive oil, garlic, herbs, and thyme. A good Italian cook (or Nonna) coaxes sweetness from tomatoes with a lot of patience and a low simmer.

It's the reason why Sicilian grandmothers spend entire Sundays . Ketchup, on the other hand, is made in a factory with high-fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, and "natural flavoring" — all of which are intensely concentrated and can easily throw off the sauce's harmony. Ketchup is not tomato sauce (or paste) If you've run out of tomato paste and are curious if ketchup is a good substitute, it's not.

" and gives the sauce body," Isidori confirms. "Ketchup's sweet and vinegary — it's not built for real sauce." He's right: Ketchup is an entirely different product.

It's highly processed and preserved, designed for instant flavor gratification, not slow-cooked complexity. Swapping in ketchup because you're out of tomato paste is like using coffee syrup instead of brown sugar in a barbecue rub. "You can fake it in a pinch," Isidori continued.

"But if you're doing things the right way? Keep that bottle on the hot dog cart." Italian cuisine is rooted in regional pride and generations of know-how. Even the humblest pasta sauce carries with it centuries of refinement.

When you add ketchup to a pasta sauce, you're not elevating it; you're insulting it. A proper red gravy should taste like tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, maybe a touch of basil, and grandma's love. Not Heinz.

Ketchup belongs on burgers and fries, not in the Soprano family's Sunday sauce. Italian pasta sauces thrive on simplicity, integrity, and a deep respect for the ingredients. The next time you're tempted to doctor up a sauce with ketchup, remember that sometimes the best cooking decision is knowing when to leave well enough alone.

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