Spaghetti sauce in a jar is considered processed food.
Spaghetti sauce in a jar is made with added ingredients like sweeteners, spices, oils, colors, and preservatives to enhance its flavor and texture.
Not only that but Spaghetti sauce in a jar also contains added preservatives which help to extend the shelf life and protect it against harmful bacteria.
Other processed foods are microwave dinners, frozen pizza, deli meat, chips, crackers, cake mixes, yogurt, salad dressing.
Foods with ingredients added for flavor and texture which include added sweeteners, spices, oils, food coloring's etc are all processed foods.
Spaghetti sauce and other pasta sauce in a jar is healthy although all ready made sauces do contain a lot of fat, sugar and salt.
And over time eating too much of those sauces with too much fat, sugar and salt could cause health issues.
Homemade spaghetti sauce would be the healthiest but store bought spaghetti sauce is healthy in moderation.
The healthiest pasta sauces get most of their fat from olive oil (marinara) or olive oil and nuts (pesto), not cream or cheese (alfredo).
The one ingredient that makes spaghetti sauce so much better is butter because it adds body to the sauce, making it feel more luxurious and creamy.
Red, tomato-based sauces rather than creamy sauces are usually a healthier ready-made choice.
They are likely to be lower in saturated fat and the tomatoes will also count towards your 5-a-day.
Ingredients you can use to make good spaghetti sauce and give it a good flavor are red pepper flakes, dehydrated or fresh garlic, dried oregano, parsley, or basil, or an Italian seasoning blend are all good options.
Dried herbs and spices should be added at the beginning of the cook time so that they have time to bloom.