Prego Traditional Italian Sauce: Labelgrade C+ (68/100)

The short answer

Prego Traditional Italian Sauce delivers 2g of protein and 69.6 calories per 0.5 cup (USDA FDC 1627045). Per 100mL that’s 1.7g of protein; per fl oz, 0.5g. The Labelgrade is C+ (68 / 100): Very low saturated fat.

Why this Labelgrade

How it compares

The sugar is what you’re tasting

Prego has a reputation for tasting sweeter than its rivals, and the panel backs that up: 10g of sugar per 1/2 cup, versus 8g for Ragu’s traditional sauce and roughly 4g for a no-added-sugar marinara like Rao’s. That gap isn’t an accident. Sugar is the third ingredient on Prego’s list, sitting directly behind the two tomato components and ahead of the oil and salt — which means a meaningful share of those 10g is added sweetener, not the natural sugar of cooked-down tomatoes. The grade scores it accordingly, as added rather than naturally-occurring, and the sugar dimension lands at a C.

If you like that rounder, slightly sweet profile, none of this is a problem in a normal portion — 10g of sugar is about two and a half teaspoons, and pasta sauce isn’t where most people’s sugar budget gets blown. But it’s the single reason Prego trails the B- jars on this site. The sweetness that’s a selling point on the shelf is the same thing the grade penalizes, and for a shopper trying to cut added sugar, it’s the number that matters most.

A genuinely vegan jar — and a fiber bump

One thing Prego does better than some “traditional” sauces is keep the recipe plant-based. There’s no cheese in the jar — no Romano, no dairy of any kind — so unlike Ragu’s Old World Style, this one passes a vegan and dairy-free screen. The savory depth comes from dehydrated onion and garlic, spices, and onion and garlic extracts rather than from cheese, which is a fair trade if you’re cooking dairy-free and don’t want to give up a familiar flavor.

The recipe also leans on diced tomatoes in tomato juice as the second ingredient, on top of the puree base. That extra whole-tomato content shows up as 3g of fiber per 1/2 cup — modest in absolute terms, but a notch above the 1–2g you’ll find in smoother, puree-only sauces like Bertolli or Ragu. It’s not enough to move the overall grade, but it’s a small point in Prego’s favor, and it gives the sauce a slightly chunkier body than a fully blended jar. The takeaway: Prego’s misses are all on the sugar line, not on what’s missing — the ingredient list itself is clean, recognizable, and additive-free.

Scope

This page covers Prego Traditional Italian Sauce, UPC 051000151933, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 1627045. Prego sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.

Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), DICED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE, SUGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 1% OF: CANOLA OIL, SALT, DEHYDRATED ONIONS, SPICE, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, CITRIC ACID, ONION EXTRACT, GARLIC EXTRACT.

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Scope: This page applies specifically to Traditional Italian Sauce · UPC 051000151933. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.