I agree - Marcella Hazan's sauce is great, it freezes well, and you can add more ingredients when you heat it up.

Home made sauce is best depending on the recipe. I've had some home made sauces that were not as good as the jar versions. In a pinch buy a good jar of a sauce you like. Experiment. Classico Tomato Basil for starters.

1 large clove garlic, minced - 3 tablespoons olive oil - 2 tablespoons tomato paste - 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, juice reserved, tomatoes seeded, then crushed - Salt and ground black pepper - 2-3 fresh basil leaves, shredded, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

In a large saucepan, warm garlic in 2 tablespoons oil over low heat until soft, but not colored. Stir in tomato paste, then the tomatoes and their liquid. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper; before serving, stir in basil and remaining tablespoon oil.

Marcella Hazan's sauce, hands down!

I'd say just take a shot at Marcella Hazans recipe, you'll never go back to store bottles
http://food52.com/recipes/13722_marcella_hazans_tomato_sauce_with_onion_and_butter

HA! I always make my own tomato sauce, but I do it the hard way :) Here's my method, (although it changes, depending on what i'm using it for...

1) render fat from salt pork, then remove salt pork
2) saute mirepoix in salt pork fat until translucent, add minced garlic and stir for a minute.
3) deglaze with red or white wine, depending on the use
4) add some stock (typically chicken
5) Peel and de-seed a bunch of fresh tomatoes, chop up and add to pot, simmer for an hour or more
6) pure everything with an immersion blender or in small batches with a food processor.
7) toss in your choice of herbs (thyme, basil, oregano..etc), season with salt and pepper. simmer for 10 minutes.
8) taste and correct seasoning. Add more stock or reduce to correct thickness.

Yeah, I know thats more complicated than most, but thats me.

The Commercial Paul Newsman's sauces are actually pretty good with a nice balance if you don't want to make your own.

Tomato sauce is easy to make and you can add lots of additions. So, it's kinda like a 'stone soup' recipe..start with the base and then you start adding stuff and more stuff..and sometimes over complicate it.

The above answers are great, and I have nothing to add except go for it! Why buy something mediocre when you can make something really fabulous yourself (especially since it's wonderfully simple)? Commercial pasta sauces can often be overly sweet and have no texture. Try your hand at homemade.

Quick and easy recipe:
Two cans of crushed tomatoes, 2-3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of sugar; salt to taste. Simmer all ingredients for 15-20 minutes. Don't over-cook or let it come to a boil or it will lose its fresh taste.

You should try making it. Here's a very tasty recipe, couldn't be easier. It's just that it takes time on a low simmer but you can do other things during the simmer time - just occasionally give it a stir.

13722_marcella_hazans_tomato_sauce_with_onion_and_butter

Yes absolutely - it's very easy, and you won't have that processed overly sweet flavour. For a basic red sauce:

- slowly heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a pan
- sautee some onions with a bit of salt until translucent
- add some chopped garlic
- Pour in 1-2 cans of tomatoes and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or so until the flavours develop and it's the thickness you like.
- season with more salt at the end as needed

Freezes beautifully so you can make a huge batch
Feel free to add: chopped basil, red pepper flakes, anchovies, bacon/pancetta, bay leaf, vegetables (fennel, mushroom, etc), olives
You can use whole peeled tomatoes or diced
If you feel it needs it, a pinch of sugar at the end can also help bring out the tomato flavour