Jarred pasta sauce is one of our favorite pantry staples to elevate dinner in a hurry, whether it’s a weeknight-friendly chicken Parmesan, Italian sandwich, or a hearty spaghetti casserole. While many recipes call for an entire jar, halving a recipe or whipping up a quick pasta dinner for two may leave you with some leftover sauce to use later in the week, but its shelf life may not be as long as you’d expect.
We asked two food safety experts, Britanny Saunier, executive director of Partnership for Food Safety Education, and Toby Amidor, an award-winning nutrition expert and cookbook author, to answer all our pasta sauce-preserving questions to ensure safe and delicious meals again and again. From understanding the shelf life of opened pasta sauce to safe storage practices and signs that your sauce has gone bad, you’ll be a food safety pro in no time.
How Long Does Unopened Pasta Sauce Last?
Despite what you may have been told, that unopened jar of pasta sauce does, in fact, have a shelf life, albeit a long one. Amidor advises tossing out a bottle if it has sat in your cupboard for more than 18 months, has any dents, has rust, or has swollen. Even after a year, it’s worth checking the smell and taste before using.
How Long Does Pasta Sauce Last In The Fridge?
Saunier recommends following the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Food Keeper app guidelines for jarred spaghetti sauce, like marinara. In general, all leftover food should be eaten, discarded, or frozen within four days—although there’s some wiggle room with this number, depending on the sauce type—giving you plenty of time to find out what to do with the remaining contents of a bottle of Rao’s or Prego.
This guideline is also true for most other pasta sauces. Because homemade sauces don’t go through the same preservation treatments, it’s best to be more conservative with how long they’re kept.
How To Safely Store Pasta Sauce In The Fridge
Amidor says that pasta sauce should be stored in the refrigerator upon opening at 40°F or below. You can leave your store-bought sauce in the jar it came in, or transfer it to an airtight container. Store-bought spaghetti sauce often has preservatives—or has been specially canned—that makes it last longer than homemade sauce. So, when it comes to storing homemade pasta sauce, it’s important to find an airtight container or jar to keep it in for proper preservation. This way, your scratch-made Sunday sauce will be able to last as long in the fridge as the store-bought stuff and can easily be frozen when meal-prepping.
How Long Do Specific Sauces Last In The Fridge?
Tomato-based pasta sauces, like marinara, stay fresh for about five to six days after opening, and oil-based sauces can last for a week or so. However, if you add perishables like dairy or meats, they are best used within three or four days, like most other leftovers. See below for info on individual sauces.
Carbonara
Carbonara is made with eggs, ham or pork, cheese, salt, and pepper. You can keep it in the fridge for three to five days, although the USDA recommends four days for cooked pork or ham.
Alfredo
Sauces that contain dairy, such as Alfredo, should be used within three or four days of opening or making. Although not a traditional Italian dish, Alfredo is made of butter, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, pasta water, and seasoning.
Pesto
Traditionally, this northern Italian sauce is made of garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil leaves. Always store it in the fridge after opening. Though some claim pesto can last for weeks, or even months after opening, it starts to go bad after three days.
Bolognese
This slow-cooked sauce consists of tomatoes, milk or cream, Parmesan cheese, wine, veggies, and ground beef or pork. It’s best to toss it out after four days, as the ground beef will spoil around then.
Can You Freeze Pasta Sauce?
As long as it has been transferred to the freezer within four days of opening, leftover pasta sauce can be frozen if you don’t have an immediate use for it. According to Barilla, pasta sauce can be frozen for up to three months, but it’s best practice to cool, portion it into a container or freezer bag, and label the date before placing the remaining sauce in your freezer.
If you’re only using a portion of pasta sauce for a recipe and intend to refrigerate the rest for future use make sure to use a clean spoon or other utensil to ladle the sauce from the jar. A utensil used for cooking or stirring other foods can transfer food particles into the pasta sauce causing it to spoil more quickly, even if refrigerated.
How To Tell If Pasta Sauce Is Bad
Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to tell if your pasta sauce has gone bad. Amidor says that the old adage, “when in doubt, toss it out” is always a good rule of thumb, but there are three particular things to look out for.
First, if the sauce smells off or the taste doesn’t seem right, she says you should toss the leftover sauce immediately. Also, if you notice any mold on the inside of the container, it is no longer safe to eat. “Although mold itself doesn’t necessarily cause harm, it does contain mold toxins, which can make you ill,” says Amidor.
Now that you’re fully equipped to use leftover pasta sauce properly, it’s time to start cooking! Transform the remainder of that jar into an easy, satisfying dinner that the whole family will love or jazz it up with one of our pro tips for even better spaghetti.
