Healthy Store Bought Sauces and Dressings That Make Cooking Quicker, Easier (and Better!)

I know, I know – I’m a food blogger and I’m sharing a list of pre-made (not by me) bottled dressings and sauces to cook with. You come here for healthy recipes from scratch to cook, so why am I doing this?

For a few reasons:

• Sometimes, homemade isn’t always better. We have amazing brands by incredibly talented chefs that can make a pesto or a tomato basil or a romesco better than you (or me!) could at home – and that’s why they’re bottling it up and selling it
• In the last decade (heck, the last 5 years) there have been so many brands that have started with a mission to bring pre-made condiments, dressings, etc to the masses that have clean, nutritious ingredients so if you are looking for a break from homemade, you don’t have to sacrifice your health or dietary preferences.
• And since COVID hit and we’ve been going out very little, it’s been A LOT of cooking at home and after awhile, you just get sick of, well, cooking and it’s nice to have some convenience items.
• If you’re ordering a lot of takeout right now (no judgment), a lot of dressings, dips, and sauces can be used instead of the ones that come with your order, which are full of mystery ingredients. For example, we dip egg rolls in a bottled teriyaki.

When I first started Inspiralized, I made everything from scratch from pesto to Caesar, but the truth is, since then, a lot has happened. I’m now a mother of two toddlers! There’s not always time to blend together a cashew sauce (God forbid you forget to soak the cashews that morning or the night before!) and thus, my cooking methods have changed and simplified.

Over the past few years, I’ve slowly stocked my pantry with healthy bottled sauces, dressings, and condiments that have honestly made my meals not only easier and quicker, but even tastier! And nothing makes me happier than not having to constantly clean out my food processor or blender to make said from scratch dressings and sauces.

Once I’m halfway through a bottle of one of these products listed below, I place an online order on their site or add it to my grocery list if I know the store near me carries the brand. These are always in my home and make throwing together meals in a pinch a possibility.

So, here we are. I’ll be updating this list as I find new products that I love!

Healthy Store Bought Sauces and Dressings That Make Cooking Quicker, Easier (and Better!)

Dressings

• Greek Dressing: Primal Kitchen’s Greek Vinaigrette – it’s very acidic, so a lot goes a long way with this one! Use code INSPIRALIZED for a discount!
• Green Goddess: by Gotham Greens, this just transports me to a farmer’s market, it’s so fresh! It’s great on sandwiches or tossed with lettuce or vegetables.
• Sesame dressing: the Toasted Sesame dressing by Trader Joe’s is my most recent obsession – drizzled over veggie bowls, tossed with spiralized veggies, or used as a dip for spring rolls. THE BEST!
• Teriyaki dressing: Annie Chun’s – that’s the one!
• Caesar dressing: I’ve tried many, but I keep coming back to Tessemae’s Caesar.
• Ranch dressing: You guessed it – Tessemae’s! That’s what I use in this corn and potato side dish.
• Cilantro-lime dressing: I love this one by Tessemae’s – it’s creamy and styled like a ranch, so a bit different but even better, in my opinion.
• Italian dressing: This one by Tessemae’s, basic and delicious!

Sauces

• Pasta Sauce: Rao’s Tomato Basil and Marinara sauce, how can you make pizza or pasta without these two saviors? My absolute favorites!
• Barbecue sauce: Matty’s BBQ by Tessemae’s has been my go-to for years! It’s my old standby and I don’t waver far from it.
• Toasted Sesame Dressing: by Trader Joe’s is perfect for drizzling over veggie bowls, Asian stir fries, or marinading meats! It’s so versatile and I stockpile it every time it pops up at TJ’s.
• Secret Sauce: by Whole30, usually when I’m making burgers (like my Farro and White Bean Veggie Burgers), I almost always use a secret sauce or a barbecue sauce and if it’s a secret sauce, I’ve been loving this new one by Whole30, available exclusively on Thrive market. If you’re not a member at Thrive, the Secret Sauce by Whole 30 is my second best.
• Enchilada Sauce: Siete Foods’ Red Enchilada Sauce: I make a mean enchilada sauce, but it takes TIME. This enchilada sauce hits the spot and I always have it because I eat a lot of enchilada-y things, like this chili. Second best is Hatch Organic.
• Pesto: Seggiano brand, which I’ve found at Whole Foods – it’s just as good as my Poppy’s, seriously! No need to make your own pesto. They also have a Sundried Tomato variety that’s amazing.
• Romesco sauce: Kaari Foods hands down makes the best romesco (and it’s spicy!), but when I don’t feel like waiting for shipping on that if I run out unexpectedly, my fall back is the one by Haven Foods. INSPIRALIZED for 15% off the Kaari Foods brand!
• Creamy verde: The one by Kaari Foods is my Mexican go-to sauce, whether I’m making taquitos or tacos and I don’t have time to make my own avocado lime crema, this is second best and sometimes just better! I love tossing coleslaw mix with this and putting it over grilled fish in a corn tortilla for easy and fresh fish tacos. INSPIRALIZED for 15% off!
• Buffalo Sauce: love this one by Primal Kitchen for making buffalo cauliflower, buffalo wings, pretty much anything buffalo – it’s the best I’ve found!