We Tasted And Ranked 7 Canned Pasta Brands From Worst To Best

Did you know that a French competition led to the innovation of canned foods? I sure didn't. Because of international conflict in the late 1700s, France sought a way to create a stable supply of rations to their seamen and soldiers. Why was I digging up French history? For this taste test, of course. I sought out as many canned pasta brands as I could find, from the popular Spaghetti-Os to the lesser known ravioli options, in search of the best canned pasta brand around. It's a wild notion to think of how far we've come!

From taste to texture to the ingredient list, I looked for the top flavor profile, while also remaining conscious of issues like sodium intake and preservatives. Let's see if your favorite brand is a true competitor or if a new option will make its way onto your pantry shelves. There were some surprising finds in this journey — and I've ranked every entrant from worst to best.

Last on my list, ranking as a total disappointment, is Organics Cheesy Mini Ravioli. These were gross in every way. The sauce was so sweet — far too sweet for a pasta meal. If there's such a thing as a sweet Bloody Mary, this sauce mirrored that cocktail. As for the pasta, the texture was off, and it tasted like cardboard. There was no genuine pasta flavor, and what was there was bland and did not resemble food. I was hoping the cheese would be the saving grace, but there was no cheese taste at all, even though there was a decent amount packed within each ravioli.

While this organic canned ravioli has a good ingredient list of organic products, they weren't worth the healthier label. And is this one actually healthy, with 690 milligrams of sodium in just a half cup of pasta? It felt unclear to me. But most important is the fact that these failed in every way when it came to taste and texture. I think the brand should retire this canned pasta option — there might not be any way to elevate this canned ravioli.

Next up is Aldi brand Bon Italia's  take on spaghetti in tomato and meat sauce. While this option wasn't as bad as my last place pick, Bon Italia also had limited flavoring. The sauce leaned savory, which I personally liked, but there was no real flavor base or hint of salt. It was more like a bland tomato soup. The meat was also lackluster and flavorless, which left the pasta to take over the profile. But the pasta offered no bold flavors either. I will say, though, that the texture of the noodles was decent, and probably the most notable aspect of this canned creation.

This canned pasta option is boring, flavorless, and sad, which is wild, as 1 cup has 760 milligrams of sodium. Where's the flavor, then? I have no idea. Aldi's try at canned pasta wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good or worth eating again.

When it came to Walmart, I went with Great Value's Pasta Rings & Meatballs. I thought it had a good chance of having genuine flavor in what had started to feel like a desolate landscape of blandness. However, I was again met with no real taste and a disappointment of a meal.

The sauce was pretty thick and leaned savory, but it didn't offer much in the way of flavor. Everything in the can tasted watered down, including the meat, which looked deeply suspicious with its greyish coloring. The pasta rings were fine — good texture and consistency — but that one tiny positive couldn't save the entire meal. With 1,050 milligrams of sodium in one can, the lowest option per cup in the bunch, I was surprised to put this one in fifth place.

Great Value was another disappointment, sharpened by the fact that it came with an array of weird additives and preservatives. Where was all the allegedly added-to and preserved flavor in this canned pasta? Nowhere. Thus, I continued my search.

At this point, I started to give up hope when it came to canned pasta — but my next option broke open the flavor gates. Was it a hit? Not really, but Annie's Organic Cheesy Ravioli made me feel like there could be a light at the end of this canned tunnel.

When it came to the sauce, I have to say, there was flavor. It was a balance of sweet and savory, which was a positive. However, let's talk about texture. The consistency was so watery, I felt like I was eating ravioli soup. What I immediately perceived as a positive was canceled out. The pasta was a similarly mixed bag. The dough itself was bland, but I could actually taste the cheese within the ravioli. While it was quite faint, this option had far more flavor than the others I'd tried. 

I'm not saying Annie's was a winner by any means, but I was happy to find some flavor and some positive aspects to report. With organic ingredients and 610 milligrams of sodium in 1 cup, this got an "okay" in my book.

Am I the only person who didn't know Campbell's made a canned product other than soup and SpaghettiOs? I also didn't realize canned spaghetti was a thing before this taste test, but hey — you learn something new every day!

Coming in third place was Campbell's Spaghetti. The sauce leaned sweet, which isn't normally what I prefer, but the subdued tomato base made it easier to enjoy. The noodles were fine, but they were more like lo mein-style noodles, which deterred me a bit. With one can featuring 950 milligrams of sodium, I did find it a better alternative than some of the other entrants with higher sodium counts and less flavoring. The ingredient list was pretty decent, too.

If you're asking yourself how and why this one made it into the top three, it's mainly because Campbell's had more flavor than the rest with no weird meat or egregiously deterring qualities. There weren't any huge drawbacks to report, but that doesn't mean this one was a win. It's just better than the rest.

Chef Boyardee's Beef Ravioli took home the second place trophy, but I have to say, I was not necessarily impressed by this nostalgic canned pasta brand. My first look at the product within the glass bowl made me pause with concern, what with the discolored ravioli and suspiciously grey meat.

The sauce leaned savory, but it's wasn't super salty or flavorful within the first few bites. The weird meat also didn't offer much in the way of flavor, but at this point, I was happy to have a lack of flavor versus something actively weird or gross. There were some subtle notes of herb mix within, but again, I found myself in the land of bland.

I will say the pasta was hearty and solid, offering a good structure for the beef inside. However, there wasn't much to write home about. One can had 780 milligrams of sodium, which was nice to see, especially with its somewhat flavorful base, but it also had unnatural ingredients mixed in. Why did it place second? This option had the most flavor and complexity by far, but I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Placing first with a taste I can recommend is the one true icon in the canned pasta world, Campbell's SpaghettiOs. Fun fact: I also didn't realize Campbell's was the brand that brought me this childhood favorite. This job really pushes the boundaries of my knowledge.

The sauce was a good balance of sweet and savory, but the sweetness stayed on the back end, offering actual complexity and making it the only sauce on the entire list that had bold and lasting flavor. I also loved the pasta rings, which offered good texture and no weird flavoring. They simply added to the overall taste and experience.

If I'm recommending canned pasta, my only suggestion is SpaghettiOs — a tried and true product. The flavors were bold without being too salty, and the pasta texture was spot on. This option also featured the lowest sodium count on the list with only 600 milligrams in one can. With a great flavor profile and a decent ingredient list, you can't go wrong with this Campbell's icon.

When tasked with finding the best canned pasta brands, I took it upon myself to procure as many options as I could. While there weren't a ton of canned pastas on the market, I did find an array to try. The main attribute I sought out for this test was taste, but I also looked at texture and ingredients. Unfortunately, most of these were complete fails, but a few did stand out when it came to flavor.