Target sells meal bags that serve three or more people, come in four types of dinners, ... pesto chicken pasta, a chicken burrito bowl, and an Italian chicken sausage rigatoni.

Bad pesto tastes flat, bitter, too salty or overly processed. Great pesto tastes alive and fresh. After eating my way through the 11 options, the winner was clear.

T he best store bought pesto is herby, garlicky, and nutty. It should be oily, but not too oily. The best jarred pesto doesn’t need to have cheese—but if it does have cheese, there should be a ...