Can’t explain it other than maybe the recipe is more about the taste than sodium/carb content.
The Rao’s, straight out of the jar tasted salty, and a bit too acid. The Mezzetta was sweeter (like of riper tomatoes), with less “hmmm… this isn’t quite right” in my mind, and put a bigger smile on my face.
I know our palettes can be different, so what works better for me may not for you. I can only say that if you haven’t tried it, it’s worth the 4 bucks to see if you like it as much as I do.
