What Is the Different Between Marinara and Tomato Sauce?

Since marinara and tomato sauce are both tomato-based sauces, it’s natural for these two items to have some overlap. At times, the names are even used interchangeably on product packaging and restaurant menus, just adding to the confusion!

Yet, there are some significant distinctions in how these two sauces are created and consumed, and each has distinct flavor qualities of its own. Let’s learn all we can about the similarities and distinctions between these two Italian culinary cornerstones!

Marinara Sauce: The Basics

Marinara is technically a form of tomato sauce, but it’s a very specialized one. The main characteristics of any marinara sauce are that it is rapidly produced and easily seasoned, with a minimal ingredient list. This forces marinara to perform extremely particular roles in dishes, since the snappy and sharp taste of this basic sauce does not go well with everything.

Tomato Sauce: The Basics

Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is a labor of love that allows for considerably more diversity than marinara sauce. Although tomato sauce is an essential component of many Italian recipes, it is also one of the five mother sauces of French cuisine that serve as the basis for global culinary arts. As a result, you can expect that this sauce plays a vital part in numerous cuisines throughout the world.

Tomato sauce is also known as Sunday gravy, Sunday sauce, spaghetti sauce, ragu, and bolognese, to mention a few. The distinctions between these are found in the precise components used as well as how each version of tomato sauce is produced.

Comparing Marinara and Tomato Sauce

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of each of these two varieties of red sauce, let’s dive into the details! We’ll compare marinara and tomato sauce in terms of important components, how they’re created, how they’re utilized, and the overall taste and sensory character of each.

Marinara vs. Tomato Sauce: Key Ingredients

Since both of these sauces are obviously tomato-based, one significant distinction between marinara and tomato sauce is the amount and diversity of additional ingredients utilized. Marinara sauce is exceedingly basic, frequently comprising simply of canned or fresh tomatoes, olive oil, and simple aromatics like as chopped onions, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs.

It may be prepared using chicken stock, veal stock, animal fat, or parmesan cheese, as well as animal items such as ground beef, Italian sausage, or salt pork. sauce for spaghetti Bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, fresh herbs such as basil or oregano, tomato paste, crushed red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, and bay leaves, as well as olive oil, garlic, and onions, are common components. Also, unlike marinara, which is usually always vegetarian, tomato sauce often incorporates meat and vegetables. Sauce with tomatoes Alternatively, spaghetti sauce

Marinara vs. Tomato Sauce: How They’re Made

As previously said, the procedure for making marinara sauce is all about speed and simplicity. Fresh or tinned tomatoes are smashed before being swiftly sautéed in olive oil with the few other stated ingredients. This fast sauce then simmers for approximately an hour before being seasoned simply with salt and sometimes fresh herbs.

Although the general procedure for preparing tomato sauce is similar to that of marinara, the details vary somewhat. Numerous pasta and spaghetti sauce recipes call for canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano tomatoes, rather than fresh tomatoes. In tomato sauces with meat, the meat is often cooked first, followed by the tomatoes and aromatic spices added to the drippings. To remove the skins and seeds from the sauce, many tomato sauces are blended and sieved, resulting in a rich velvety texture. Some choose to add fresh tomatoes to their long-simmered sauce to get the best of both worlds—rich, slow-cooked tomato taste with the delightful texture of fresh tomato pieces mixed in. Traditional Italian tomato sauce is often thickened with cream or a roux, but American-style tomato sauces are not.

Marinara vs. Tomato Sauce: Flavor, Texture, & Appearance

Marinara is relatively predictable in terms of flavor and texture. It has a thinner but chunkier texture than tomato sauce, similar to canned crushed tomatoes. The flavor of marinara sauce may vary somewhat based on the optional herbs and aromatics, but it will be highly tomato-forward, fresh tasting, bright, and acidic.

Tomato sauce, on the other hand, has a thick and smooth texture, almost like a gravy, which perfectly explains the name Sunday gravy! The taste profile of every individual tomato sauce may, of course, vary depending on the ingredients used, but in general, tomato sauces have significantly more developed and nuanced flavors than marinara sauces. Also, there is a wide range of diversity in tomato sauce types, as it does not take a culinary expert to tell the difference between handmade tomato sauce and some of the canned or jarred stuff on supermarket shelves!

Marinara vs. Tomato Sauce: How They’re Used

Marinara sauce’s light and fresh taste is ideal for situations where you wish to highlight another component or the dish as a whole. Marina adds a complementary bright flavor to various pasta dishes (especially those where you want the homemade pasta to be the star), shines as a dipping sauce for fried seafood or garlicky breadsticks, and makes a fantastic pizza sauce that leaves room for the flavor of toppings or the fresh pizza dough itself.

We have tomato sauce in the opposite corner! The rich taste of tomato sauce makes it great for smothering meat dishes, while its thick texture is good for baking casserole-style foods like lasagna (Lasagna Soup, anyone?) or eggplant parmesan. Tomato sauce’s rich taste works best in heavier recipes where it does not conflict with the other components.

Marinara vs. Tomato Sauce: Other Questions Answered!

Can You Substitute Marinara for Tomato Sauce?

Since tomato sauce and marinara share numerous important components and a fundamental taste profile, you can absolutely substitute marinara sauce for tomato sauce in most recipes and vice versa!

If you use marinara instead of tomato sauce, you may sauté a few aromatics in olive oil and toss them into the marinara sauce, or you can boil it for a little longer to thicken it up and enhance the taste. If your recipe asks for marinara sauce but you wish to use tomato sauce instead, thin down the tomato sauce with a touch of water to produce a consistency more akin to marinara.

Which is Healthier, Marinara or Tomato Sauce?

It all comes down to preparation when deciding which sauce is healthiest. Since marinara sauce is generally vegetarian, it has less calories and fat than tomato sauce. Unfortunately, this also means that it lacks the protein boost that many tomato sauces give.

These sauces have many of the same nutritional advantages as tomatoes, but you should exercise caution when purchasing store-bought marinara and tomato sauce. Several of these items have excessive salt levels, extra sugar, or even synthetic substances like artificial sweeteners. Homemade is typically the best option, but if you must buy it, search for a nutrition label with a low sugar content and an ingredients list you understand!

Why Are San Marzano Tomatoes Special?

You may have heard us reference San Marzano tomatoes before, and you’ve probably heard this name before. What are these famous tomatoes, and what makes them so unique?

To begin, San Marzano is an Italian area that is famous for being the birthplace of these tomatoes. They are a plum tomato type that is commonly regarded as having an extraordinarily intense tomato taste, sharp acidity, and a magnificently elongated form when compared to other plum tomatoes.

San Marzano tomatoes have now spread to other parts of the globe, but they can still be identified by name since they are cultivated from the same seeds (and, in many cases, under identical growing circumstances) as the original Italian variety.

If you see a can of DOP San Marzano tomatoes, you are most likely holding an imported producta can of tomatoes cultivated and packed in the original San Marzano area! They will almost certainly be more costly than ordinary tomatoes since the product must be examined and satisfy specific requirements in order to carry and keep the DOPprotected designation of origin certification.

Marinara vs. Tomato Sauce: Summary of Differences

Although their identical looks and fundamental components, marinara and tomato sauce have a number of significant variances! Let us conclude with a brief recap.

• Most marinara sauces include a simple ingredient list that includes tomatoes, olive oil, and basic aromatics like garlic and onions. Tomato sauce may include a variety of different components, such as meats and cheeses, as well as bell peppers, roasted tomatoes, fresh herbs, and fiery red pepper flakes.
• Marinara sauce is made in a hurry, often boiling for an hour or less. Traditional tomato sauce is simmered for several hours to get all of the rich tomato flavor from the components.
• Marinara sauce has a bright, acidic flavor that is reminiscent of pure tomatoes. Tomato sauce is significantly more concentrated, and so sweeter and deeper. It is a complicated outcome of all of the many components cooking together for a long time.
• Both sauces may be used interchangeably with success, but each has its particular niche in which it shines. The simple flavor of marinara sauce complements the flavors of other ingredients in the meal, such as fresh pasta, pizza crust, or fish. Strong tomato sauce would quickly overshadow any such nuances, therefore it’s best utilized on heavier meals with meat, in casseroles, or as the main attraction in a pasta dish.