Pizza Sauce Vs Marinara: Is There A Difference?

Italian cuisine comes with a lot of sauces that share similar ingredients, so it can be difficult to figure out which is which. For example, pizza sauce and marinara are both made with tomatoes and spices, but that's where their similarities end. In fact, these two delicious staples aren't even prepared the same way (and they certainly have different uses).

While some people may see a jar of pizza sauce and pick it up to serve alongside snacks, there's actually one thing missing from this product that marinara sauce requires: heat. Unlike marinara, pizza sauce is traditionally a no-cook sauce made by stirring together simple ingredients. Marinara sauce, on the other hand, simmers for a short time and is usually made with additional aromatics and ingredients to give it more depth of flavor. While you can technically use them interchangeably in a pinch, they're really two different sauces with two distinct uses.

While there are plenty of untraditional (yet delicious) pizza sauces out there, we're focusing on the classic red sauce you know and love. Pizza sauce is an uncooked tomato sauce made with only a handful of ingredients to let the tomatoes shine. To make it, you only need some pureed tomatoes, salt, and pepper, though you can add more flavorings like dried oregano, grated garlic, and a pinch of sugar. Because it's an uncooked sauce (aside from its short time in the oven, of course), it has an extra tangy tomato flavor, which helps balance the sharp cheese and salty dough it sits on. Since it's a simple sauce, it works well as a base for a variety of pizza toppings, like pepperoni, black olives, or crumbled sausage.

When it comes to consistency, pizza sauce is typically smooth. It's also thin enough to spread evenly onto dough, yet thick enough that it won't result in a soggy pizza. It requires a careful balance, creating a beautiful base for all your pizza dreams to come true.

Thicker and chunkier than pizza sauce, marinara is a quick-cooking sauce commonly used either to dress pasta or as a dip. It's traditionally made with canned tomatoes and additional ingredients like onions, garlic, fresh parsley, and white wine. You'll likely see it served alongside items like stromboli and calzones (which are different, by the way), as well as mozzarella sticks. Unlike pizza sauce, marinara is cooked on the stove for about 30 minutes, though not as long as a traditional pasta sauce, which often simmers for a few hours (like in this rigatoni with Sunday night ragù).

Because it's thicker than pizza sauce, you can use marinara on a pizza by adding a bit of water to thin it out, making it easier to spread. Keep in mind it won't be as smooth as traditional pizza sauce, and it won't have the same intense flavor that the uncooked version has. Similarly, you can turn pizza sauce into marinara by putting it in a pot and letting it simmer for a little while. This will help reduce it, giving it a thicker consistency. You can also add additional ingredients to give it more depth.