Sauces are based upon a different selection of ingredients, texture, uses, and more. However, most of them have one similar ingredient – tomato. It's hard to keep track of the contrast between the two most famous dishes of all time, spaghetti and pizza. Hence, it's easy to get confused about the differences between marinara vs pizza sauce.

So, it makes us question the difference between pizza sauce and marinara sauce. Is marinara pizza sauce, or does it serve a different purpose?

To answer briefly, marinara sauce and pizza sauce are made from almost the same ingredients while the former is used for pasta, and the latter is used for – obviously, pizza. However, there are many other differences between the famous sauces.

Therefore, we've come to curate an article about the 4 differences between Marinara Vs. Pizza Sauce. We'll also be including their recipe, uses, and more! Without any further ado, let's start.

Main Difference Between Marinara Vs. Pizza Sauce

Italian cuisine is enriched with the beauty of different types of sauces. If you’re wondering is pizza Italian, it is! All the recipes for authentic pizza and pasta sauce come directly from Italy and Spain. 

Each sauce serves its purpose and makes the dishes intricately beautiful. Although, if you take a peek into the kitchen of a home cook, you'll see them mixing up pizza sauce and marinara sauce.

However, the main difference between spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce is that the pasta sauce is cooked while the pizza sauce is uncooked.

Usually, raw spices are used in pizza sauce. Oregano, thyme, pepper, and other spices are included in the pizza sauce. The pizza sauce is also much smoother than the pasta sauce. Sauces with chunky tomato chunks are not suitable for pizza. 

4 Differences Between Marinara Vs Pizza Sauce

Although we’ve discussed the primary differences between the pizza, let’s see the 4 Differences Between Marinara vs Pizza Sauce that differentiate the sauces from each other. 

The Sauces

What is Pizza Sauce?

Pizza sauce is uncooked, raw sauce to put straight over the pizza’s crust without making it soggy. Its texture is thick to prevent any sogginess. Nowadays, you'll find many flavored pizza sauces in the market. Although, the first pizza sauce was made merely with a tomato sauce paste and basic seasoning.

Every authentic pizzeria will use the original recipe of a tomato paste blend with salt, pepper, and some herbs but no added preservatives. The sauces available in the market may be heavily drenched with added preservatives and flavorings. Hence they can never provide you with the authentic pizza taste you're looking for.

If you're feeling the need to taste authentic Neapolitan pizza made from the freshest ingredients available in the market, Pizza Bien can provide the best pizza delivered right to your doorstep. However, if you're in the mood to make an authentic pizza sauce, we'll be describing how to make pizza sauce further along with the article!

What is Marinara Sauce?

Marinara sauce is the sauce used for pasta. Every ingredient in marinara sauce is cooked before being used. It's incredibly similar to pizza sauce, but it has chunkier ingredients, more in quantity too. 

Marinara sauce is used widely, and it doesn't require fresh tomatoes to make. You can simply use canned tomatoes or a tomato paste at home to elevate your simple pasta dish from zero to a hero with a flavorsome marinara sauce. 

The Ingredients

Pizza Sauce Ingredients

In our view, pizza sauce has finally achieved its peak of perfection after many variations over the years. Easy to make, quality ingredients are the essential component in even simple pizza sauces.

Almost all pizza sauces start with tomatoes. Some canned tomatoes and tomato sauces taste as delicious as fresh tomatoes and may be utilized in an emergency if you don't have access to fresh tomatoes. You'll need a few other ingredients listed below: 

• 6 oz tomato paste
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1-2 tablespoon oregano to taste
• 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
•  ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ tablespoon garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Marinara Sauce Ingredients

Because tomato sauce provides most of the taste in marinara, many tend to ask, “is marinara pizza sauce?” Well, it isn’t, and we’re here to tell you why.

Adding fresh basil leaves, an onion, and plenty of garlic completes the list for the perfect marinara sauce. Savory items mean that the sauce is savourier than typical pizza sauce. Onion and basil complete the intricacy of the fish, while freshly diced tomatoes provide flavor to the ridge of different pasta like spaghetti, penne, ravioli, fusilli, and more. 

However, some canned tomato pastes already include enough salt and pepper. Ensure to check the taste before adding salt to avoid oversalting your meal.

If you want a more tangy sauce, add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Olive oil is usually used to thin down a thickened mixture while cooking. Hence, you can use olive oil if you feel as though it's needed. 

• 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 peeled onion
• 2 peeled cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste 
• Chopped fresh basil
• Additional olive oil

Cooking Process

Step By Step Process on How To Make Pizza Sauce

Figure Out Your Tomatoes

If you're using fresh tomatoes, you can boil them for a minute and peel the skin before putting them inside the blender. If you're using canned tomatoes, you can simply put them in your blender with the other items. 

Add All Your Items in the Blender

Sweetener is needed to balance out the acidity and rawness of the tomatoes (either white or brown granulated sugar). The dish will be bland without the list of popular spices: garlic and onion powder, so add them according to your taste preferences.

In savory, salt is essential. Italian seasoning is made up of many dried herbs, and they give the dish a fresh dynamic. This recipe calls for freshly ground black pepper and Italian spice. Hence we'll be stocking up on herbs to use. 

We'll need garlic next. Fresh minced garlic is preferred over garlic flakes. With its robust taste and smell, garlic is an essential component in Italian cuisine. You can choose to buy or make your own dried garlic flakes and drop some in your blender.

Like garlic, onions and shallots function as aromatics when finely chopped. It adds texture and a sweet-savory flavor to the dish while also altering the overall taste. Hence, you have the freedom to add in shallot paste.

To thin the mixture, if it gets too thick during blending, add some oil. You can use olive oil, which has a sharper taste than sunflower or canola oils and is widely used in Italian dishes like pizza.

Serve and Enjoy

Now you can use your pizza sauce to coat your pizza crust. Undoubtedly, you'll get a burst of fresh taste like never before. You can taste the sweet and sour taste with the umami aroma. 

Step By Step Process on How To Make Marinara Sauce

Prepare Your Ingredients 

First, you must dice your onions and fry them in olive oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil. Fry your ingredients and add in your herbs. 

Simmer Your Sauce

Next up, add your tomato chunks, minced meat, vegetable toppings, and make them simmer for about ten minutes. Add basil and fresh herbs just a minute before taking the sauce off the heat to retain the freshness. 

Serve and Enjoy

You can customize your marinara sauce just the way you want. The final result will depend on your taste, and indeed the outcome won't be disappointing!

Different Types of Usage 

Uses of Pizza Sauce

You can also use your pizza sauce to substitute your pasta sauce. Add in some tomato chunks, ground beef, and whole vegetable chunks, the sauce to turn it into a pasta sauce. 

You can turn your pizza sauce into salsa simply by adding beans, onions, fresh tomato chunks, hot sauce, tabasco, and a few more herbs.

Fun Fact: Did you know you can use your pizza sauce for a bloody mary cocktail? It works just as fine as tomato juice and gives it a bit more punch!

Uses of Marinara Sauce

Marinara has a spectrum of wide usages. You can use it for any kind of pasta available in the market. If you thicken it enough, it can also be used for pizza sauce.

You can use your marinara for baking meatballs, using it as a dipping sauce, and more. Turning marinara sauce into salsa is also an open option! You can even use it for soups, ratatouille, and more. 

Some people enjoy seasoning their lean meat with customized marinara sauce made at home. You can try it for yourself when you have leftover marinara from your last pasta batch.

Conclusion

Therefore, we can see the differences between marinara vs pizza sauce. Pizza sauce isn't precooked like marinara sauce, and that's the difference. The sauce's consistency and flexibility are two other distinct characteristics.

While pizza sauce provides a base for other tastes, marinara sauce is a stand-alone culinary superstar. Unlike pizza sauce, marinara sauce is used in a wide range of meals, from pasta to meatloaf. We hope you do justice to whichever one you’re choosing to make! Till the next time, happy feasting!

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