Pizza is undeniably the best food ever. And during the pandemic, it has been crucial to head outside and get yourself a delicious pizza. Hence, you've probably decided to satisfy your pizza cravings by baking it yourself. 

As you proceed more into the recipe, you realize you're out of pizza sauce, shoot! Now you're left wondering, "can I substitute spaghetti sauce for pizza sauce?"

Indeed, you can substitute spaghetti sauce with pizza sauce. However, you'll need to make a few alterations here and there. 

Hence, we've curated an article especially for you to understand everything there is to know about substituting between a pizza and pasta sauce. Without any further ado, let's start.

Pizza Sauce Vs. Pasta Sauce

What's the Main Difference Between Pizza Sauce and Pasta Sauce?

The main difference between pizza sauce and pasta sauce is that pasta sauce is cooked while pizza sauce is more of a raw sauce. 

Usually, a pizza sauce is made with raw and uncooked spices. The main reason for this is to let the pizza sauce cook in the baking oven. There are also many spices in the pizza sauce, such as oregano, thyme, pepper, onion powder, different Italian seasonings, and more. 

The pizza sauce is also a lot smoother in consistency in comparison to the pasta sauce. Pasta sauce contains chunky tomato bits, which aren't ideal for pizza. The pizza sauce is deliberately more tangy in taste for complementing the cheese and meat that sits on top of the pizza. The acidity in the pizza sauce gives the perfect flavors together. 

Pasta sauce is prepared using crushed tomatoes, which add water to the sauce, making it thinner than pizza sauce. They coat the spaghetti strands well and add flavor to every mouthful. Pasta sauce usually contains basic spices like salt, pepper, and dried oregano, allowing chefs to season to their taste. 

Pasta sauce typically has pieces of tomato, while pizza sauce asks for a smooth tomato sauce blended to remove lumps. Pasta sauce may include ground beef or Italian sausage.

Pizza is an American obsession, so getting the sauce right can be the key to running a successful online pizzeria like Pizza Bien. If you use pasta sauce on pizza without altering it, the chances are that the sauce may be too thin and soggy for some of your customers' liking.

Other Differences between Pizza Sauce and Pasta Sauce

Both sauces have similar spices. Hence, why are they differently termed and not just one all-purpose sauce? Let's see a few specific pointers as to what's different between pizza sauce and pasta sauce.

1. Ingredients

When it comes to the preparation of both sauces, there's a huge difference in ingredients. The base of the sauces may be the same, but the other ingredients vary a lot. Pizza sauce has simpler ingredients like oregano, pepper, garlic, basil, and different Italian spices.

The base of the pizza sauce is made to have more toppings. You can pair any ingredient over the pizza sauce as long as it's savory and enjoy a delicious pizza. The toppings can include different meats, fruits, pickles, and more.

On the other hand, pasta sauce has many more ingredients in comparison. The slices of tomatoes are chunkier. You’ll find many other condiments in different pasta sauce brands, such as meat, onion slices, ground beef, sausages, and more.

2. Preparation

When you prepare a pizza sauce, the main target is a flavorsome tomato base that shines on the other toppings. The pizza sauce isn't the dish's star but the essential part of it.

Thus, the pizza sauce needs to be thick. The sauce has to sit on top of the pizza without ruining the consistency of the dough. The toppings must not get wet or drenched in leftover sauce water. If there are excess spices in the pizza sauce, the toppings won't shine through either. 

However, the case is not the same with pasta sauce. When you're preparing pasta sauce or even buying it, it must have a good amount of water in it. The reason is to make it cook longer on the stove without dehydrating it.  

You can decide on adding as many ingredients to your pasta sauce as you want. The pasta sauce is meant to be enjoyed through cooking and not baking. Since pasta absorbs water in significant amounts, the pasta sauce needs to be heavily hydrated.

3. Consistency

However, the consistency of the pasta sauce is much thinner. When you cook your pasta with the sauce, the sauce simmers down to a thick reduction of flavors. It makes your pasta have a perfect consistency. A thin pasta sauce will make the pasta super sticky, which everyone dislikes.

There are also other condiments in your pasta sauce to make the cooking procedure easier. Since the sauce is already pre-cooked, there's no issue in adding processed ingredients into the jarred sauce.

Therefore, the consistency of the sauces plays a significant role in maintaining the integrity of the dish. 

How To Turn Pizza Sauce into Spaghetti Sauce

"Marinara Sauce '' is an Italian semi-smooth tomato sauce with less water content than regular tomato or pasta sauce but is similar to pizza sauce. They are peeled, coarsely diced, then blended to smooth out the lumps of tomato but not pureed into a paste-like pizza sauce. In addition to being prepared before serving, it has fewer species than pizza sauce, with roasted garlic being the most prominent flavoring agent.

To turn your pizza sauce into pasta sauce, do the following:

• Take your jarred pizza sauce and bring it to a stovetop.
• Before turning on the heat, add some pasta water from the boiled pasta.
• Add a pinch of sugar and salt until you find the correct balance.
• You can add any topping of your choice to the sauce, including vegetables, meat, and more.
• Boil it a little bit to make the sugar and the added condiments blend in the sauce properly. 

How To Turn Spaghetti Sauce into Pizza Sauce 

A thicker form of tomato sauce, mainly used as a spread on pizza crust, is what this sauce is all about. It is usually made using ripe red tomatoes that have been seasoned with basil leaves and other herbs from Italy. Depending on the degree of heat desired, you may even use it with chili flakes.

This recipe is the best when you don't have pizza sauce, but you want to substitute your spaghetti sauce for pizza sauce. To make the perfect pizza sauce from the pasta, you can do the following:

• Take your jarred pasta sauce and put it in the food processor. This will help the chunky tomatoes and other condiments to blend into a smooth paste.
• Turn on the heat and let the blended mixture simmer until you get a thick pizza sauce consistently.
• You can add salt, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, or any other spice as per your taste. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Can You Substitute Pasta Sauce With Pizza Sauce?

Yes, you can easily substitute pasta sauce with pizza sauce by adding water into the sauce. You have to follow the instructions given in our article thoroughly to achieve the perfect consistency. 

2. What is the difference between pasta sauce and pizza sauce?

The main difference between pasta sauce and pizza sauce is the preparation, consistency, and ingredients. The factors vary from one another. However, the base of the sauces being the same permits everyone to use it interchangeably with a few tweaks. 

3. What can be substituted for pizza sauce?

You can substitute pizza sauce with pasta sauce, pesto, white garlic sauce, Buffalo sauce, Hummus, and more. The right recipe can make any sauce usable as a pizza base. However, make sure you're well aware of the flavor profiles of your toppings with your base sauce.

4. What can I add to the marinara sauce?

When you're reusing pizza sauce as pasta sauce, you can add many condiments such as pepper flakes, garlic, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning mix, and more. You can also add vegetables like bell peppers and processed meat to your sauce.

Conclusion

The sauces may or may not be based on tomatoes. However, most canned sauces are typically seasoned sauces for tomatoes. The major difference between the pizza sauce and the pasta sauce is that the pizza sauce is raw and the pasta sauce is cooked.

Whatever way it is, you can customize the sauces to your liking. Both jarred and homemade recipes are tweakable. 

Hence, don't forget to explore and try! We hope we have answered all your queries to your pondering question, "can I substitute spaghetti sauce for pizza sauce?" Till the next time, happy feasting!

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