Pizza is one of the most important foods on the planet. We may not all agree on whether or not pineapple is an acceptable topping, but there's a widespread consensus among eaters that some combination of dough, cheese, and sauce is a recipe for success.
Sometimes your love of pizza may have you thinking about ditching delivery and making your own. Once you have the right kitchen implements to properly cook a pizza, it isn't necessarily that challenging. But there's one crucial thing to keep in mind before you start to load on the cheese and toppings onto your perfect pizza: pizza sauce and pasta sauces like marinara are not created equal.
Pizza vs. Pasta Sauce: What's the Difference?
There's one primary difference between the two types of tomato-based sauces that's directly related to the disparate preparation methods: Pasta sauce from a jar is cooked (usually slow-roasted), and pizza sauce is uncooked, with ingredients combining over a period of hours.
It seems odd, but starts to make sense once you think about it. To make a pizza, you're layering a sauce between uncooked dough and unheated cheese to create the delicious finished product. Conversely, a pasta sauce like marinara is added to the finished product of a cooked pasta (unless you're making lasagna, but that's a different story).
Putting an already-cooked marinara sauce on your pizza before it goes into the oven would therefore be a bit redundant. And indeed, it does affect the quality of the finished product. By only cooking the sauce once, you're left with a fresher, more palatable tomato flavor once your pie is out of a hot oven.
Conversely, given that a pizza cooks at pretty high temperatures (think 400-500 degrees F or higher), dumping a pizza sauce onto your plate of boiled spaghetti is going to make things feel a bit underdone, as a normal pasta sauce is meant to have its flavors properly developed by the time of packaging.
There are other differences that come into play as well. Tomato sauces meant for pasta are typically going to feature a higher water content. That's because, while a pizza sauce has a higher concentration of tomato paste, a pasta sauce will often instead turn tomato paste into a "tomato puree" by combining it with water. A pizza sauce has a greater thickness to it thanks to the use of undiluted tomato paste.
Pizza sauce tends to be somewhat simpler in terms of ingredients. While both feature tomatoes in one form or another, a pizza sauce's add-ins are often limited to things like garlic, oregano, basil, and olive oil. Those ingredients then blend together into the sauce that makes your pizza what it is. On the other hand, a slow-roasted pasta sauce has room for many other ingredients. Alongside those ingredients, a marinara can occasionally include add-ins like olives and onions. Broaden the definition of pasta sauce beyond marinara and you'll find peppers, salt, sugar, and even meats in the sauce. When it comes to pizza, you're going to want to layer on those sorts of ingredients independently of the sauce, trusting your toppings to do the work.
Final Thoughts
So if you've learned one thing today, it's that you shouldn't dump that jar of marinara on dough and expect a beautiful, delicious pizza to emerge from the oven. Pizza sauce and pasta sauces are different things for a reason, and not just because the food companies are trying to scam you into buying more sauce than you need. Armed with this crucial knowledge, I urge you to go forth and make a pizza the whole world can be proud of.
Pizza sauce is prepared with uncooked pureed tomatoes while pasta sauce is made with cooked blended tomatoes and flavorful garlic, herbs, and spices. Whether you're looking to open a pizza shop or just making personal pizzas, most chefs will agree that the secret is in the sauce.
Pizza sauce leans towards a thicker, paste-like consistency to prevent the pizza dough from becoming soggy. Pasta sauces, such as marinara or bolognese, contain more water and can include chunkier vegetable pieces or meat, offering a richer texture and flavor complexity.
As we all know, pizza and pasta sauce are similar to one another — and both are delicious. But did you know that you can use them interchangeably? First things first, we need to understand the difference between the two. Pasta sauce is already cooked, while pizza sauce is yet to be cooked.
Other tomato-based sauces. Traditional pizza sauce is made using canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, onion, and herbs like basil and oregano but there are so many other tomato sauce options that offer different flavour profiles. ...
Just spread Prego sauce over your favorite pizza crust and add toppings for a quick, family-pleasing meal. The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Garlic dipping sauce – garlic mayonnaise is a pizza dip favourite, especially for super cheesy pizzas. Ranch dipping sauce – super creamy and herby, ranch dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment so many pizza toppings. BBQ dip – BBQ sauce will add some sweetness to a smoked-meat pizza.
Now that we know the answer to the question “What is the difference between spaghetti sauce and marinara?” you may wonder, “What is the difference between pizza sauce and marinara?” Marinara sauce and pizza sauce share the same essential ingredients, meaning you can spread marinara over pizza dough to get that perfect ...
Spread Ragu Pizza Sauce on 1 (10-in.) prebaked pizza crust on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese and your favorite pizza toppings. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
"Cooking your sauce will make your pizza taste like it was topped with pasta sauce rather pizza sauce. Sauce variants like vodka sauce ought to be cooked, but when it comes to plain pizza sauce, don't cook it when it comes to New York-style pizza."
Combine equal parts cornstarch and cold water. Stir together until smooth. Pour into your sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring continually, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Test the sauce with a spoon.
In short, marinara sauce is a type of pasta sauce. It's likely the one that most people are familiar with — a simple, tomato-based pasta sauce without a lot of fuss. What distinguishes marinara as its own signature sauce is its unfussy ingredient list and quick cook time.
Mozzarella. Perhaps the most well-known and popular pizza topping of all-time, Mozzarella is cherished for its near perfect consistency and straightforward flavour. ...
If you don't have tomato paste on hand, you can use pasta sauce on pizza by following these steps: Strain the pasta sauce to remove excess liquid. Add the pasta sauce to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Add your desired seasoning and salt to taste.
Béchamel – An integral part of many Italian dishes, béchamel also works well as a pizza sauce. Known colloquially as 'white sauce', béchamel combines butter, flour, milk and seasoning – any additional flavor you'd like to add. Some popular options include garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest and fennel.
White Base. White based pizzas are made many different ways but the most common is cheese (usually mozzarella but there's no white base rules to follow) straight onto the base followed by toppings. ...
Now that we know the answer to the question “What is the difference between spaghetti sauce and marinara?” you may wonder, “What is the difference between pizza sauce and marinara?” Marinara sauce and pizza sauce share the same essential ingredients, meaning you can spread marinara over pizza dough to get that perfect ...
Introduction: My name is Greg O'Connell, I am a delightful, colorful, talented, kind, lively, modern, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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