In most scenarios, you can use marinara sauce and ketchup interchangeably. However, the ketchup will be slightly lighter and finer than the thicker and more complex marinated sauce. Tomato sauce may be too thick for a pizza, while marinara may be too thin for dishes such as eggplant parmesan and chicken parmesan. Because the two sauces look similar (and can sometimes even taste similar), we often use the names marinara and tomato interchangeably.
However, the two sauces are not the same thing. According to Taste of Home, marinara sauce cooks much faster than tomato sauce (often less than an hour) and has a less complex flavor profile that usually consists simply of tomatoes, garlic and oregano. Tomato sauce, on the other hand, requires hours of slow cooking and is made with more abundant ingredients, which often include a creamy base of roux, meat, and other vegetables and various herbs. As a result, ketchup tends to be much thicker and more robust than its marinated counterpart.
While the two sauces share many ingredients, the main difference is in the consistency and depth of flavor. Marinara is brighter, thinner and has more tomato flavor than ketchup. Tomato sauce is thicker, creamier and has a certain resemblance to sauce, which is why some Italians call it “Sunday sauce”. Many people ask if they can substitute pasta sauce for marinara.
Take a look at the ingredient list of any store-bought pasta sauce and stick to those with garlic, onion, and ingredients similar to traditional marinara sauce. Good pasta, pizza or even foods that contain meat marinated in a good sauce create the perfect and delicious dishes. Another great advantage of tomato paste is that with some herbs and spices, you can quickly achieve the savory flavor of a marinara. Marinara sauce, with its finer texture and its simplest flavor, is the best to mix with pasta or spread it on pizza dough.
In reality, Italian cuisine has a variety of sauces made with the perfect ingredients that result in a product that speaks for itself. Feel free to use fresh basil and tomatoes during the summer months when many varieties can be found locally. Think of the classic Marcella Hazan sauce, which is more like tikka masala than something you'd find at your local Italian-American restaurant. If you have fresh, juicy tomatoes on your hands, be sure to freeze the extra ones so that you can then turn them into sauce.
You can make it with canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, and some additional herbs and spices, almost identical to a marinara. If you don't want to waste fresh tomatoes, you can always use them to make a good sauce for your meal. You can use tomato puree instead of marinara sauce as a dip for dipping mozzarella sticks and the like. In short, after sharing with you how marinara and tomato sauces are made, I would like to say that sauces are not the same thing.
This sauce was originally known as a remedy for love in Italy and was used to replace preserved pepper in the 16th century. Then the broth, aromatics and condiments are added to the pot and left to simmer for an hour, although the sauce may last longer depending on the desired consistency. If you're wondering if you can use ketchup instead of marinara sauce in a recipe, then you can. Whether you're preparing a quick pasta during the week, dressing a processed pizza crust or creating the base for a Parmesan eggplant, making the sauce on a clove makes all the difference.
