What, if any, is the difference between spaghetti sauce & marinara sauce?

[Missy1961]

The favorite way in deep south!! Way before serving it on potatoes!!

Even some of us in the North do that. When we had left over roast beef, my mom turned it into a sort of pepper steak - she'd stir fry peppers and onions, added some of her homemade gravy and the left over roast. Then she served it over cooked white rice. It never tasted like left overs, in fact, sometimes I loved it more than the original roast beef! And the best part was the gravy and rice. Delicious!

 

[L&Lfan]

This thread reminds me of the Sopranos episode where Tony and the crew go to Italy and are SO disappointed in the food because everything's not pasta drowning in tomato sauce. And likewise, whenever we have family/friends visiting from Italy, we rarely go to Italian restaurants here (unless they're fairly authentic) because "Italian-American" style cooking is not what they're used to. I remember how they'd freak out (politely) when they would see Americans putting cheese on seafood.

 

[bookgirl]

Northeast, once a year at thanksgiving, maybe a pot roast once or twice a year, and then on fries with mozzarella as a tasty treat.

Gravy on fries is not real common but more common now.

I imagine that regionally a lot of marinara/red sauce is served as a dipping agent or topping on foods just like gravy is here.

But in the sense that marinara is a dipping sauce Salsa is probably a better example here as we are close enough to Mexico and the Southwest that we see a lot of salsa at all meal times as well. Salsa on entrees, as a dip for chips or fingerfoods, and at my house salsa is cooked over chicken and fish and served with eggs or burritos at breakfast.

Fun Fact: Tomatoes are not native to Italy (or Europe at all). It is from the Americas (North, Central, South).

"The first written account of a tomato in Italy dates to 1548 and it was in Tuscany. In that account, the fruit, incorrectly aligned with the eggplant, was given the name “pomidoro,” or, if we break the word into its natural components, “pomi d’oro,” golden fruits. That has since shifted into the singular in Italian, “pomodoro (pl. pomodori)." The pomodoro’s rise in Italy was not a quick one. In fact, many of the Italian dishes we consider "staples" that use tomatoes are actually quite young, born in the late nineteenth century when the tomato saw its greatest expansion throughout Italy. Tomato sauce? Nope, that’s a baby. Previous pasta and pizza condiments were solely olive oils, anchovies, and cheeses, to name just a few."

 

[mjkacmom]

Marinara sauce comes on the side of a lot - mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, garlic knots, calzones, rice balls, fried zucchini... I like ordering up some mussels, and using that sauce instead.

And I decided to make pizza tonight, picked up some heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and some prosciutto. I think there needs to be a ban on food threads - they make me hungry!

 

[bookgirl]

Marinara sauce comes on the side of a lot - mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, garlic knots, calzones, rice balls, fried zucchini... I like ordering up some mussels, and using that sauce instead.

And I decided to make pizza tonight, picked up some heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and some prosciutto. I think there needs to be a ban on food threads - they make me hungry!

HaHa, we're having Ravioli....with jarred sauce.

 

[bcla]

This thread reminds me of the Sopranos episode where Tony and the crew go to Italy and are SO disappointed in the food because everything's not pasta drowning in tomato sauce. And likewise, whenever we have family/friends visiting from Italy, we rarely go to Italian restaurants here (unless they're fairly authentic) because "Italian-American" style cooking is not what they're used to. I remember how they'd freak out (politely) when they would see Americans putting cheese on seafood.

I went with my Italian manager to a pasta place. I ordered something that was "authentic" and he approved. The problem they had was Americans didn't necessarily want authenticity but familiarity. It's like the line in Big Night.

A guy works all day, he don't want to look at his plate and ask, "What the **** is this?" He wants to look at his plate, see a steak, and say "I like steak!"​

That place just closed. The original owner sold the chain to some VC types, and it went downhill.

 

[DisAuntie]

HaHa, we're having Ravioli....with jarred sauce.

Stuffed shells here! LOL

 

[bcla]

Gravy on fries is not real common but more common now.

Fun Fact: Tomatoes are not native to Italy (or Europe at all). It is from the Americas (North, Central, South)

I just had poutine a few days ago. I guess I could ask them to leave out the cheese curds. The place I got it from is open until 4 AM. I guess it's the perfect hangover meal, or maybe cannibis munchies (not that I'd have any experience with that).

There's a lot that's native to the Americas, but has ended up being staples in Europe and other parts of the world. There's chili peppers, potatoes, cassava, and corn. I remember talking about the influx of New World crops like chili peppers influencing Asian cuisine, and my coworkers from India and China insisted that they had been in their cuisine for millennia rather than introduced from the Americas.

 

[Topper]

 

[moon]

Gravy on fries is not real common but more common now.



Fun Fact: Tomatoes are not native to Italy (or Europe at all). It is from the Americas (North, Central, South).

Neither is spaghetti!

 

[bcla]

Come to think of it "spaghetti sauce" is probably an outdated expression now. I see "pasta sauce" these days.

 

[mjkacmom]

I just had poutine a few days ago. I guess I could ask them to leave out the cheese curds. The place I got it from is open until 4 AM. I guess it's the perfect hangover meal, or maybe cannibis munchies (not that I'd have any experience with that).

There's a lot that's native to the Americas, but has ended up being staples in Europe and other parts of the world. There's chili peppers, potatoes, cassava, and corn. I remember talking about the influx of New World crops like chili peppers influencing Asian cuisine, and my coworkers from India and China insisted that they had been in their cuisine for millennia rather than introduced from the Americas.

French fries with cheese and gravy are called disco fries. We lead the nation in diners, which are open 24/7, and pretty much serve anything at any time. So, after clubbing, you'd go to the diner and eat them.

This is a typical menu, although it's not as extensive as some. And diner food is typically very good. http://www.ticktockdiner.com/img/Clifton NJ Tick Tock Diner Menu 9737770511.pdf

 

[tzolkin]

We usually do spaghetti & meatballs every Sunday and I will pick up a mixture of canned tomato sauce, puree & paste and then add in some seasonings, parm cheese, salt & pepper, a little sugar and make my sauce. Then drop in my raw meatballs and let it simmer all day.

Just curious, but if you're going through the trouble to "make your own sauce" is there a particular reason why you purchase jarred sauce?

I can throw together sauce in less than 5 minutes (and then just cook for the amount of time it takes the pasta water to boil), so I just buy canned crushed tomatoes. Cheaper than a jar of sauce and there's not sugar and extra stuff in it that I don't want.

As for the term "spaghetti sauce", I always just thought that was a regional thing. Like I know many mid-westerners who have a stereotype that Italians (long "eye" sound) only eat spaghetti, so they call any tomato based sauce "spaghetti sauce".

Maybe the gravy folks came from a certain region in italy? I know folks who used the term gravy who could barely speak English, and some who used sauce (like DH's grandmother, who barely spoke English). Italy had a lot of different dialects.

I think this may factor into it. My grandfather used the term gravy and my grandmother thought it was absolutely ridiculous. (Their families were from different regions in Italy.) Obviously "gravy" is English (so neither called it that before moving to the US), but they both grew up in the same area of NYC so there had to be another reason for the phrasing preference.

 

[Marchand63]

Only thing I am adding to the arguement - San Marzano tomatoes or it is just juice.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

I'm another one who has only really ever heard tomato sauce/marinara/spaghetti sauce referred to as gravy here on the DIS as well.

This thread reminds me of the Sopranos episode where Tony and the crew go to Italy and are SO disappointed in the food because everything's not pasta drowning in tomato sauce.

I'm not italian, but many of my oldest family friends are. I've never heard them refer to pasta sauces (don't forget pesto, alfredo, vodka......) as gravy, but I remember it being called gravy on the Sopranos.

 

[Magpie]

Just curious, but if you're going through the trouble to "make your own sauce" is there a particular reason why you purchase jarred sauce?

I can throw together sauce in less than 5 minutes (and then just cook for the amount of time it takes the pasta water to boil), so I just buy canned crushed tomatoes. Cheaper than a jar of sauce and there's not sugar and extra stuff in it that I don't want.

As for the term "spaghetti sauce", I always just thought that was a regional thing. Like I know many mid-westerners who have a stereotype that Italians (long "eye" sound) only eat spaghetti, so they call any tomato based sauce "spaghetti sauce".

I think this may factor into it. My grandfather used the term gravy and my grandmother thought it was absolutely ridiculous. (Their families were from different regions in Italy.) Obviously "gravy" is English (so neither called it that before moving to the US), but they both grew up in the same area of NYC so there had to be another reason for the phrasing preference.

I also purchase jarred sauce and "make my own" with it. I pan fry meat of some variety (ground beef, chicken, pork, turkey or maybe some sort of chopped sausage), along with mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Often I'll add in any leftover veggies in the house (such as green peppers, peas, sweet potato or broccoli). When it's all cooked, I add a full jar of Classico brand Vodka sauce (a tomato based spaghetti sauce). Stir, heat and serve.

Why do I do this? Because I really, really like the taste of Classico Vodka sauce. Yes, I can (and have) made my own tomato sauce, and it's perfectly good, but it doesn't taste like vodka sauce. So, rather than try to figure out what it is that makes that particular brand of sauce so darn tasty, I just buy a jar and use it.

Also, I really hate chopping tomatoes. They're so squishy! And using diced tomatoes from a can often makes my sauces very runny. And I don't have a working food processor right now, because I broke my old one.

Never heard of "gravy" used to mean tomato sauce before this thread. And I LOVE the regular sort of gravy on my fries, with cheese curds, aka poutine (and have done ever since moving to Canada in the early 80's).

 

[mjkacmom]

I also purchase jarred sauce and "make my own" with it. I pan fry meat of some variety (ground beef, chicken, pork, turkey or maybe some sort of chopped sausage), along with mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Often I'll add in any leftover veggies in the house (such as green peppers, peas, sweet potato or broccoli). When it's all cooked, I add a full jar of Classico brand Vodka sauce (a tomato based spaghetti sauce). Stir, heat and serve.

Why do I do this? Because I really, really like the taste of Classico Vodka sauce. Yes, I can (and have) made my own tomato sauce, and it's perfectly good, but it doesn't taste like vodka sauce. So, rather than try to figure out what it is that makes that particular brand of sauce so darn tasty, I just buy a jar and use it.

Also, I really hate chopping tomatoes. They're so squishy! And using diced tomatoes from a can often makes my sauces very runny. And I don't have a working food processor right now, because I broke my old one.

Never heard of "gravy" used to mean tomato sauce before this thread. And I LOVE the regular sort of gravy on my fries, with cheese curds, aka poutine (and have done ever since moving to Canada in the early 80's).

Vodka sauce is so easy to make! I sautéed chopped onions,garlic, and pancetta, add a large can of tomato sauce, cook for a bit, then stir in heavy cream. I use red pepper flakes instead of vodka.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Just curious, but if you're going through the trouble to "make your own sauce" is there a particular reason why you purchase jarred sauce?

I can throw together sauce in less than 5 minutes (and then just cook for the amount of time it takes the pasta water to boil), so I just buy canned crushed tomatoes. Cheaper than a jar of sauce and there's not sugar and extra stuff in it that I don't want.

She said canned sauce not jarred sauce. I used canned sauce when I make my sauce because I find crushed tomatoes to be too thick for me when I add the paste and cook for awhile. With the "sauce" it's thinner and IMO I can cook it longer without it becoming paste. Canned sauce is not something I would EVER open and use straight out of the can. I will however use some jarred sauces straight out of the bottle etc. It's just a different consistency for me than the crushed (and I never use whole, no chunks here - yuck! lol) I am guessing that is what the other poster is doing.

 

[bcla]

I also purchase jarred sauce and "make my own" with it. I pan fry meat of some variety (ground beef, chicken, pork, turkey or maybe some sort of chopped sausage), along with mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Often I'll add in any leftover veggies in the house (such as green peppers, peas, sweet potato or broccoli). When it's all cooked, I add a full jar of Classico brand Vodka sauce (a tomato based spaghetti sauce). Stir, heat and serve.

There's a certain consistency to jarred sauce. It's not as if jarred has to be substandard if it's made from vine ripened tomatoes. It takes a lot of skill to mass produce a product that's consistent from batch to batch.

Like you, I like using certain jarred sauces as a base. I get Trader Joe's tomato basil marinara. The label suggests using it as a base for something more complex.

 

[bcla]

She said canned sauce not jarred sauce. I used canned sauce when I make my sauce because I find crushed tomatoes to be too thick for me when I add the paste and cook for awhile. With the "sauce" it's thinner and IMO I can cook it longer without it becoming paste. Canned sauce is not something I would EVER open and use straight out of the can. I will however use some jarred sauces straight out of the bottle etc. It's just a different consistency for me than the crushed (and I never use whole, no chunks here - yuck! lol) I am guessing that is what the other poster is doing.

Most canned sauces are just tomato sauces that might be lightly spiced. There are a few canned sauces that are supposed to be complete pasta sauces. Hunt's is probably the easiest to find. Trader Joe's may have a couple, although I remember one version was intentionally chunky.