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

[maslex]

OP here. When I make my spaghetti/meatballs, I usually buy canned Contadina brand tomato sauce/puree/paste. I haven't bought a jar of sauce in YEARS. I have seen a few that I'd like to try some day (like the vodka sauce that someone mentioned). I was just curious is there was an actual diference between marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce. Not sure if it's a regional thing or just what we're used to, but we've always referred to it as "spaghetti" sauce.

 

[QueenIsabella]

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).

Adding a small (6 oz.) can of tomato paste will fix this problem, if you're interested. Or, keep doing what you're doing, you seem to have found a sauce system that works for you. But you're right about regular canned tomatoes being runny.

 

[bcla]

OP here. When I make my spaghetti/meatballs, I usually buy canned Contadina brand tomato sauce/puree/paste. I haven't bought a jar of sauce in YEARS. I have seen a few that I'd like to try some day (like the vodka sauce that someone mentioned). I was just curious is there was an actual diference between marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce. Not sure if it's a regional thing or just what we're used to, but we've always referred to it as "spaghetti" sauce.

I'm pretty sure there was a time when the average American only though pasta came as spaghetti or elbows.

Not many manufacturers are going to put "spaghetti sauce" on a label these days. I can go into any regional supermarket and find dozens of different pasta shapes.

I don't think there's any hard and fast rule, but it's probably interchangeable to use "pasta sauce". Marinara is typically just tomatoes, spices, and basil. Throw anything else in and it's not marinara.

 

[mjkacmom]

Adding a small (6 oz.) can of tomato paste will fix this problem, if you're interested. Or, keep doing what you're doing, you seem to have found a sauce system that works for you. But you're right about regular canned tomatoes being runny.

For tomato sauce, I used to use canned plum (Roma) tomatoes that I crushed myself, or canned crushed tomatoes, with tomato paste (4 big cans of tomatoes to one 6 oz can of paste, adding water as needed), but my kids don't like chunks, so now I use purée with paste. I don't use diced for tomato sauce.

 

[aprilgail]

Yes, I have never heard the word 'gravy' used for a tomato bases italian sauce, except for posts like the above, here on the DIS.
I think it is a localized regional term.

I am from NY and I don't know anyone that says Gravy for Sauce- sauce goes on pasta and gravy is brown and goes on meat, potatoes etc.

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

."

Gravy on fries has always been a thing here- -spent many nights as a teen at 3am in the diner with friends eating them after a night out in the bar!

 

[mom2rtk]

I am from NY and I don't know anyone that says Gravy for Sauce- sauce goes on pasta and gravy is brown and goes on meat, potatoes etc.

Or white. I love white sausage gravy on biscuits. Dang, now I'm hungry!

 

[L&Lfan]

I agree with the PPs who say that the only place I've ever heard tomato sauce referred to as gravy is on the disboards. Never in real life. It has to be a VERY localized term (probably among people who are all related). Certainly not as widespread as the soda v pop thing.

 

[mjkacmom]

This popped up on my Facebook feed

 

[muffyn]

My dad's heritage is 100% Italian - his dad was born in Italy - and I never heard the term "gravy" used for a tomato based sauce until I read it here. I live in NY too, with lots of other Italians around me. None of us call it gravy. We called the stuff you make from meat drippings gravy.

And I grew up with homemade sauce - my mother, who was of German heritage, made the most amazing sauce. She used canned tomatoes, but she slow cooked them and added all sorts of herbs, spices and tons of garlic. She never added sugar. And she baked her meatballs in the oven, then added the cooked meatballs to the sauce and let them cook together for a few hours. Thank goodness she taught me how to make her sauce before she passed away. I just don't like jarred sauce. I've tried all sorts of brands, but they just don't taste right to me. And making sauce isn't hard, it just takes time. It freezes well, so I spend a few hours making sauce on a Saturday and we have great sauce for a while.

In fact, I was planning to make sauce yesterday, but I didn't want to go out because of the snow. I hope to get out to the store today and then I'll make my sauce. Yum.

any chance of a recipe??

 

[Missy1961]

any chance of a recipe??

Sure! I never got to make it last weekend (too cold to go out) so I'm making it tomorrow.

These amounts make a lot of sauce. Since I now have a smaller freezer, I use 6 or 8 cans of tomatoes and either 3 or 4 cans of paste. There are no exact measurements of herbs and spices, I just add to taste.

I also make fewer meatballs, so I may only use about 2 pounds of meat. I've also been using ground pork and ground beef (about 1/2 lb. pork and 1 1/2 lb. beef) Or I take Italian sausages out of the casings and add that to the ground beef.

It's my family's tradition to cook the sauce on Saturday. Saturday night's supper is meatball heroes. Then Sunday, we usually make some kind of pasta and have it with the fresh sauce.

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

10 cans (28 ounce) of crushed tomatoes

5 cans (6 ounce) of tomato paste

10 cloves garlic (or more if you love garlic)

Salt

Pepper

Cinnamon

Basil

Oregano


Open cans and empty contents into large pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Simmer for ½ hr, and then add salt, pepper, lots of garlic, a dash of cinnamon , basil and oregano. Allow mixture to cook for 1 hr. Then add the paste and cook for 1 more hr. Stir every ½ hr. Add cooked meatballs and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hrs. more, at least, and longer is better!



MEATBALLS


3 lbs. beef

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Parsley flakes

Bread crumbs

Worchester sauce

Parmesan cheese

Water


Mix all ingredients together. Shape into balls and bake in 400 degree oven until well browned, about 45 minutes. Turn every 15 minutes or so.

I also cook sausages in the oven and add them to the sauce. They take about an hour to cook, I turn them every 15 minutes. I cook them in a roasting pan that I’ve lined with foil & sprayed with cooking spray to make clean-up a little easier.

After the sauce is cooked, I portion it into dinner sized portions. I freeze the portions in those disposable containers, label with what kind of meat is in there. The sauce thaws overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on the counter. That way, we always have a quick dinner!

 

[klacey1]

For tomato sauce, I used to use canned plum (Roma) tomatoes that I crushed myself, or canned crushed tomatoes, with tomato paste (4 big cans of tomatoes to one 6 oz can of paste, adding water as needed), but my kids don't like chunks, so now I use purée with paste. I don't use diced for tomato sauce.

I use crushed tomatoes and find it's the perfect consistency. My boyfriend also doesn't like chunks, so when I make it for him, I just use an immersion blender to purée the sauce when it's done. I have no idea why it never occurred to me to just buy the already puréed tomatoes!

 

[mjkacmom]

I use crushed tomatoes and find it's the perfect consistency. My boyfriend also doesn't like chunks, so when I make it for him, I just use an immersion blender to purée the sauce when it's done. I have no idea why it never occurred to me to just buy the already puréed tomatoes!

I used the immersion blender for a while before switching to purée! My kids preferred the blender, because it got rid of those pesky tiny garlic and onion bits, but they suffer through. They still make me purée the cooked onions, carrots and celery before I add the chicken and noodles to my soup. Babies.

 

[CarolAnn856]

I agree with the PPs who say that the only place I've ever heard tomato sauce referred to as gravy is on the disboards. Never in real life. It has to be a VERY localized term (probably among people who are all related). Certainly not as widespread as the soda v pop thing.

Well, I live in southern New Jersey in a suburb of Philadelphia, and I can assure you that the people I've heard call it gravy are not related. Coming from Maryland, and having living in southeasters Pennsylvania and in the Chicago suburbs of Illinois, this was the first place I'd ever heard it used that way.

 

[Kimkimba]

My dh calls it gravy. He is a Jersey boy.

 

[Wishing on a star]

My recipe.....

Marinara - True, basic, authentic New York Italian Marinara. Rao's, which is basically tomato, olive oil, garlic, basil.

Meatballs - Basic and Italian, but with no cheese. (no worstershire or other sauces or spices)
Ground Beef. Can also add other ground meats, turkey, pork/italian sausage.
Folded into a mixture of fresh zapped bread crumbs from the blender, milk, garlic, salt and pepper, a little parsley.

Cook, but not really 'brown' the meatballs just until getting done through in a covered cooking skillet. I start in oil, but than add a little water.
Take well-drained meatballs and simmer in the Marinara. I usually add a little water, which can cook down.