Can Pizza Sauce Be Used on Pasta? (Easy Ways to Make It Work)

Spaghetti is a fast, tasty, and healthy dish, particularly if you use a jarred sauce or create a basic tomato sauce.

So what if you’re out of spaghetti sauce and all you’ve got in the cabinet is pizza sauce? Is it possible to put pizza sauce on pasta?

Pizza sauce may be used to make spaghetti. Both pizza sauce and pasta sauce are made from tomatoes. Pizza sauce, on the other hand, is normally uncooked and unseasoned, but pasta sauce is already cooked and prepared. To make it taste like pasta sauce, simmer pizza sauce and add additional components.

Pizza sauce may be used for pasta sauce since the components are similar: tomatoes, herbs, and spices. But, there are variations between pizza sauce and pasta sauce, so you must make some adjustments if you want to utilize pizza sauce in all of your pasta dishes.

How to Use Pizza Sauce for Pasta

You may use pizza sauce as pasta sauce, however due to the changes, you will need to modify your recipe somewhat. Let’s start with these saucy distinctions and then look at how you may utilize pizza sauce to produce excellent pasta recipes for your family.

What Is the Difference Between Pizza Sauce and Pasta Sauce?

The key distinctions between pizza sauce and pasta sauce are their components, preparation method, and consistency. Each of these factors will have an impact on how you utilize pizza sauce instead of pasta sauce.

Ingredients

Traditional Italian pizza sauce is composed simply of pureed tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper since it is the foundation of a pizza. Since this pizza sauce is similar to tomato paste or puree, it may be used as a pasta sauce or as the foundation for a tomato sauce.

Nevertheless, most jarred pizza sauces sold in the United States include tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, herbs (oregano or basil), garlic, balsamic or red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, and frequently preservatives (and other additives). These sauces may be quite sweet, making them inappropriate for spaghetti sauce.

Spaghetti sauce components vary greatly depending on the kind of sauce. A basic marinara sauce will consist of tomatoes, spice, and herbs, but a Bolognese sauce will have ground meat or sausage. Some ready-made pasta sauces include cheese and pesto.

Why is this important?

Due to the difference in components between the two sauces, additional materials must be added to pizza sauce to get the same taste as pasta sauce.

First, taste your pizza sauce to determine what it requires. It may be very boring, since the toppings provide the majority of the appeal of a pizza.

If you’re using a simple pizza sauce, sauté some garlic and onions first, then add some fresh herbs to give the sauce some zip.

But, if you choose a tasty pizza sauce, you won’t need to add much to it; in fact, some pizza sauces are so sweet that you’ll want to tone it down with crushed or diced tomatoes.

Cooking Method

Pizza sauce is often produced from raw tomatoes that cook while the pizza bakes in the oven. Adding fresh tomatoes gives pizza its distinctive bright tomato taste that complements the thick cheese so perfectly.

Many canned pizza sauces are cooked and resemble a thick tomato sauce rather than the traditional raw Italian pizza sauce.

Spaghetti sauce is always ready to eat, usually after a lengthy simmer, and just has to be heated and poured over prepared pasta to form a full meal. Slow cooking results in a more savory and strong taste in pasta sauce than in pizza sauce.

Why is this important?

Because of the difference in preparation, a sauce produced from pizza sauce will take longer to cook than a sauce prepared from pasta sauce. To create a richer tomato taste, simmer your sauce for around 10 minutes.

Consistency

Pizza sauce is substantially thicker than pasta sauce, ranging in consistency from puree to paste. A thin sauce would run off the pizza dough in the oven, making it mushy.

Pasta sauce is often a thinner sauce that is poured over and coats the pasta. Ready-made spaghetti sauce may also be chunky, containing chunks of tomato and other vegetables, as well as meat, sausage, or chicken.

Why is this important?

Since pizza sauce is thicker and smoother, you will need to add extra liquid to get the proper consistency for a pasta sauce. The ideal option is to add a jar or can of crushed tomatoes, however water, red wine, or bouillon might also be used.

How to Use Pizza Sauce to Make Instant Pasta Sauce

Was it your intention to prepare some pasta, heat a jar of spaghetti sauce, and pour it over it for dinner? If all you have is a jar of pizza sauce, look no further. This recipe demonstrates how to produce practically quick pasta sauce from pizza sauce.

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pizza sauce jar
• Cooking water from pasta
• seasoned with salt & pepper
• shredded cheese

Method

1. Prepare your spaghetti.
2. In a heavy pan, heat a little olive oil just before the pasta is done.
3. To the pan, add your pizza sauce.
4. To thin down the sauce, add approximately a quarter to half a cup of pasta water.
5. Cook for 5 minutes after bringing the sauce to a simmer.
6. If necessary, season the sauce.
7. Serve with grated cheese over spaghetti.

How to Use Pizza Sauce to Make Pizza Pasta Bake

You can also create a pasta sauce out of your pizza sauce to make a wonderful, cheesy pasta bake.

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound beef ground
• finely diced onion
• 1 smashed garlic clove
• 1 pizza sauce jar
• 1 can (sliced) mushrooms
• a glass of water
• 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• slice pepperoni

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. While 350°F (180°C) is sufficient heat, you may want to turn on the grill at the end to brown the bake.
2. Cook and drain your preferred pasta; short pasta, such as penne, rigatoni, or macaroni, works nicely.
3. In a heavy pan, gradually heat the olive oil.
4. Fry the onion for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown.
5. Cook for another minute after adding the garlic.
6. Mix in the ground beef. Cook till golden brown.
7. In a large mixing basin, combine the water, drained mushrooms, and pizza sauce.
8. Combine the ground beef mixture, cooked pasta, half of the cheese, and half of the pepperoni in a mixing bowl.
9. Put the mixture in an ovenproof dish that has been buttered.
10. Cover with the remaining pieces of cheese and pepperoni.
11. Wrap with aluminum foil.
12. Cook for 20 minutes at 350°F.
13. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is gooey and wonderful.

Variations

This pasta dish is easy enough to adapt to your mood and additional ingredients.

• As in a lasagna, layer the noodles, pizza sauce, ground meat, cheese, and pepperoni. Add cheese and pepperoni on the top.
• If you don’t want to prepare a noodle bake, combine the pizza sauce, water, and mushrooms with the ground beef. Add the pepperoni to the sauce once it has been chopped. Simmer for 15 minutes before serving over spaghetti with mozzarella on top.
• Instead of ground beef, use chopped Italian sausage, turkey sausage, or leftover shredded chicken.
• Add additional pizza toppings, such as olives or artichokes, for a full pizza-pasta mash-up.
• For a vegetable boost, add chopped bell peppers and carrots.

How to Use Pizza Sauce to Make Marinara or Napolitana Sauce

If you just have a jar of pizza sauce and want to create a rich tomato sauce for your pasta, try turning it into Marina or Napolitana sauce.

These are comparable tomato-based sauces used over many types of pasta, including normal and filled pasta such as ravioli or tortellini. This sauce might also be used as a layer in lasagna or on top of meatballs.

Here’s how you can improve your pizza sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 finely diced onion
• 3 smashed garlic cloves
• Extra virgin olive oil
• seasoned with salt & pepper
• 1 tin (crushed) tomatoes
• 1 pizza sauce jar
• chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method

1. In a heavy pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Sauté the onion for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown.
3. Mix in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute more.
4. Combine the crushed tomatoes and pizza sauce in a mixing bowl.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Let the sauce to come to a boil while stirring it.
7. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
8. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the fresh herbs.
9. Put the sauce in a blender if you want it smoother.
10. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese over spaghetti.

Variations

You may produce a variety of sauces by combining this basic tomato sauce with other ingredients.

• Add some chicken stock or bouillon to make the sauce thinner.
• To prepare a genuine Marinara sauce, combine olives, capers, and anchovies. Combine the anchovies, garlic, olives, and capers with the tomatoes.
• If you wish to add extra vegetables, combine shredded zucchini, sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, and chopped celery with the garlic.
• Before bringing the sauce to a boil and simmering, add a splash of red wine.
• After the sauce has thickened, add additional cream or sour cream to make it more indulgent. This sauce goes well with gnocchi.

How to Use Pizza Sauce to Make Arrabbiata Sauce

Make Arrabbiata sauce, a chili-based sauce, if you have pizza sauce and want a hot tomato pasta sauce with a bite.

Penne Arrabbiata is a popular and traditional pasta dish because penne pasta is the ideal form for the sauce to cling to and cover.

To produce Arrabbiata sauce, modify the Marinara sauce recipe as follows.

Additional Ingredients

• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• chopped fresh parsley

Method

• Step 3: Add a teaspoon of crushed red chile to the skillet with the garlic. (Adjust the quantity of chili to your liking.)
• Step 8: Stir in the parsley and other fresh herbs.

How to Use Pizza Sauce to Make Bolognese Sauce

If you have pizza sauce on hand, you may prepare a Bolognese sauce or a simplified version of the traditional.

Spaghetti Bolognese is a well-known spaghetti dish that is prepared with a tomato sauce and ground beef or pig. A traditional Italian ragu or beef sauce takes hours to cook, but this is a fast variation.

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound beef ground
• 1 finely diced onion
• 3 smashed garlic cloves
• 1 grated tiny carrot
• seasoned with salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tin (crushed) tomatoes
• 1 pizza sauce jar
• 1 cup beef boullion
• chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method

1. In a heavy pan, slowly heat your olive oil.
2. Sauté the onion gently for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown.
3. Cook for another minute after adding the garlic.
4. Cook the ground beef until it has browned.
5. Combine the crushed tomatoes, pizza sauce, and bouillon in a mixing bowl.
6. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then stir in the oregano.
7. Let the sauce to come to a simmer after stirring it.
8. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
9. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the fresh herbs.
10. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese over spaghetti.

Final Thoughts

Pizza sauce may be used to make pasta sauce. Nevertheless, since the two sauces vary in components and consistency, and because pizza sauce is uncooked, alterations and additions are required for a perfect pasta sauce.

Adding fried onions, garlic, and fresh herbs, as well as crushed tomatoes and bouillon, can transform a pizza sauce into a superb pasta sauce.