Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I put on spaghetti if I don't have sauce? ›

Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.

A classic pasta sauce crafted with vine-ripened tomatoes and well-storied passion. Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Salt, Olive Oil, Sugar, Dehydrated Onions, Dehydrated Garlic, Spices, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

Carrot and Beet Sauce

Similar to marinara but with a different flavor, carrots, and beets offer a ton of nutrition and can be supplemented in many dishes that use tomato sauce. Try sauteeing the vegetables with onion, garlic, and olive oil, then blend to desired texture. Add seasonings to taste.

Add depth to pasta sauce

Tomato paste is great to have on hand when making a tomato-based pasta sauce, since it can intensify the umami tomato flavors already present. It's a key ingredient in this simple marinara sauce, which you can make entirely from canned tomatoes.

To ensure a uniform, smooth texture. Tomato skins are tough and hard to chew, so removing them before you make sauces – especially canned sauces – is important. Avoid bitter flavor.

It is widely held that Italian immigrants began adding sugar to their sauce to make up for the overly acidic tomatoes they were forced to work with in their new home. But the history of sugar in pasta sauce actually goes back to Italy itself.

The reason for sprinkling a pinch of sugar into a simmering saucepan of tomatoes is simple: sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and creates an overall more balanced sauce. The exact acid levels in tomatoes can vary quite a bit depending on whether they're fresh or canned, the tomato variety, and the time of year.

Is marinara sauce the same as spaghetti sauce? Marinara is typically a simple tomato sauce. Spaghetti sauce, however, usually implies that a little something extra has been added, like meat or vegetables.

How do you deepen the flavor of spaghetti sauce? ›

Spice it up

If you're using a plain tomato (marinara) sauce, stir in seasonings to add extra flavor. Red pepper flakes, dehydrated or fresh garlic, dried oregano, parsley, or basil, or an Italian seasoning blend are all good options.

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

Jarred tomato sauce is a supermarket staple and a quick, affordable dinner fix with many uses. Add fresh herbs to finish, or brown meat, onions, shallots, and/or garlic before heating the sauce. To add texture or change the flavor profile, add vegetables like red peppers or eggplant.

More Tomato Sauce Substitutes: Ketchup and Tomato Soup

Ketchup: Use 1 cup of ketchup in place of 1 cup of tomato sauce. Add spices to tweak the flavor as needed. A bit of basil is a good choice. Tomato Soup: Add a 10 3/4-ounce can of tomato soup.

Add pasta water to the sauce

If you realize you haven't made enough sauce, Lidia Bastianich says you can stretch it by adding pasta water to the mix (via Today). She recommends pouring some leftover pasta water into the sauce mixture and cooking it on low until the liquid fully absorbs into the pasta.