Is pizza sauce and pasta sauce the same? What is the difference between pizza and pasta sauce? Can you use one in the place of the other? How are they prepared? You are probably asking these possible questions. In this article, we shall answer these and other questions you have.
The truth is you can substitute these sauces, but you need to use some tips to achieve that. These sauces are made using tomatoes, and you can enjoy them with any other food of your choice.
What Is Pizza Sauce?
Pizza sauce is an uncooked sauce made with pureed tomatoes or plain tomato sauce and tomato paste. The sauce is thick, and the thickness prevents the pizza from becoming soggy as it cooks. Pizza sauce is rich in spices such as oregano. You can make the sauce flavorful by adding salt, garlic, onion powder, sugar, and Italian seasoning. These flavors work very well with the oils and fats in the cheese used to make pizza.
What is Pasta Sauce?
Pasta sauce is also called spaghetti sauce and is made of crushed tomatoes. The amount of water in tomatoes makes the sauce thin to cover the spaghetti completely and retain the flavor. Pasta sauce is made with simple ingredients like salt, pepper, and oregano.
Pizza Sauce Vs. Pasta Sauce Ingredients
You need tomato puree, tomato paste, garlic, onion, salt, olive oil, and granulated sugar to make pizza sauce. Italian seasoning and fresh basil would do the magic to add an extra oregano flavor. Pasta sauce requires much more than just tomatoes. You will also need onions, dried basil, salt, and garlic. You can add spices and herbs for flavor.
Pizza Sauce Vs. Pasta Sauce Preparation
The major difference in preparation is that pizza sauce is not cooked while pasta sauce is. Pizza is made by putting the sauce between unheated cheese and uncooked dough to get the final product. Pizza sauce cooks in the oven together with the dough. When the pizza is cooked, you get fresh tomato flavor.
Pasta sauce requires only 10minutes to simmer, but you can let it simmer for long if you want a deep flavor. The more the sauce cooks, the thicker it becomes, so you will need to stir occasionally and add water. It would help if you poured pasta sauce on the cooked pasta, and the flavor penetrates the pasta noodles.
Pizza Sauce Vs. Pasta Sauce Consistency
Because of the puree, pizza sauce is thicker than pasta sauce. Most people love crunchy pizza, so you need to put thick sauce on it to prevent it from becoming soggy when it cooks.
Pasta sauce is thin to spread on the noodles effectively. no one loves sticky pasta! In most cases, you are likely to find chunks of tomatoes in pasta sauce compared to smooth thick pizza sauce.
What are Other Differences between Pizza Sauce and Pasta Sauce?
Unlike pizza sauce, you may find Italian sausage or ground beef in the pasta sauce. Also, pasta sauce has more water, is less spicy, and is a little more complex to prepare than pizza sauce. Another key difference is in the kind of tomatoes you use. Pizza sauce uses pureed tomatoes, while pasta sauces use chopped or diced tomatoes.
Also Read: Marinara Sauce Vs Spaghetti Sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Substitute Pasta Sauce with Pizza Sauce?
Yes, you can! Although, you will need to strain the sauce to remove excess water and then cook it a bit longer to get the desired thickness. If you find any tomato chunks in the sauce, pass it through a blender to achieve a smooth consistency.
How is pizza sauce different from regular pasta sauce?
Not all pizza sauces are made using tomatoes; some are made using dairy products like cheese or pesto. Most sauces made with tomatoes are red, but you will find pizza sauces that are white or those that adopt the color of the primary ingredient. In addition, pizza sauce has fewer ingredients than regular pasta sauce.
Conclusion
The next time you are torn between preparing pizza sauce and pasta sauce, there is no need to refer to cookbooks; you now know the difference. You can use spaghetti sauce for seasoning, while pizza sauce works best with toppings to give flavor.
The commonest pasta sauce is tomato sauce, but you can find many other sauces. The good news is that you can make both of these sauces at home. You can find the ingredients locally in a grocery store near you. Remember, you need to cook pasta sauce but, pizza sauce does not require coking.