5 Pasta Sauces You Cant Miss for a Perfect Meal

Marinara sauce is one of the most common and popular pasta sauces in the world. It’s very easy to prepare and can be made quickly at home. Marinara is an Italian-American sauce that falls under the category of tomato-based sauces. Traditional Italian marinara sauce is usually much thinner than regular tomato sauce. Dishes like spaghetti, lasagna, linguine, and penne are perfect types of pasta to pair with this flavorful marinara sauce. Interestingly, you can also use similar ingredients from this sauce to prepare various types of pizza sauces.

How to Make Marinara Sauce

To prepare marinara sauce, you’ll need grated tomatoes, chopped onions and garlic, and Italian herbs. In some regions, people often add tangy ingredients like pomegranate molasses to this type of sauce. The preparation process is relatively simple and takes about 20 to 30 minutes. If needed, you can store this sauce in a disposable sauce container in the fridge for a while. To make this delicious sauce, follow the steps below:

1. Heat olive oil in a pot.

2. Sauté the chopped onions and garlic in the oil until fragrant.

3. Add grated tomatoes, herbs (typically dried oregano), salt, and pepper. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Your sauce is ready. Remove it from the heat and serve over your favorite pasta.

Another type of pasta sauce is Bolognese, which has its own loyal following among pasta sauce lovers. This sauce is based on ground meat and tomatoes, and those who prefer meat in their pasta usually enjoy Bolognese sauce. In different parts of Italy, this sauce is also known as ragù. One could say that Bolognese pasta is the closest type of pasta to Iranian macaroni.

How to Make Bolognese Sauce

Dishes like tagliatelle, fettuccine, spaghetti, and rigatoni are the best types of pasta to pair with Bolognese sauce, and you can enjoy them with their incredible flavor. Follow the steps below to prepare this sauce:

1. Add the chopped onion to the olive oil and butter that you've heated in a pan. Fry them until they turn golden.

2. Add the chopped carrots and celery, and sauté for 2 minutes.

3. Add the ground meat and cook until it changes color. Then, add salt and pepper.

4. Reduce the heat to low, add the milk, and let it heat up.

5. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Once the milk evaporates, add the tomatoes.

6. Lower the heat and let it cook for 30 to 60 minutes.

7. When serving the sauce with pasta, add plenty of grated Parmesan cheese. Additionally, for serving this sauce on the go, like at work or during outdoor activities, you can use disposable containers.

Pomodoro is a type of pasta sauce known as a very old tomato-based sauce, and it was one of the first sauces created specifically for pasta. "Pomodoro" is the Italian word for tomato, which is the main ingredient in this sauce. Chef Ippolito Cavalcanti included this sauce in his cookbook, turning it into a national favorite. As a result, the sauce was officially registered in 1837. It’s worth noting that the best types of pasta to pair with Pomodoro sauce include spaghetti, rigatoni, angel hair, penne, and gnocchi.

How to Make Pomodoro Sauce

To prepare Pomodoro sauce, you’ll need tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, and salt. Once you have your ingredients ready, follow these steps to make the sauce:

1. Start by sautéing the garlic in olive oil.

2. Peel the tomatoes and boil them until they soften.

3. Add the pureed tomatoes and set the heat to medium.

4. Season the sauce with salt and stir continuously until it thickens.

5. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the basil, allowing its aroma to infuse the sauce.

6. Before adding the pasta, remove the basil leaves from the sauce.

7. If your sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding some of the pasta cooking water, which will also enhance the flavor. This technique can also be used when making lighter, diet-friendly sauces.

8. Finally, your Pomodoro sauce is ready. Add it to your pasta.