The difference between marinara and pomodora sauce?
Marinara is runnier and more liquidy than pomodoro, but it’s also a chunkier sauce. You cut tomatoes when making marinara, but mince them when preparing pomodoro. Pomodoro is thick and smooth; marinara is runny and chunky.
The other big differences are their colors and cook times. Since marinara simmers for a shorter period of time, it keeps more of its bright red and orange hues. Pomodoro, on the other hand, can simmer slowly for hours, resulting in a deeper, darker red (although in the interest of saving you time, many of the recipes listed below only take 30 minutes!).
Recipe by
What you need
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 2-1/4 cups)
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbs.)
- 5 (28-oz.) cans whole tomatoes in purée
- 1/2 bunch fresh basil (6 to 8 sprigs), stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 Tbs. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large (6- to 8-quart) saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the onions at the same time.
- Sauté until very soft, about 12 minutes.Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes, but do not let it brown (turn down the heat if you see browning).
- Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
- Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add the basil and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Remove the pan from the heat and season with the salt and pepper.
- Using an immersion blender and purée until mostly smooth but still chunky.