Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tomato-based sauce for pasta: "marinara" is a simple Italian-American sauce primarily made from tomatoes, garlic, herbs (such as oregano and basil), and onions. It is typically not cooked for a very long time, resulting in a bright, fresh flavor.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • For dinner, we had spaghetti with marinara.
  • This recipe calls for a cup of homemade marinara.
  • The pizza was topped with cheese and marinara sauce.

Advanced Usage

• As a modifier: "Marinara" is often used attributively before nouns like "sauce" to specify the type.
  • I prefer a simple marinara sauce over a meaty ragù.

Variants and Related Words

• Marinara sauce: The full, most common term for the sauce.
  • She simmered the marinara sauce for an hour.

Synonyms

• Tomato sauce: A more general term that can include marinara but also other styles of cooked tomato sauce.
• Red sauce: A casual term for any tomato-based pasta sauce.

Notes on Meaning

• The term "marinara" originates from Italian, meaning "sailor's style" (). It traditionally referred to a simple, quick-cooking sauce made with ingredients that could be stored on ships, like tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. In modern English usage, especially in the United States, it specifically denotes this particular style of tomato sauce. It is distinct from other pasta sauces like bolognese (a meat-based sauce) or alfredo (a cream-based sauce).

Noun

1. sauce for pasta; contains tomatoes and garlic and herbs