Tomato Puree vs. Tomato Paste vs. Tomato Sauce: What's the Difference?

If you've ever spent time in the grocery store comparing tomato puree vs. paste, or maybe tomato sauce vs. marinara, you know how easy it is to get overwhelmed by these seemingly similar tomato-based products  The jars, cans, and tubes are not only displayed side by side—there are also countless brands of each, which only adds to the confusion. Here, we explain the difference between tomato paste and tomato sauce—and, with the help of two experts on Italian cuisine, we also share how marinara sauce fits into the tomato product equation.

What Is Tomato Paste?

As the name suggests, tomato paste is a highly concentrated paste of tomatoes. It is made by cooking down tomatoes and removing their seeds and juices until all that is left is a thick product with a concentrated flavor.

How to Use Tomato Paste

Because the flavor of tomato paste is so intense, you generally need only a couple of tablespoons per recipe—say for making a classic beef stew or cooking your homemade pasta sauce. It's a flavor booster rather than the main ingredient in a dish.

Buying Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is generally sold in small amounts (4 to 6 ounces) in small cans, metal tubes, and sometimes, glass jars. We recommend choosing a tube if you have the option, as it will protect the paste from spoiling once exposed to oxygen.

Storing Tomato Paste

Once opened, tubes and jars of tomato paste should be refrigerated. If you buy it in cans, take one of the following steps:

• Remove and refrigerate: Transfer any leftover tomato paste from the can to a small airtight container if you plan on using it all within a few days.
• Remove and freeze: Otherwise, portion tablespoons of tomato paste onto a baking sheet and freeze. Transfer to a freezer bag once frozen and use the frozen tomato paste within four months.

Making Tomato Paste

You can also make tomato paste. Here's how:

1. Combine 5 pounds of chopped tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and salt in a saucepan and cook slowly until the mixture thickens to a paste.
2. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to three months.

What Is Tomato Puree?

Tomato puree is another tomato product. It's sold in cans, often in 15 or 28-ounce sizes, and is made from fresh, ripe tomatoes that have been cooked and blended. It is thick and smooth. Salt and an acid, such as lemon juice, are generally added, giving tomato puree a bright flavor.

How to Use Tomato Puree

Most often, tomato puree is used as the base for sauces that pair with pasta or go on pizza.

Storing Tomato Puree

Once the can is opened, tomato puree should be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for one week. Leftover tomato puree can also be frozen. It will last 4 months in the freezer.

Tomato Paste vs. Tomato Puree

When you are deciding between tomato paste and tomato puree in the grocery store, select the product called for in the recipe you will be making. Remember that tomato paste is a concentrated product—it may seem more expensive but you use far less of it than tomato puree.

What Is Tomato Sauce?

Flavored with herbs and alliums—or not—tomato sauce can be made in a few different ways:

• Basic tomato sauce: At its most fundamental, this sauce is based on fresh or canned tomatoes (usually plum tomatoes) cooked with olive oil, chopped onions, and basil.
• Enhancements: It may include other vegetables and aromatics.
• Cooked fast or slow: It may be cooked briefly to preserve the tomato flavor or long and slow with other ingredients.
• Italian-American interpretations: Food writer Domenica Marchetti, who specializes in Italian cuisine and has written seven books on the subject, says some Italian-American cooks define tomato sauce as a quickly cooked sauce seasoned only with garlic, basil, and fresh or dried oregano.

Storing Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce does not oxidize like tomato paste, but homemade tomato sauce should be refrigerated once it has cooled completely. Store-bought tomato sauce should be refrigerated once opened and used within five to seven days.

Making Tomato Sauce

A tomato sauce is simple to make from scratch; use fresh plum tomatoes in the late summer or fall and canned tomatoes the rest of the year. Try our Simple Tomato Sauce, which takes 20 minutes, and is flavored with garlic and fresh oregano, or our All-Purpose Tomato Sauce, which starts with pureeing canned whole peeled tomatoes for a smoother result.

When to Use Tomato Sauce vs. Tomato Paste

When you are choosing between tomato sauce and tomato paste in the grocery store, select the product called for in the recipe you will be making. Bear the basics in mind:

• Tomato paste is very concentrated and needs to be cooked with other ingredients to be palatable.
• Tomato sauce, on the other hand, has a thinner consistency and can be heated through and served as a sauce for pasta or used as an ingredient in other dishes.
  

What Is Marinara Sauce?

Historically, marinara sauce, another tomato-based sauce, has included a seafood component. "In Naples, spaghetti alla marinara is a tomato sauce made with anchovies or tuna," Marchetti says. Throughout Italy, you may find marinara sauce made with anchovies, capers, and olives, which is what many people—especially in the United States—call a puttanesca sauce. "These things that have similar names can be very different depending on where you are in Italy and who is doing the cooking," she says. "If you get 10 Italian cooks together, each one will give you a different version of what marinara sauce is."

Tomato Sauce vs. Marinara Sauce

The difference between tomato paste and tomato sauce is clear; the distinction between tomato sauce and marinara sauce is less apparent since the terms are frequently used interchangeably. Compounding the murkiness:

• Both are tomato-based sauces used for pasta
• They have many other applications and appear in dishes like homemade pizza or lasagna
• Ultimately, there isn't a clear answer: Ideas on how marinara differs from tomato sauce vary based on regionality and tradition
  

But according to Lidia Bastianich, a renowned chef, restauranteur, and the author of more than a dozen cookbooks (including Lidia's Italian Table), there are a few differentiating characteristics:

• Marinara sauce is a quicker, less complex product than tomato sauce and can be left chunky or smooth.
• It is also commonly made with crushed tomatoes, whereas tomato sauce traditionally begins with puréed tomatoes, she says.

Choosing Between Marinara Sauce and Tomato Sauce

In the United States, you'll find jars in the grocery store labeled as "tomato sauce" or "marinara sauce." They vary by brand—and some brands' tomato sauces may be similar to another brand's marinara.

Typically, these basic store-bought sauces do not contain traditional ingredients such as anchovies, capers, and olives. A particular sauce may be chunky or smooth and labeled as such—or it might call out certain herbs like basil as being prominent in its flavor. Always read the label to make sure that the ingredients will be palatable to you and your family's needs and tastes. Ultimately, that's more important than what the sauce is called.