Even the pickiest eaters love a plate of pasta with a simple sauce. It’s such a delicious meal, how could you not?
There are a lot of amazing pasta sauces to choose from, but the two most common in Italian-American cuisine are Marinara and Alfredo.
Whenever I want to make a simple pasta at home, I’m completely torn between these two classic sauces. Alfredo is rich, creamy, and garlicky while marinara is tangy, light, and well-seasoned.
Though they are both popular, flavorful, and versatile, the two sauces couldn’t be more different.
Alfredo vs. Marinara
When it comes to Italian cuisine, there are few sauces that are as beloved and widely used as Alfredo and Marinara sauce. Both are staple traditional sauces in Italian-American cooking and are used in a wide variety of dishes.
Alfredo sauce is a creamy and indulgent sauce made with butter, heavy whipping cream, and parmesan cheese, while marinara sauce is a bold tomato-based sauce with garlic and herbs.
Alfredo sauce and marinara sauce are each delicious in their own right, but they are quite distinct from one another. Both alfredo and marinara have many uses in Italian cooking and neither one is better than the other.
One fortunate similarity is that both sauces are relatively easy to make. Any home cook can make them from scratch with minimal time and equipment. They have very few ingredients and don’t require any special skills to craft.
Beyond that, Alfredo and marinara sauces are quite different from each other. Dig into the differences between Alfredo and marinara and find some of our favorite recipes using each!
Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo sauce is a creamy white sauce, typically made with heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and butter. As you can imagine, Alfredo sauce is a hearty sauce, known to be very rich.
Alfredo sauce originated in the dish fettuccine alfredo, which was created by Chef Alfredo di Lelio in Rome. It has since become a very popular dish in Italian-American cuisine and for good reason.
Alfredo sauce is most commonly enjoyed in its traditional fettuccine alfredo or chicken alfredo, but it is also a popular choice for lasagnas, pizzas, and baked pasta dishes.
Mortadella Head Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
½ cup unsalted butter
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Add the cream and cook on low. When the cream starts to bubble, add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and stir in well.
- Simmer the sauce until it has just thickened, stirring often.
Recipes with Alfredo Sauce
Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is a tomato-based sauce that is used in a lot of Italian dishes. It is a red sauce often made with a base of tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, basil, and salt. Traditional marinara sauce is quite simple, but other recipes may include red pepper flakes or other Italian herbs.
Marinara is a very light sauce in comparison to Alfredo as it is made with primarily tomatoes and does not typically contain dairy or meat.
Marinara sauce is often used interchangeably with tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce in a variety of pasta dishes, sandwiches, meat dishes, and pizzas.
Mortadella Head Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cups Spanish onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon black pepper
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on the stove over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the tomato and water and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add basil.
- Simmer for 1 ½ hours on low heat, stirring often to prevent sticking and burning.
Recipes with Marinara Sauce
Which Is Healthier: Alfredo or Marinara?
Alfredo is generally regarded as the less healthy pasta sauce, though it depends on your dietary needs and goals. Because the ingredients of alfredo and marinara are so starkly different, their nutritional facts are very different as well.
The nutritional content of the two sauces will vary from recipe to recipe and store-bought sauce will have many differences from homemade versions of the same sauce. One major difference is that jarred sauce tends to have added sugars, while homemade sauces rarely do.
In a ½ cup serving of an average homemade marinara sauce, you will find:
- 50 calories
- 2 grams of fat
- 5 grams of sugar
- 2 grams of protein
In an ½ cup serving of a typical homemade Alfredo sauce, you will find:
- 538 calories
- 50 grams of fat
- 2 grams of sugar
- 5 grams of protein
How many milligrams of sodium each sauce has will vary widely depending on the recipe, though Alfredo tends to have more sodium than marinara sauce.
Marinara sauce is lower in calories and fat, making it a preferable sauce choice for those that are counting calories or on a low-fat diet. It also has more fiber than Alfredo sauce as it contains mostly vegetables.
Conversely, high-fat diets are on the rise, making Alfredo an ideal sauce for many consumers. Alfredo also has fewer grams of sugar and more protein than marinara sauce.
For those reasons, one’s ideal sauce choice greatly depends on their dietary goals. Whichever you choose, both are sure to be satisfying and enjoyable!
Flavor Differences
Alfredo sauce is a salty, creamy sauce. It tastes of parmigiano reggiano cheese and garlic and has an overall milder flavor than marinara sauce.
Marinara sauce has a bold, tangy flavor that strikes the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Its dominant flavor is tomatoes with hints of garlic and basil.
What Goes Well with Each Sauce
Both marinara sauce and alfredo sauce are very versatile and taste delicious in a variety of Italian dishes. Each sauce tends to be prepared with different ingredients, however, because the flavors complement each other well.
Marinara Sauce
- Ground beef
- Italian sausage
- Mozzarella cheese
- Zucchini
- Bell peppers
- Spaghetti, ziti, and rotini
- Pairs well with red wine
Alfredo Sauce
- Chicken
- Shrimp
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Fettucini and penne
- Pairs well with white wine
Frequently Asked Questions
Is marinara sauce healthy?
How healthy a food is can be very subjective, but most would agree that marinara sauce is healthy. It is primarily made up of vegetables and has very few calories, sugars, or fat.
Homemade marinara sauce is typically healthier than store-bought sauce because of the added sugars in most jarred tomato sauces.
Which has more sodium, Alfredo or marinara?
While it can vary based on the recipe, Alfredo sauce usually has more sodium than marinara sauce. This is because Alfredo sauce has parmesan cheese and butter, both of which may add sodium to the sauce.
Is marinara sauce or Alfredo sauce better?
Marinara sauce and alfredo sauce are both delicious and versatile sauces for Italian dishes. Which one is better depends on what you’re using it for and your personal preferences. Some folks prefer marinara sauce because it is lighter and more flavorful, but Alfredo sauce is also a favorite of many because it is creamy, cheesy, and rich. Both sauces have their places in the Italian cuisine.
Which has fewer calories, Alfredo or marinara sauce?
Marinara sauce has far fewer calories than Alfredo sauce. A ½ cup portion of marinara sauce has around 50 calories, while the same serving size of alfredo sauce has around 500 calories. This is because marinara sauce is primarily tomatoes while Alfredo sauce has butter, heavy cream, and cheese, which are all high-calorie ingredients.
More Delicious Pasta Sauces
