Take pasta night to the next level with this five cheese marinara! We use a whopping five different kinds of cheese for this simple recipe, making this pasta sauce a cheese lover’s dream.
Your New Favorite Pasta Sauce
If you’re anything like me and tend to put a mountain of cheese on top of your marinara pasta, welcome to your happy place. This marinara was made for you!
Packed with five different cheeses, the sauce itself is cheesy enough on its own — even for the biggest cheeseheads out there. But if you still want to top your pasta dish with an extra layer of cheese, no one is stopping you! Cheese adds a lovely texture element as well.
We love this marinara recipe because it is super versatile. Use it as a dipping sauce, as a marinade for chicken, fish, or steak, or add it to your favorite pasta recipe! The options are truly endless.
why THIS marinara sauce?
Out of all the recipes on the internet, why choose this marinara sauce for your pasta dish?
- ready in 4 simple steps
- takes just 15 minutes to make
- versatile
- full of flavor
- oh-so CHEESY
Featured Ingredients
- Onion and garlic: onion and garlic are truly the base of this sauce. They’re cooked down in olive oil and salt to make this pasta sauce savory and delicious.
- Italian seasoning: a no-brainer when making an Italian dish, and the perfect seasoning for your onions and garlic.
- Tomato paste: tomato paste is what gives this sauce its red color and rich, tomatoey flavor.
- Crushed tomatoes: You can’t have a good marinara sauce without tomatoes!
- Granulated sugar: a classic Italian secret ingredient, sugar cuts down on the acidity of the tomatoes, creating a more balanced flavor.
- 5 cheese blend: asiago, romano, parmesan, mascarpone, and mozzarella cheese are our fab five for this recipe!
How to Make Five Cheese Marinara Sauce
SAUTE GARLIC + ONION
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes until transparent.
Then add garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
ADD TOMATOES
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomato paste, stirring frequently. Then add the crushed tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 10 minutes.
FOLD THE CHEESE
Now it’s time to add the best part: the CHEESE!
Fold the cheese into the marinara sauce and simmer for an additional 10 minutes until nice and creamy.
SERVE + ENJOY!
Serve your cheesy marinara sauce over your choice of pasta, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
While marinara sauce is commonly served on top of pasta, it’s actually really versatile! Here are a few other yummy ways to serve it!
- Homemade Pizza: Ditch the tomato sauce the next time you make a pizza and use this cheesy marinara instead! It’ll make your pizza night all the more delicious.
- Mozzarella Sticks: Marinara sauce acts as the perfect dip for mozzarella sticks. Try our mozzarella in Carrozza sandwiches for a unique twist!
- Garlic Bread: Our cheesy garlic bread and marinara are a match made in heaven. It makes for the most delicious appetizer for any occasion.
- On top of tortellini/ravioli: make either our homemade cheese tortellini or cheese ravioli and toss it in this easy vodka sauce.
FAQs
What is the difference between spaghetti sauce and marinara?
Spaghetti sauce is more robust and typically contains meat. On the other hand, Marinara sauce doesn’t contain meat and has a thinner consistency. Marinara is also commonly used as a dipping sauce, while spaghetti sauce is not.
How do I thicken my marinara sauce?
If you find that your marinara sauce is a little runny, adding a cornstarch slurry can easily thicken it up. Just add 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Then stir it into your sauce.
Why add sugar to marinara sauce?
If you find that your marinara sauce is a little runny, adding a cornstarch slurry can easily thicken it up. Just add 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Then stir it into your sauce.
How do you get marinara sauce to stick to pasta?
Instead of letting your pasta sit in the strainer draining out all the water, try moving the pasta from the hot water and immediately transferring it into your pot with the sauce. The pasta will still be hot and cooking, allowing it to bind better with the marinara.
Storage
Store leftover marinara sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To reheat the sauce: Add the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil, uncovered over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Five Cheese Marinara
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ oz. shredded asiago cheese ~¼ cup
- ¾ oz. shredded romano cheese ~¼ cup
- ¾ oz. shredded parmesan cheese ~¼ cup
- 2 oz. mascarpone cheese ¼ cup
- 2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese ~½ cup
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium/high heat. When the oil is fragrant, add the diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.
- Reduce the heat to low/medium and add the tomato paste, stirring often. Next, add the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Fold the cheese into the marinara sauce and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve over your choice of pasta.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe serves 8 and yields approximately 5 cups of sauce.
- We used a variety of cheeses in this recipe. It could be all parmesan or all asiago, but then it would not be a 5 cheese sauce. Ricotta could also be subbed for mascarpone.
- Spice the sauce up and add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper with the salt and Italian seasoning.
- This sauce is on the thick side; add pasta sauce or broth to thin it to desired consistency.
