Tomato sauce vs. Marinara sauce — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Introduction

Marinara and tomato sauce are tomato-based sauces that are used worldwide.

In this article, we will compare them to one another according to their general differences, nutritional content, and health impacts.

What's The Actual Difference?

The marinara sauce is more complex when it comes to taste and preparation, containing tomatoes, herbs, spices, garlic, onions, and some optional ingredients such as capers and olives. It can be used for various purposes, from simple dips to pasta sauces. Marinara sauce is very aromatic. 

Tomato sauce can refer to various sauces made primarily of tomatoes that are typically served as part of a dish rather than as a condiment. Tomato sauces are commonly used with meat and vegetables, but they are perhaps best known as the foundation for sauces for Mexican salsas and Italian pasta dishes.

The main difference is that marinara is a simple sauce made with garlic, crushed red pepper, and basil that takes about an hour to prepare. In contrast, tomato sauce is thick, rich, and complex. It takes hours to make. Tomato sauce typically contains additional ingredients, such as vegetables and salt pork.

You can read about pizza sauce vs. marinara sauce in this article.

Nutrition

In this comparison, we will use low-sodium marinara sauce and no-salt tomato sauce.

It is important to note that each person can prepare these sauces in their own way when it comes to homemade sauces. Thus, the nutritional compositions can vary. Someone can add more olive oil or salt, and this will eventually affect their nutritional composition and, ultimately, their health impacts. 

Minerals

The marinara sauce has more calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium than tomato sauce. However, it's not significantly higher, or high in general. 

On the other hand, tomato sauce contains more iron and copper.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Tomato sauce

3

Marinara sauce

5

Contains more IronIron	+23.1%
Contains more CopperCopper	+42%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-63.3%

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+20%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+92.9%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+25.9%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+21.2%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+83.3%

~equal in Potassium ~319mg

~equal in Zinc ~0.2mg

Vitamins

The marinara sauce provides more Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin B3, and Vitamin B6 than tomato sauce.

On the other hand, tomato sauce contains more Vitamin C.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Tomato sauce

2

Marinara sauce

7

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+250%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+∞%

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+49.4%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+66.7%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+295.3%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+76.5%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+396.4%
Contains more FolateFolate	+44.4%
Contains more CholineCholine	+38.4%

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B1 ~0.024mg

~equal in Vitamin B2 ~0.061mg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Health Impact

Since tomato and marinara sauces are used in preparing other foods, it is more important to consider their health implications in their applications.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945587/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7999488/