5 Uses for Jarred Tomato Sauce That Aren’t Spaghetti

Make the most out of this pantry staple.

April 23, 2020
Easy Pesto Lasagna Roll-Ups, as seen on Food Network Kitchen.

Easy Pesto Lasagna Roll-Ups, as seen on Food Network Kitchen.

Photo by: Lauren Volo

Lauren Volo

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Whenever there’s a jar or two of tomato sauce sitting in the pantry, our minds at dinnertime often go straight to one place: spaghetti. It’s so tempting to just cook up your noodles, heat up the sauce and combine the two with some grated parmesan for a gloriously easy meal. However, your jarred tomato sauce deserves better — this versatile pantry staple can do so much more than top your spaghetti. Here are five recipes that’ll change the way you use jarred tomato sauce for good.

Easy Pesto Lasagna Roll-Ups (pictured above)

Whether you’re strapped for time or just want an easy dinner, this take on lasagna calls for only six ingredients: lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, pesto, a jar of marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan. In her quick class, Kelly Senyei will show you how to roll up each lasagna noodle with a creamy filling and arrange them in a pool of marinara sauce. You’ll have a flavor-packed dinner on the table in a flash.

Ravioli Lasagna with Arugula

Justin Chapple features Ravioli Lasagna with Arugula, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Justin Chapple features Ravioli Lasagna with Arugula, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Photo by: Brian David

Brian David

No lasagna noodles on hand? No problem. Justin Chapple’s lasagna class swaps in store-bought cheese ravioli as the base. Boil the ravioli until they’re about halfway cooked, chop up some fresh mozzarella and sauté ground beef with jarred marinara sauce to make a quick Bolognese. Layer all your ingredients into a baking dish for an easy but hearty meal.

Warm Chicken Parmesan Salad

Warm Chicken Parmesan Salad, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Warm Chicken Parmesan Salad, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Photo by: Scott Gries

Scott Gries

Giada shows you how to lighten up a fan-favorite comfort food. Cook along with her in her class on the Food Network Kitchen App, and you’ll have a gooey, cheesy meal in under 15 minutes. The time-saving trick is to coat the chicken in jarred marinara sauce, top with mozzarella and cover the pan. Once the cheese melts, place the chicken parmesan on top of a bed of arugula, basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie beauty, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Spaghetti Pie beauty, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Photo by: Sean Rosenthal

Sean Rosenthal

Your days of dumping a jar of tomato sauce on top of a bowl of spaghetti are long gone. Take traditional spaghetti to a whole new level by serving it as a pie. In her spaghetti pie class, Catherine McCord builds cooked noodles, a chunky ground turkey tomato sauce and grated parmesan into a pie pan, which gives the “pie” a crispy crust with a melty center.

Spaghetti Squash "Lasagna" with Chicken Sausage

Alyssa Gagarin features Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Chicken Sausage, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Alyssa Gagarin features Spaghetti Squash Lasagna with Chicken Sausage, as seen on Food Network Kitchen Live.

Photo by: Brian David Photography

Brian David Photography

That jar of marinara sauce in your pantry is the key to unifying the myriad of ingredients in Alyssa Gagarin’s spaghetti squash lasagna. Scrape out a roasted spaghetti squash and layer the flesh with cooked chicken sausage, balsamic onions, a homemade cashew “ricotta” and, of course, marinara sauce. Once assembled, serve this dish up warm, or meal prep it for a week’s worth of easy dinners.

Find step-by-step classes (plus more tips and tricks) for these recipes and beyond on the Food Network Kitchen app. And if you give any of these dishes a go, use #WeCook when you post photos of your creations on Instagram. You might just see them on our page!

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