Common Ingredients in marinara Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over twenty popular marinara recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredients in marinara dishes are olive oil and garlic.

Tomatoes, onion and parsley are also common ingredients in marinara recipes. For herbs and spices, basil and oregano are popular. Variations include:

• carrots and celery in place of parsley

Salt is in 90% of marinara recipes and pepper, 65%.

The average marinara recipe has about 9.6 ingredients, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 19.

In terms of directions, marinara recipes have about 3 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 6 instructions.

An average marinara recipe takes about 47 minutes to prepare, ranging from 10 minutes to 4 hours.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Marinara

For a quarter cup olive oil (54 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single marinara recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with olive oil	Potential subsitutions
garlic	4 clove (12 g)	4.2 clove (13 g)	89%
tomatoes	21 ounce (596 g)	45 ounce (1276 g)	57%
basil	4 teaspoon (2 g)	13.7 teaspoon (7 g)	57%	rosemary
onion	1.4 small (100 g)	2.3 small (159 g)	46%
oregano	1 teaspoon (1 g)	10.1 teaspoon (10 g)	39%
parsley	0.17 cup (10 g)	0.41 cup (25 g)	32%	carrots celery
carrots	1 (72 g)	1.7 (122 g)	21%	parsley jalapeno shallots spinach

Ingredients by Average Weight in Marinara

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in marinara recipes. This would be: 49% tomatoes, 14% onion, 13% olive oil, 12% marinara sauce, 4% carrots, 3% garlic, 2% parmigiano reggiano and 1% parsley.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

salt

Salt is the most popular ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 90% of marinara recipes contain salt.

Salt is often included in marinara dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon or three quarters of a teaspoon.

In marinara recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For marinara recipes, salt is frequently used with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, basil and onion.

olive oil

Another popular ingredient in marinara is olive oil. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 90% have olive oil.

Olive oil is often included in marinara dishes in amounts of a quarter cup, 1 tablespoon or 2 tablespoons.

In marinara recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 6% by weight.

In recipes for marinara, olive oil is often used with salt, garlic, tomatoes, basil and onion.

garlic

Garlic is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 90% of marinara recipes contain garlic.

Minced, chopped, sliced, peeled and smashed are frequent preparations for garlic in marinara dishes.

Common quantities for garlic in marinara dishes include 4 cloves, 1 clove or 2 cloves.

In marinara recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 1.3% by weight.

Olive oil, salt, basil, tomatoes and onion are commonly used together with garlic in marinara dishes.

pepper

Another popular ingredient in marinara is pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 65% have pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• black pepper: 47% of recipes

For marinara recipes, pepper is frequently used with garlic, olive oil, salt, basil and tomatoes. However, white wine, spaghetti, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p and butter are almost never used together with pepper in marinara dishes.

black pepper

Black pepper is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 45% of marinara recipes contain black pepper.

Ground is a frequent preparation for black pepper in marinara dishes.

Black pepper is often included in marinara dishes in amounts of a quarter teaspoon or half a teaspoon.

In marinara recipes that contain black pepper, it is on average, 0% by weight.

For marinara recipes, black pepper is frequently used with olive oil, salt, garlic, onion and tomatoes. However, jalapeno, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p and eggs are almost never used together with black pepper in marinara dishes.

tomatoes

Tomatoes is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 65% of marinara recipes contain tomatoes.

Variations of tomatoes include:

• tomato paste: 10% of recipes
• tomato sauce: 10% of recipes
• san marzano tomatoes certified d o p: 7% of recipes

In recipes for marinara, tomatoes is often used with olive oil, salt, garlic, onion and oregano. On the other hand, tomatoes is almost never used with parmigiano reggiano, marinara sauce, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p and butter.

basil

Another popular ingredient in marinara is basil. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 55% have basil.

Torn, dried, chopped and sliced are frequent preparations for basil in marinara dishes.

Common quantities for basil in marinara dishes include 1 teaspoon or a quarter cup.

In marinara recipes that contain basil, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

Garlic, olive oil, salt, tomatoes and black pepper are commonly used together with basil in marinara dishes.

Potential substitutions for basil in marinara:

• rosemary

Also, basil is not often used with mussels, white wine, spaghetti, jalapeno and shallots.

onion

Another popular ingredient in marinara is onion. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 45% have onion.

Marinara dishes often call for onion to be diced, chopped and minced.

Onion is often included in marinara dishes in amounts of 1 small or 1 medium.

In marinara recipes that contain onion, it is on average, 13% by weight.

In recipes for marinara, onion is often used with olive oil, salt, garlic, tomatoes and oregano. On the other hand, onion is almost never used with san marzano tomatoes certified d o p and butter.

oregano

Oregano is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 40% of marinara recipes contain oregano.

Dried and chopped are frequent preparations for oregano in marinara dishes.

Common quantities for oregano in marinara dishes include half a teaspoon or 1 teaspoon.

In marinara recipes that contain oregano, it is on average, 0.7% by weight.

Olive oil, garlic, salt, tomatoes and onion are commonly used together with oregano in marinara dishes. Conversely, oregano is not often used with rosemary, tomato sauce, shallots and butter.

parsley

Another popular ingredient in marinara is parsley. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 30% have parsley.

Chopped and minced are frequent preparations for parsley in marinara dishes.

Parsley is often included in marinara dishes in amounts of a quarter cup or half a cup.

In marinara recipes that contain parsley, it is on average, 1.4% by weight.

For marinara recipes, parsley is frequently used with olive oil, salt, garlic, oregano and tomatoes.

Potential substitutions for parsley in marinara:

• carrots
• celery

Also, parsley is not often used with sugar and tomato sauce.

parmigiano reggiano

Parmigiano reggiano is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 20% of marinara recipes contain parmigiano reggiano.

Marinara dishes often call for parmigiano reggiano to be grated.

In marinara recipes that contain parmigiano reggiano, it is on average, 3% by weight.

In recipes for marinara, parmigiano reggiano is often used with salt, black pepper, garlic, olive oil and marinara sauce. On the other hand, parmigiano reggiano is almost never used with sugar, mussels, tomato paste, spaghetti, jalapeno, celery and san marzano tomatoes certified d o p.

carrots

Another popular ingredient in marinara is carrots. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 20% have carrots.

Peeled, chopped and shredded are frequent preparations for carrots in marinara dishes.

In marinara recipes that contain carrots, it is on average, 9% by weight.

Salt, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and onion are commonly used together with carrots in marinara dishes.

Potential substitutions for carrots in marinara:

• parsley
• jalapeno
• shallots
• spinach

Also, carrots is not often used with marinara sauce, mussels, rosemary, white wine, spaghetti, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p, eggs and butter.

thyme

Thyme is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 15% of marinara recipes contain thyme.

Thyme is often included in marinara dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon.

In marinara recipes that contain thyme, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

For marinara recipes, thyme is frequently used with olive oil, garlic, salt, onion and tomatoes. However, marinara sauce, sugar, mussels, tomato paste, spaghetti, jalapeno, celery, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p, eggs and spinach are almost never used together with thyme in marinara dishes.

marinara sauce

Another popular ingredient in marinara is marinara sauce. From the recipes we've sampled for marinara, over 10% have marinara sauce.

In marinara recipes that contain marinara sauce, it is on average, 49% by weight.

In recipes for marinara, marinara sauce is often used with salt, parmigiano reggiano, pepper, olive oil and basil. On the other hand, marinara sauce is almost never used with carrots, thyme, sugar, mussels, rosemary, white wine, tomato paste, tomato sauce, spaghetti, jalapeno, celery, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p and shallots.

sugar

Sugar is another common ingredient in marinara dishes. In fact, over 10% of marinara recipes contain sugar.

In marinara recipes that contain sugar, it is on average, 0.3% by weight.

Olive oil, garlic, salt, basil and tomatoes are commonly used together with sugar in marinara dishes. Conversely, sugar is not often used with parsley, parmigiano reggiano, thyme, marinara sauce, mussels, rosemary, white wine, tomato sauce, spaghetti, jalapeno, celery, san marzano tomatoes certified d o p, eggs, shallots, butter and spinach.

Other marinara Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in marinara recipes include:

• mussels - 10%
• white wine - 10%
• rosemary - 10%
• spaghetti - 5%
• jalapeno - 5%
• celery - 5%
• eggs - 5%
• shallots - 5%
• butter - 5%
• spinach - 5%

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