marinara

/ˈmɛrəˌnɛrə/

Do you love red sauce on your spaghetti? Then you're a fan of marinara, the common tomato-based pasta topping.

In Italy, the word marinara is mainly used for specific pasta recipes, like spaghetti alla marinara, literally "mariner's style spaghetti." Experts aren't sure where the name comes from, though some claim it's inspired by fishermen adding seaweed to the sauce to make it saltier. If you want a classic red sauce in Italy, order pomodoro (which means "tomato") instead. In North America, marinara is the most common name for any tomato-based pasta or pizza sauce.

Definitions of marinara

1. noun

   sauce for pasta; contains tomatoes and garlic and herbs
   type of:

   pasta sauce, spaghetti sauce

   any of numerous sauces for spaghetti or other kinds of pasta