The Perfect Marinara Pasta (Super Quick and Easy Recipe!)

This Marinara Pasta recipe is the quickest and easiest one you'll ever come across and it can be ready and on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes! 

It's the perfect recipe for busy moms to whip out of their back pockets at a moment's notice, and features classic, wholesome flavors that your family is going to fall in love with!

We all need a quick and easy dinner meal recipe that's not only filling but also absolutely delicious. This recipe ticks all those boxes and more! I'm sure you're going to fall in love with it from the first time to make it!

Want to learn how to make this delicious quick and easy Marinara Pasta at home? Then keep on reading!

What is a Marinara Pasta?

Marinara Pasta is a delicious combination of marinara sauce with pasta for a classic Italian pasta dish! All the flavors in this pasta come from the delicious marinara sauce, which is a tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and onions.

In Italy, this sauce is traditionally used to flavor pasta or pizza. But more and more people are using Marinara sauce to dip fried foods, like seafood dishes such as fried shrimp, or spread it on bread croutons.

To make things quick and easy for you, we'll be using pasta sauce and mixing in the right ingredients for authentic flavors in under 30 minutes!

What Makes This Marinara Pasta Recipe Special?

Getting that authentic marinara sauce flavor can take hours and hours of work to simmer the sauce with all the ingredients till you get it right. But we busy moms usually don't have that sort of time!

Fortunately, this delicious marinara pasta can be ready in under 30 minutes making it the perfect weeknight dinner meal!

Every busy mom needs a quick and easy recipe that they can whip out of their back pocket at a moment's notice or when the day gets away from them. After everyone comes home from a whirlwind day, we need a wholesome meal before hitting the sacks and this one is ideal!

This pasta recipe is my oldest daughter Elona's creation. She threw some ingredients together that she thought sounded good and loved the turnout.

Now she makes it for the family when she has time and in smaller portions for her work lunch box pretty often. I absolutely loved it from the first time I tried it; it's not only scrumptious but also really filling!

Meat patties are a popular meal in Ukrainian households. If you happen to have some meat patties left over from the day before, you are halfway ready for tonight's dinner.

Incorporate them into this recipe and you have a quick and delicious dinner prepared in half an hour. Add some garlic bread and a salad and it will taste like you spent half of the day in the kitchen! I hope you love it just as much as we do!

What You Need to Make Marinara Pasta at Home

All you need are some simple, pantry-staple ingredients to make this delicious pasta dish at home. Let's look at what these are:

• Pasta: First of all, to make our delicious marinara pasta we'll need some pasta! I've used spaghetti here but you can also use penne pasta or any other pasta you like the most.
• Mozzarella cheese: You'll also need some mozzarella cheese to turn this pasta into a delicious cheesy mix! It perfectly complements the marinara flavors and you're going to absolutely love it!
• Butter: For some added richness and flavor, we'll also need one tablespoon of unsalted butter in this recipe. 
• Heavy cream: You'll also need some heavy cream to get a delicious creamy consistency to the pasta sauce! 
• Pasta sauce: Since this recipe is for all the busy moms out there, we'll be using a jar of pasta sauce instead of making homemade marinara sauce. But if you want to make it at home, I recommend using San Marzano tomatoes for the best flavor. 
• Cottage cheese: Cottage cheese adds a delicious layer of flavor to the pasta dish, making it taste out of this world! 
• Salt: You'll also need some salt to taste to balance out all the flavors. I've used one teaspoon in the sauce and one tablespoon to cook the pasta. 

How to Make Marinara Pasta (Step-by-Step)

Making this Marinara Pasta at home couldn't be easier! Here's everything you need to do to make it at home:

Start by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot. I boiled mine for 5 minutes longer as we like our pasta a little more tender, but you can boil them until they're al dente.

Next, turn on a burner to medium heat then melt butter in a large skillet, and then add cooked pasta and coat it with the melted butter by stirring it several times.

Now add heavy cream and marinara sauce to the pan. Mix it into the pasta well. Heat the sauce and pasta for about 1 minute, then add cottage cheese to it.

Mix in cottage cheese with pasta and let pasta simmer for about another 2 minutes, stirring it occasionally in the middle.

Now turn the heat off and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the cheese to melt. Serve as soon as the cheese is melted. Or you can transfer pasta into an oven-safe baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350 F (my preference).

Your delicious Marinara Pasta is ready to be served!

Recipe Variation Ideas for Marinara Pasta

This delicious pasta recipe is absolutely perfect as is, but if you're looking to customize the flavors here are some ideas you can try: 

Cheese: You can add any other cheese you like the most to this pasta. Parmesan cheese is a classic one that goes well with the flavors in this pasta dish.

Vegetables: Feel free to add whichever veggies you love the most! Carrots, red peppers, olives, and capers go really well with this dish. To garnish, you can also add some fresh basil. 

Spices: If you like your food spicy, you can add some red pepper flakes to the pasta for some added heat. You can also try adding some Italian seasonings such as oregano to boost the flavor of the sauce. Drizzle some olive oil on top for a more Italian touch!

How to Store Leftover Marinara Pasta

If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days! Since this is a super quick and easy recipe to make, I don't recommend freezing it since the texture of the cheese and pasta will also change if you do. 

More Pasta Recipes You'll Love

• Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
• Creamy Peas and Bacon Pasta Recipe
• Shrimp Alfredo Fettuccine Pasta Recipe
• Quick and Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Fettuccine Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli

See all main dish recipes.

Recipe Card

The Perfect Marinara Pasta (Super Quick and Easy Recipe!)

Valya's Taste of Home

This Marinara Pasta recipe is the quickest and easiest one you'll ever come across and it can be ready and on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes!

4.70 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

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Marinara Pasta Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb. – organic noodle pasta
• ▢ 12 oz. – mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 1 tbsp. – unsalted butter
• ▢ ½ cup – heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 1 jar – pasta sauce (I prefer roasted garlic pasta sauce)
• ▢ ½ cup – cottage cheese
• ▢ Salt to taste

Read More

Instructions

 

How to Make Marinara Pasta

• ▢
  Making this Marinara Pasta at home couldn't be easier! Here's everything you need to do to make it at home:
• ▢
  Start by cooking the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot. I boiled mine for 5 minutes longer as we like our pasta a little more tender, but you can boil them until they're al dente.
• ▢
  Next, turn on a burner to medium heat then melt butter in a large skillet, and then add cooked pasta and coat it with the melted butter by stirring it several times.
• ▢
  Now add heavy cream and marinara sauce to the pan. Mix it into the pasta well. Heat the sauce and pasta for about 1 minute, then add cottage cheese to it.
• ▢
  Mix in cottage cheese with pasta and let pasta simmer for about another 2 minutes, stirring it occasionally in the middle.
• ▢
  Now turn the heat off and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the cheese to melt. Serve as soon as the cheese is melted. Or you can transfer pasta into an oven-safe baking dish and bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 350 F (my preference).
• ▢
  Your delicious Marinara Pasta is ready to be served!

Notes

I like to season shredded mozzarella cheese with garlic salt and dry parsley before topping the pasta. 

Also, I prefer baking the pasta in the oven instead of cooking it on the stovetop.  

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This recipe was originally posted on January 19, 2017 (original picture below), and updated for a better user experience. The post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure.