13 Fave Weeknight Meals Using Jarred Pasta Sauce

Pasta sauce can be used in so many dishes! From classic spaghetti and pizza (yes, it can be used on pizza!) to stuffed shells, as long as your pantry's stocked with pasta and sauce, you’ve got dinner.

By
Claudia Cash
Claudia Cash
Claudia Cash
Claudia is the Community Manager for Simply Recipes and has contributed numerous articles focused on cooking on a budget, quick and easy meals, and kid-friendly foods.
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Published November 14, 2019
Claudia Cash

If there’s one thing I always have in my pantry, it’s pasta sauce. It’s basically liquid gold at my house: when I’m in a pinch, I know I can pull out a trusty jar and whip up a semi-gourmet dinner in no time at all.

With the holidays oh-so-swiftly approaching, spending oodles of time on dinner just isn’t going to happen for me, and I get the feeling that *maybe* you’re in the same boat?

That’s why I’ve stocked up on pasta sauce like there’s no tomorrow. Around here, we use it on everything from classic spaghetti and pizza (yes, I use it on my pizza!) to stuffed shells. As long as you have some sort of pasta and sauce, you’ve got dinner!

Which Sauce to Buy?

Yes, there are soooo many jarred pasta sauces at the store, so which one is the best to buy? Well in case you missed it, our team recently did a blind taste test to find the best pasta sauce for weeknight dinners (and more special occasions). We found ourselves eating the winner with a spoon right out of the jar. Check out our favorites!

Can I Freeze Leftover Sauce?

Yes you can! I love freezing leftover sauce in silicone trays and once they’re frozen, I’ll pop them into a giant Ziplock bag. Once they’re in the bag, they can stay frozen for up to four months.

To thaw the sauce, you will just place the Ziplock bag in warm water, or if you’re like me and forget to do that, you can just place them straight in a saucepan and warm it up that way.

Get ready to dive into these amazing recipes all made with jarred sauce!

  • Baked Ziti

    Baked Ziti
    Elise Bauer

    Oh Baked Ziti, how we love thee. It’s such a classic dish that is basically like lasagna but without all the layers. By adding jarred marinara into the mix, this is basically the most low maintenance weeknight meal of all time.

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  • Pepperoni Pizza Penne Pasta

    Pasta with Pepperoni
    Nick Evans

    Combine pizza and pasta together and you’ve got the friendliest dinner in town. Feeling extra friendly? Toss in some breadcrumbs!

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  • Easy Chicken Parmesan

    Baked Chicken Parmesan bake the chicken in the oven in a casserole dish
    Sally Vargas

    There are so many ways to enjoy Chicken Parmesan! Serve it straight up, over pasta, or in a sub roll. Serve it with a Caesar salad or veggies. Which option will you choose?

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  • Stuffed Shells with Summer Squash and Ricotta

    Stuffed pasta shells with ricotta and summer squash
    Nick Evans

    Did you know you can prep this dish up to three days in advance? Or freeze for later? Whenever you make it, just don’t forget to add in the little prosciutto crispies!

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    Continue to 5 of 13 below.

  • Pasta Skillet with Chicken Sausage, Cheese & Spinach

    Skillet Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Cheese & Spinach
    Lisa Lin

    There are 5 basic ingredients in this skillet recipe and I’m almost positive that you have them on hand right now. Keep this recipe tucked in your back pocket because you’ll be using it over and over again!

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  • Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

    Crispy crust and cheese on a pepperoni pizza made at home
    Nick Evans

    While this recipe says to use pizza sauce, I’ve used marinara in a pinch, and it still does the trick. TIP! Make an extra batch of dough, smother it with butter and cheese, and cut it into breadsticks. Dip those breadsticks in the extra marinara!

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  • EASY Italian Sausage Spaghetti

    Italian Sausage Spaghetti
    Elise Bauer

    Spaghetti seems to be a default meal for when you can’t think of anything else... and that’s okay! We all have those nights! The trick is to add in a little zing, and in this case, Italian sausage happens to be our zing of choice.

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  • Slow Cooker Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

    Meatballs in a slow cooker filled with tomato sauce with a spoon lifting a meatball out of the sauce.
    Alison Bickel

    This is such a versatile dish. Want to make it for dinner? Serve it over pasta. Don’t know what to do with the leftovers (if there are any)? Serve it on a hoagie roll. Going to a party? Stick little toothpicks in each meatball and you’ve got a tasty appetizer.

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    Continue to 9 of 13 below.

  • Pepperoni Pizza Pockets

    Pepperoni Pizza Hand Pies
    Nick Evans

    Think calzone, but flakier. Not only can you use jarred marinara sauce, but you can also use a store-bought pie crust to cut down on the time even more. These are fun to eat for dinner, but my kids love taking them in their lunches!

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  • Baked Chicken Marinara

    Elise Bauer

    This is similar to our Chicken Parmesan, but it’s made with chicken thighs more an added depth of flavor. This is definitely what you’ll want to make for when you need a heaping helping of comfort food!

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  • Marge Perry and David Bonom's Easy Skillet Lasagna

    Easy Skillet lasagna
    Alison Conklin

    Lasagna can be pretty intimidating, but making it in a skillet takes some of that pressure off. Because it’s cooked in a skillet, it takes less time to actually cook, the process in general isn’t as fussy, and you’ll have it on your plate in under an hour.

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  • Easy Stuffed Stromboli

    Slices of homemade stromboli on a cutting board
    Sheryl Julian

    If you’re a sauce lover like I am, then you can add marinara sauce to the Stromboli after you have rolled the dough out and before you add on the toppings. Or, you can follow the original directions for the Stromboli and then dip the slices into marinara. Your choice!

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    Continue to 13 of 13 below.

  • Meat Lovers' Sheet Pan Pizza

    Sheet Pan Pizza with Pepperoni
    Nick Evans

    Ever had sheet pan pizza? It’s so fun to make, and this one is loaded to the brim with meat. This makes a giant pizza, so you’re more than likely to have leftovers!

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