What do you call the red sauce you put on pasta? Pasta sauce, tomato sauce, ragu…gravy?
It turns out all of these names boil down to the same meaning – a liquid-like tomato mixture (which may or may not contain meat) that you put on pasta!
The difference between sauce, gravy, and ragu isn’t easy to summarize in one or two sentences, so read on to see our detailed explanation of this somewhat tricky topic!
Sauce vs. gravy vs. ragu
If you try to figure out the difference between sauce, gravy, and ragu, you’re going to get some different answers depending on who you ask. The topic is a bit controversial, but we’ll summarize the differences as best as we can!
Sauce
In Italian cooking, the term “sauce” generally refers to tomato sauce, which is thicker (thanks to simmering it) than some other pasta sauces like marinara sauce. The term ‘sauce’ generally refers to pasta sauce without meat in it, so it might include marinara and any other tomato-based, non-meat sauce.
Tomato sauce is sometimes referred to as “Sunday gravy” by some Italians – though, in general, that term is reserved for sauce with meat in it. It’s a bit of a confusing and controversial topic!
(Tomato) sauce is a popular ingredient in spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, chicken cacciatore, eggplant parmesan, and many more dishes! Marinara and other meatless sauces are also staples in Italian cooking, and the type you choose depends on your recipe or intended use.
Thick sauces cling better to pasta while thinner sauces are better for coating dishes, for example.
Gravy
The term “gravy” doesn’t exist in Italian, so this one is a little confusing. When Italians immigrated to the United States, some referred to meat sauce (ragu) as “gravy”, which is why the term has been linked with Italian cooking.
So “Italian gravy” or “Italian Sunday gravy” is most often associated with tomato sauce with meat (ragu), and is NOT the same as what Americans consider gravy – “a sauce made from the thickened and seasoned juices of cooked meat”.
Ragu
Ragu refers to a tomato-based sauce that includes meat, which is usually ground meat or sausage, but also meatballs! Ragu is typically served with pasta and it always contains meat.
Summary of differences between sauce/gravy/ragu
| Contains tomatoes | Contains meat | Can be put on pasta | |
| Sauce | Yes | Not usually (generally refers to meatless sauces, but ragu is sometimes called sauce) | Yes |
| Gravy | Yes | Usually (some people call meatless sauces gravy) | Yes |
| Ragu | Yes | Always! | Yes |
As you can see, the thing all of these sauces have in common is that they include tomatoes and can be put on pasta!
The main difference is that “gravy” usually refers to meat sauce/ragu, and “sauce” usually refers to meatless sauce.
FAQs:
Ragu refers to tomato sauce that contains meat, while the more broad term ‘sauce’ typically refers to meatless tomato sauces like tomato sauce/pasta sauce and marinara sauce.
(Some people refer to sauce with meat (ragu) as just ‘sauce’, too.)
The term “gravy” usually refers to ragu, a meat-based tomato sauce. The term gravy is typically only used in the United States and it was believed to have originated from Italians who immigrated to the United States. Italians call meat sauce ragu, not gravy.
The term “sauce” typically refers to meatless tomato sauce, which some people call “Sunday gravy” – but Italians don’t use the term gravy for that, either. In Italy, you’ll hear “salsa” or “sugo” for the word “sauce”.
Bottom line: Italians in Italy generally do NOT use the term ‘gravy’!
Sunday gravy is a term used by some (typically those who don’t live in Italy, though) that refers to ragu (meat sauce), though it can sometimes refer to meatless tomato sauce as well.
The term ‘gravy’ isn’t Italian, so you won’t likely find Italians calling their sauces ‘gravy’ – but ‘sauce’ does go by ‘salsa’ or ‘sugo’ in Italian, along with ‘ragu’, which means meat sauce!
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