12 Things to Do With a Jar of Marinara (Besides Spaghetti)
Twelve dinners from a jar of marinara — bakes, meatballs, subs, shakshuka, pizza — grouped by what the jar becomes, with cost per serving and time.
An open jar of marinara lasts about five days in the fridge, which is roughly four dinners more than most people get out of it. Spaghetti is one. The other eleven below use the same jar as a braising liquid, a pizza base, a sub filling or the tomato half of a bake — grouped by what the jar turns into.
Anychef catalog data: 66 recipes in our library cook with jarred marinara or pasta sauce, at a median $2.40 a serving and 40 minutes. Thirty-three clear 30g of protein, 19 are meatless, and 61 feed four or more. Fastest first inside each group. Costs are per-serving estimates, not measured prices.
Bakes and casseroles
1. Skillet Lasagna
35g protein580 cal$2.40/serving35 min
All the saucy, cheesy layers of lasagna in 35 minutes flat, no boiling, no baking dish, no fuss.
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2. Baked Ziti with Spinach
19g protein445 cal$2.20/serving40 min
Tender pasta smothered in marinara and ricotta sauce, layered with spinach and three cheeses.
View the full recipe →Meatballs, subs, and sandwiches
3. Meatball Sub
36g protein520 cal$2.50/serving35 min
Tender meatballs simmered in marinara sauce, topped with melted mozzarella on a soft sub roll.
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4. Chicken Tender Melts
42g protein650 cal$2.70/serving35 min
Crispy chicken tenders layered with marinara and melted mozzarella on toasty bread, a kid-approved mashup of two favorites.
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5. Sausage and Peppers Sub
30g protein700 cal$2.70/serving35 min
Browned Italian sausage smothered with sweet peppers and onions on a toasted roll, straight off the fairground griddle.
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6. Lean Ground Turkey Meatballs
35g protein360 cal$2.80/serving35 min
Herb-packed turkey meatballs served over pasta or zucchini noodles, a 35-gram protein dinner that tastes indulgent but keeps you lean.
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7. Italian Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
34g protein350 cal$2.80/serving40 min
Tender homemade meatballs simmered in fragrant tomato sauce, a timeless weeknight comfort that tastes like you've been cooking all day.
View the full recipe →Skillets, pizzas, and everything else
8. Pizza Bagels
16g protein380 cal$1.40/serving15 min
Bagel halves topped with marinara, mozzarella, and pepperoni, broiled until bubbly and golden.
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9. Pepperoni and Mozzarella Panini
24g protein480 cal$2.80/serving15 min
Crispy pepperoni with melted mozzarella and marinara sauce pressed between crusty bread until warm and gooey.
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10. French Bread Pizza
24g protein540 cal$1.50/serving25 min
Crackly toasted baguette halves loaded with bubbling cheese and pepperoni, ready faster than delivery.
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11. Pepperoni Pizza Pockets
18g protein350 cal$2.80/serving30 min
Melted cheese and pepperoni pockets wrapped in soft dough, baked until golden, taste like mini hot pockets that disappear in minutes.
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12. Spinach and Ricotta Calzone
25g protein580 cal$1.70/serving40 min
Creamy garlicky ricotta and tender spinach sealed inside a crusty golden shell.
View the full recipe →Keep going
Every recipe above comes from the Anychef library of 1,700+ recipes, each with cost per serving and full macros — browse every marinara recipe and the comfort food collection. Or skip the browsing entirely: scan your fridge with the Anychef app and get recipes built from what you already have, macros and grocery list included.
