Another great thing about making tomato sauce is that it's almost endlessly forgiving. It's easy to make it thicker, thinner, richer, lighter, saltier, sweeter, milder, smoother, simpler, more complex, chunkier or smoother. Tomato sauce can be custom-made to suit any occasion and any palate. Long simmering achieves a rich, complex flavor. Barely-cooked sauce has a lighter flavor that tastes more recognizably of fresh tomatoes, but a little bit of cooking softens the tomatoes and brings out more of their sweetness.
Uncooked sauce is bright and refreshing, and it's best made with thoroughly ripe summer tomatoes.
Long and Luscious Long-simmered tomato sauce can be delicious any time of year. The benefits of extended cooking time are that the sauce thickens as the water cooks out, and the flavors meld together the longer they simmer. Additionally, any vegetables you have added to the sauce will grow richer and sweeter the longer they cook. During the summer, if you find yourself with a large amount of ripe tomatoes and cannot eat enough salads to keep up with the supply, long-simmered tomato sauce is the perfect answer. Simmering time can range anytime from 2 hours to all day, depending on how thick and rich you like your sauce.