I like both! I tend towards the rich, long-cooked, meaty sauces in the cold months, and lighter, fresh sauce during the Summer. I make my sauce in many different ways, my husband never knows what exactly he's going to get when I tell him we're having spaghetti for dinner!

I put up a bunch of my own tomato sauce this year (thanks for your tips, by the way), for the first time...so I am looking forward to experimenting with it mid-winter, when I am crying for a good tomato. As I was making it, I couldn't help ladling some out to dip bread in, the tomato flavor was so intense and luscious. On the one hand, it tastes so good as it is, that I don't think I want to mess with it too much. But on the other, how much better my long-simmered, meaty sauce might be if made with that wonderful sauce??

I think I will be planting MORE tomatoes next year!

I concur. They're both awesome. In the summer, I made a 10-minute sauce, but for canning, boiled the sauce way down. Takes up less space in the jars, and is more acidic when it's concentrated, which is good for canning.

I, too had to keep some out for immediate eating :-D

I don't like either. (shrug) If I'm going to have anything that resembles pizza, I want slices of fresh tomato, none of that sauce. If I have pasta, I want hot pasta tossed with chunks of fresh tomato and herbs and good fresh parmesan shaved on top. Oh, and the pasta needs to be something besides white, I prefer whole wheat or herbed homemade pasta. I did make a passable basil pasta, so I might do that again.

I'm not really wild about ground meat either, the texture puts me off, so that takes care of the meatball issue. I do eat them, occasionally, but like meatloaf or cheeseburgers, I'm really apathetic about them.

My girls love the Rocco's Mama's Meatballs that got posted here a couple of years ago, I make hundreds of those every fall when the beef is slaughtered and they go into the freezer, "fast food" on crazy busy days. Of course, most of them go into Amanda's freezer, LOL.

They don't get either sauce, both my girls like Prego, as do the grandkids. Go figure, they don't like the homemade stuff at all, heathens, I think it's the corn syrup that they actually like...

Annie

I love it all...I think I should have been Italian. LOL

Linda

I used to consider Italian sausage essential for good flavor. I cooked the sauce well but not all day. Somewhere along the line I switched to a simple marinara (olive oil, garlic, basil, tomatoes), cooked for only a few minutes to meld the ingredients. Fresh tomatoes (if from the garden, not the store) are great but canned ones are good too.

For a meaty sauce, I like Bolognase. But I don't make that often.

My favorite pasta sauce is Putanesca.

Jim

I also like both. A couple of weeks ago for my son's birthday, I made a special treat - his deceased Italian grandmother's traditional spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Working full time, I rarely have time for this, as it does take the better part of the day. Often, instead of ground beef, I will cook a small roast in the sauce until it falls apart and thickens the sauce. It was nostalgia for him and he truly appreciated it (along with my pudding chocolate chip cookies).

But I like a more tomatoey (is that a word?) sauce, one that does not cook so long, too. I like more "fresh" tasting sauces, both those that use tomato sauce, and those that just use chopped tomatoes.

I love either. To me a long-simmered gravy is what I consider good Italian-American comfort food, whereas a nice, light sauce of fresh tomatoes reminds me more of summer than a red checkered tablecloth. Someday I'll grow tomatoes, and when I do I won't be looking to make them mimic what I can buy in a can.

We grow our own tomatoes, both heritage and hybrid varieties. One of the great pleasures of the season is fresh tomatoes used as close to "natural" as possible. For summer I particularly love pasta tossed with chopped garden tomatoes, basil, some cubes of fresh mozzarella and perhaps some kalamata or other cured olives.

For me a long-cooked sauce (usually with a chuck roast and some pork and perhaps chicken necks) is a winter thing.

For me it's all about the time of year. Summer is for crookneck squash and fresh tomatoes. Winter is for butternut squash and home-canned tomatoes in a leisurely simmered sauce.

Carol

Hi everyone:
Thought I'd get a lot more responses.

Guess I should put in my preferences.
I like everything !!!!!

With fresh Tomatoes I usually make Tomato Stews EG.
With Zucinni, Peppers and Sausage, etc.

Plus, I use them for Marinara Sauce,
with lots of " real " Garlic, Onion and Parsley.
Simmer a little and add Fish or other seafood.

Usually use Merluzza ( Whiting ) and add it in for a few minutes. It is delicate.

Most of the time: for Pasta, I make a Meat Sauce with the old standby's
Chento, Tutto Russo , etc. ( canned tomato's )

This is simmered about 2 1/2 hours, with Meat balls , Sausage and Chicken.

I don't have any idea, why the Sauce is always delicious,
using canned tomato's.
Must have a " Sauce " Guardian Angel watching over me !!!
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Here are some Pasta Photo's, the way I like them.

Spaghetti and Scallops Marinara. Fresh Tomato's put in blender. Then Simmered 25 minutes.

Longer simmered sauce ( 2 1/2 hours )

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Another way, Fresh Tomatoes with Filet Mignon w. Bacon
No Sauce !!!

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LOU