How can I thicken my spaghetti sauce, it has been cooking for 12 hours and still very runny? Thank you!

Monita is a recipe tester for Food52.

added 6 months ago

Voted the Best Answer!

Has it been covered and at a low temp? Sounds like ti needed to reduce more. A higher temp and uncovered would make that happen

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I would add a 8oz brick of cream cheese it would help thicken. Also some grated parmesan cheese. only other option tomato paste might help

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gt9 added 6 months ago

I agree with Monita. Have you been cooking covered this whole time?

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Thank you all! I cooked it low and covered overnight. It added 2 cans of paste and a handful of grated parm reggiano and ii am leaving it uncovered and it seems to be doing to trick!! Thank you!

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bigpan added 6 months ago

A bit if extra fine bread crumbs can help. As you boil it down the flavors will intensify, so you might have to add some liquid ... sounds counter productive, but you want it to taste good and not like a tin of tomato paste.

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In addition to what big pan said, a pinch of sugar can help balance the acidity of the tomato paste.

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Sam1148 added 6 months ago

If your sauce super acid..a pinch of baking soda mellows it out better than sugar. But just a pinch. Too much will neutralize all the flavor.

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babytiger added 6 months ago

Chicken wing tips! I know that is kind of weird, but the gelatin released from the wing tips thicken the sauce nicely, and also add some flavor.

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pierino is a trusted source on General Cooking and Tough Love.

added 6 months ago

Speaking as a hard core Roman cook I can't imagine why anyone would want to cook a "spaghetti sauce" for twelve hours. Or even four hours. In Italy a sauce for pasta is usually pretty loose. Even a rich bolognese style sauce shouldn't take that long.

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Pierino! I would love to have one of your sauce recipes!?? I am making the sauce as my Mother used to make it but am always looking for a better way! Thank you!

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Shuna is a pastry chef in New York City and author of the acclaimed blog Eggbeater.

added 6 months ago

I cook my tomato sauce in the oven. The bigger & the flatter the pan is, the faster the sauce will evaporate. I tend to set short timers, like 15-20 minutes, and stir when the timers go off. This way I can keep an eye pn my sauce and take it to the exact thickness I want, and also I can keep the edges from getting too burnt. My stove stays cleaner and I don't have to worry about the bottom of my sauce pot burning! This is great advice for making chutney and quick berry jam too.

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