I like my veggies in curry to be cut in uneven sizes because of this reason. Some pieces are still a little hard and crunchy, some are soft, gravy like.
After I started the pasta, I realised there was no enough sauce. So I added fresh crushed tomatoes, which had only enough time to warm up, and not really cook much with the existing sauce.
I discovered that tomato having two flavours in the sauce, lets both flavours complement each other.
It seems like there are many possibilities, with more and less cooked things together.
* https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-does-divided-mean-in-a-re...