Mushroom marinara sauce

I love Pasta

It never fails to amaze me how easy, quick and delicious a homemade marinara sauce is. This one is bursting with all the flavor full fresh and dried herbs. Since this month is all about pasta one should absolutely know how to make a red sauce to accompany it. This one is made extra special with my favorite fungus the mushroom.

A few weeks ago you may or may not recall I was being held hostage in Texas by my brother who had been temporarily crippled by his ACL replacement surgery.  My mother sister and I were on breakfast lunch and dinner shifts, each of us taking a meal to prepare each day. One had to mentally prepare for what you would cook at your meal time in order for us to have variety and not end up in the small apartment eating the same foods every day.

One day I decided to make a quick marinara sauce with the ingredients we had left over in the refrigerator.  It just so happens that we had mushrooms so in they went. I used this sauce to make pizza for lunch two days and a baked rigatoni for dinner another day, EPIC!

Initially I had no intention of making a red sauce for pasta month but after making that sauce, eating that pizza and the subsequent days of left over rigatoni that seemed to get more delicious the longer it stayed in the fridge. I decided I had to share. So here it is in all its red delicious, sweet, salty, herby glory, the best mushroom marinara sauce you will ever have!

Ingredients (printable recipe)

3 tablespoon olive oil

16 ounce mushrooms

1 large onion (2 cups chopped)

6 large beefy tomatoes

1 small bunch basil

1 large bunch parsley

10 garlic cloves

2 sprigs rosemary leaves

2 can 12 oz tomato paste

3 cups water

3-4 tablespoon dried oregano (I love oregano)

3 teaspoon Sugar

1-1 ½ tablespoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

3 bay leaves

Instructions

• Roughly chop the mushrooms stems and all
• On high heat, heat the oil in a large deep pot and sauté the mushroom until browned and reduced in volume
• Add the onions and cook until they are very tender
• While the onions are cooking in a blender combine the tomatoes, basil, parsley, garlic cloves and rosemary leaves blend until everything is complexly pureed
• When the onions and mushrooms are softened and fragrant add the tomato herb puree to the pot cook for a few minutes
• Add the tomato paste and water stir until the tomato paste is dissolved.
• Add the oregano, sugar, salt, black pepper and onion powder stir to combine
• Reduce the heat to very low add the bay leaves and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes
• Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves and allow it to cool slightly
• Blend it until just slightly chunky
• Use in your favorite recipes immediately or…
• Store in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to bloom over night
• Use the next day

Greedy tips:

• This makes a whole lot of sauce, I’m no expert on canning and jarring but if you know the techniques required you can certainly can or jar your homemade sauce. For the rest of us after a day or two in the refrigerator store long term in freezer bags, preferably portioned out for single use. When it’s time to reuse them, reheat them on the stove and allow it to become thick and bubbly again
• If you don’t like mushrooms just omit it and start the recipe from the sautéing of the onions

Xoxo Greedygirl