Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

It’s a rare gloomy, rainy day here in Arizona and that just makes me crave comfort food.  Native Arizonans LIVE for this kind of weather.  Me…not so much.

Anyway, I digress 😉  I decided I’d make a nice pot of homemade spaghetti sauce.  When I first began this blog over a year ago (and didn’t know how to take a decent photograph), I made an homemade oven roasted tomato sauce.  The pictures weren’t pretty, but the sauce was amazing.

A few tweaks to that recipe and we get this one…

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

For the original Oven Roasted Marinara Sauce, here’s what you’ll need…

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a sheet pan, I added quartered Roma tomatos, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil.  Roast for 30-40 minutes or until tomatos are tender.

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

Allow to cool slightly and place into a food processor.  (See all of those charred bits?  That’s flavor!)  Add the basil and puree until smooth.

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

In a large sauce pot, add 1 Tbl of oil and the onion.  Saute on high heat for about 5 minutes.  We added vegan ground beef.  There are a few brands I like, but I am partial to Lightlife’s Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style.  You could also use any brand of ground crumbles.  I like the Boca brand but I also hear really good things about Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles.  They are soy-free, if you are looking to go that route.  Add to the onion and saute according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Alternately, you could very finely dice mushrooms to make a ground beef-like mixture.  Tempeh also has a ground-beef like texture when placed in a food processor.  There are many options available here, but honestly, you could also make a really great sauce with just the portobellos.

I quartered the baby portobello mushrooms and sauteed them with the above mixture until softened slightly.  Just to give them some added flavor.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the roasted tomatos and a can of tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.

We used whole grain spaghetti, but you could use any pasta you like. Top with vegan parmesan, serve with crusty Italian bread and enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

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4 from 4 votes

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

Author Veg Life Staff

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. Roma Tomatos quartered
• 1 Cup Onion chopped
• 1 Clove Garlic or more to your taste
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil + 1 Tbl for sauteeing
• Fresh snipped basil to taste
• TO COMPLETE THE SAUCE:
• 15 oz. can of tomato Sauce
• 1 small Onion diced
• 8 oz. Baby Portobello Mushrooms quartered
• Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style
• Whole Grain Pasta of your choosing
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese for serving we love Go Veggie Grated Parmesan Topping

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Combine quartered tomatos and next 6 ingredients (not the basil) and toss mixture with olive oil. Roast until tomatos soften, 30-40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool slightly before placing in a food processor.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, add 1 Tbl oil and the diced onions. Saute for 5 minutes or until tender.
• Add the ground beef style crumbles of your choosing. Saute according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Add the quartered mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. They will continue to cook in the sauce, so they don't have to be tender. If you are not using some type of meat alternative, I would add double the amount of mushrooms. Chop them in different sizes to mix up the texture a bit.
• Add the processed tomatos and sauce. Season for taste. You could add oregano if you like.
• Cook pasta to box instructions.
• Serve with any crusty Italian bread and vegan Parmesan cheese.