This Vegan Mushroom Marinara Sauce is packed with hearty mushrooms and savory flavor from garlic, red wine, and fresh herbs. Load up your stock pot and let it simmer to delicious perfection.
As a self-proclaimed pasta expert, I've tried more than my share of pasta sauces. In fact, making homemade pasta sauce is kind of my jam.
And as a vegetarian, I love sauces that incorporate lots of fresh veggies and herbs for maximum flavor.
Mushroom sauces are my favorite because I like the "meaty" texture that the mushrooms add to a pasta dish. But usually store-bought sauces either have a few token slices in each jar or tiny little diced mushrooms that you can't even taste. Sad!
So I decided to make my own mushroom marinara. Yes, it takes more time than opening up a jar, but this recipe makes a lot of sauce. So you can whip up a batch on the weekend, then freeze it in small portions to use throughout the week.
Not only is this tastier than buying pasta sauce, it's much cheaper too. Trust me, it's totally worth the effort.
Tips, Tricks, and Variations
Crimini mushrooms (also known as baby bella mushrooms) are ideal for this mushroom marinara sauce. They have the perfect texture and a nice, earthy flavor that works really well. But if you can't get your hands on any, regular white mushrooms will work as well.
This recipe calls for red wine. You don't need anything too fancy, but you should use a wine that you would be happy to drink. No two buck chuck please! I used a cabernet sauvignon - but merlot or pinot noir are also good choices.
Feel free to experiment with your own favorite combination of herbs and spices. You can use an Italian spice blend to make this even more simple, swap the dried herbs or fresh ones, or add some minced jalapeno for spice.
While you're here, be sure to grab our FREE 5-Day Meatless Meal Plan. It's packed with tasty recipes to make vegetarian cooking easy and delicious!
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup red wine
- 56 oz crushed tomatoes, canned variety with basil
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- a pinch or two of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1-2 teaspoon white sugar (organic for vegan-friendly), optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the garlic. Cook about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add the mushrooms; cook until their juices are released and then cooked off, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid has almost evaporated.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and pepper flakes (if using). Reduce heat to low, and simmer for an hour, or until the sauce has thickened.
- If needed, add a teaspoon or two of sugar to cut the acidity, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Scraping the sauce off the pizza? Girl, you're a weirdo but I love ya! LOL
Luckily you can cook so you can whip up your own veggie filled goodness! 😉
Kiersten says
I was such a picky eater when I was a kid. I still am, but just in different ways!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
I do love me some meaty 'shrooms! This sauce looks wonderful. Pinned.
Kiersten says
Thanks for the pin!
Caitlin says
aww man, i LOVE tomato sauce. i would just eat it with a spoon when i was younger, especially the mushroom kind. i can't imagine how delicious this extra meaty version is. gotta try it!
Kiersten says
I could eat it with a spoon now (well, if it has lots of stuff in it!), but definitely not when I was a kid...
Kathryn says
Store bought marinara sauces are always such a disappointment - this looks totally delicious and so full of flavour.
Kiersten says
I use the store-bought kind, but homemade is definitely better. 🙂
dishing up the dirt says
I love a good homemade tomato sauce. The addition of the red wine sounds fantastic!
Maura says
YUM! Can't wait to make this 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love mushrooms, what a wonderful sauce!
Emma Jackson says
I think I would add a smalled diced onion to this, yes.. no..?
Kiersten says
Yes, you can definitely do that! Add it before you add the mushrooms; I'd cook it for about 5 minutes, until it's softened, then add the mushrooms.
Kim of Mo'Betta says
My kids are anti-sauce! My 12 y/o scrapes sauce off her pizza too, and never eats it on pasta. And I agree, the red wine sounds like an awesome addition! I'll have to try mine sans mushrooms 🙂
Kiersten says
Aw, another pizza scraper! That warms my heart a little bit. 🙂
The Peace Patch says
I agree...pasta sauces must be chunkified, especially with mushrooms! Thanks for sharing your recipe. 🙂
Kiersten says
The chunkier the better!
Maria Tadic says
Hahaha I can't believe you scraped off sauce from pizza! That's hilarious! But i know what you mean with the veggies - I always end up making tomato sauce the vehicle for adding in tons of veggies. Still tastes awesome, but loaded up with the good stuff. Now if only my husband liked mushrooms... 🙂
Kiersten says
Plain tomato sauce is just so boring! You HAVE to add tons of veggies. 🙂
Holly says
I love mushroom dishes but my husband doesn't. I think I cook up a batch of your sauce to freeze in portions so that I can enjoy it especially on nights my husband is traveling.
Kiersten says
I would be so sad if my husband didn't like mushrooms. 😉 And I'd definitely be hoarding mushroom sauce in my freezer!
Emma says
I used to scrape the cheese off the pizza and just eat the base and tomato sauce! We could have shared!
Lovely, simple recipe. My favourite marinara recipe has lentils and mushies .
Kiersten says
You know, I thought about adding lentils to this sauce too! I've been meaning to give that a try for a while. I really should make it that way soon. 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
My husband is not a fan of mushrooms, but I love it! The sauce looks super!
Kiersten says
So many people dislike mushrooms, but they are definitely one of my favorite foods!
Ginger says
A woman after my own heart! I feel the exact same way about tomato sauce, and this recipe looks delicious!
Kiersten says
There is too much mediocre tomato sauce in this world, right?! 🙂
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
Haha! I used to disassemble my pizza when I was younger - I only wanted the sauce and bread! No cheese for me! I didn't like the texture of it! Imagine us having pizza together - both of us totally dismantling the whole thing! Lol!! Thankfully I've gotten over that whole issue! 🙂
Your sauce looks amazing (I love mushrooms in my sauce, too!) and it looks easy to make. I've always wanted to try to make my own sauce, but frankly, I was scared to! Now - it doesn't seem scary at all!!
Kiersten says
Oh man, I would TOTALLY take your cheese. Before I learned the disassembly method, I would just eat the crust off the pizza. My family would get pizza for dinner and I would wait for everyone to finish and then I'd eat their crusts. 🙂
Lisa @ Greek Vegetarian says
I couldn't live without my stash of tomato-based sauce portions in the freezer. And I'm with you on adding loads of veggies to chunk up the sauce. Not with you on scraping and reassembling pizza though! Hilarious.
Kiersten says
Our freezer is so full of sauces, it's ridiculous! I think I need to invest in a bigger freezer...
mjskit says
I love vegetarian pasta dishes and this "meaty" sauce with those beautiful mushrooms is perfect!
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
Nobody in my house will eat mushrooms, so I would have to leave them out. The recipe sounds great, though.
Kiersten says
You can put other veggies in here instead of mushrooms. 🙂
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate says
Tomato sauce can be really bad, I'm with you. Especially when it comes to pizza, I just like to eat it white. But mushrooms make everything ok 🙂
Kiersten says
Mushrooms DO make everything okay! 😀
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
I love that you seem to be a reformed picky eater - it gives me hope in regards to my picky toddler! 🙂
A marinara packed to the gills (no pun intended) with mushrooms sounds so hearty and comforting. Love it.
Liz @ I Spy Plum Pie says
So I never went so far as to actually scrape the sauce off my pizza, but I definitely hear you on the sauce-to-vegetable ratio! I pack my pasta sauces so full of veggies that it's really just a pile of veggies with a red tinge from the tomato!
Next time I get some mushrooms in my veggie box I'll have to give this a try and load up my freezer!
Kiersten says
Yup, when I have pasta, it's usually more veggies than pasta or sauce. It's more filling that way! 🙂
Nichole @ Green Cuisine Queen says
I totally agree with you on the pasta sauce. I posted a recipe on my blog a few weeks ago for spaghetti sauce, I used zucchini in mine! It's also good to add some veggie burger crumbles for extra flavor and texture.
I love homemade pasta sauces, they're always much better!
Kiersten says
I love adding zucchini to my sauce too! So good. 🙂
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
There's nothing better than homemade marinara sauce! I love how it's loaded with mushrooms - one of my favorite veggies!
Kiersten says
It's definitely one of those things that's better homemade. 🙂
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
Fresh tomato sauce is the BEST! Great recipe! 🙂