Balsamic Mushroom Marinara
Sauteed mushrooms infused with tangy balsamic vinegar simmered with tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Serve this mushroom marinara with your favorite pasta for an easy dinner that takes less than an hour start to finish.
While it’s certainly easy to open a jar of store-bought marinara – and I should know because I do it often – there’s something about making a simple one from scratch that just feels, well, special. And this mushroom marinara checks that box. Meaty mushrooms, a kick of tangy balsamic, and a few other simple ingredients are all you need.
Ingredients
- Mushrooms: I use portobello mushroom caps, but you can use any kind of mushrooms you like. If you use the big caps, remove the stem and scrape out the gills first. You can skip that step if you use smaller mushrooms
- Tomatoes: The base of the sauce combines crushed tomatoes and fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Garlic: Four cloves or more if you love garlic.
- Onion
- Balsamic vinegar
- Fresh basil leaves
- Salt and olive oil
How to Make It
☑️ Sauté the Mushrooms
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the chopped mushrooms and salt and cook them until they release their moisture. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes – just keep stirring them every few minutes until they turn a deep brown color and the moisture in the pan cooks off.
Add the onions and cook them with the mushrooms for a couple of minutes or until they soften. Stir in the garlic and balsamic vinegar.
☑️ Simmer the Sauce
Add the tomatoes, stir, and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes or so. Remove the lid and simmer it uncovered for 10 minutes. Right at the end, before you take the sauce off the heat, stir in the chopped basil leaves.
Serve the sauce with your favorite pasta (I love it with some cheese ravioli or tortellini).
More Pasta Sauce Recipes
Balsamic Mushroom Marinara
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oi
- 8 ounces portobello mushroom caps stems and gills removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus extra to taste
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/4 cup sliced basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and salt. Cook the mushrooms for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the onion and stir. Cook the onions and mushrooms for about five minutes or until the onions are softened. Stir in the garlic and balsamic vinegar.
- Add all of the tomatoes, stir, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes or until it's thickened a bit. Give the sauce a taste and add more salt if you think it needs it. Stir in the sliced basil before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
More Recipes with Mushrooms
- Balsamic Mushroom Pasta
- Mushroom Flatbread Pizza
- Mushroom Macaroni and Cheese
- Mushroom Grilled Cheese
Happy cooking,
The post and recipe were updated from the archives. The post was first published in June 2018.
Thanks so much, Denise!
I tried this last night and felt like a cooking champ! It was fast, easy and simply delicious. Loved the one pan prep -sure made clean up a breeze. This is a keeper for sure.
Want to have “the girls” over for lunch and wow them with your cooking skills? Then this recipe is the answer. Easy. Quick. Creative. Delicious. Pull those fancy dishes out the cabinet make it an event!