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Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe

A mushroom marinara that's 100x better than any canned sauce! Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan & more! @NatashasKitchen

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This mushroom marinara sauce is so much better than any canned version! It’s perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan, as a dip for cheese sticks and anything you can think to use tomato sauce for.

You can even add ground meat and make it a meat sauce! It’s delicious! We poured this sauce over spaghetti and topped it with sliced grilled chicken. It’ll leave you craving more! Thankfully, this makes a full pot so you’ll be able to store some in the fridge for later.

My cousin Alla shared this recipe with me. She’s been making it for years. This recipe is a keeper!

A mushroom marinara that's 100x better than any canned sauce! Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan & more! @natashaskitchen

Ingredients for Mushroom Marinara:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onions, (about 1 1/2 cups) finely chopped
6 medium garlic cloves, pressed
6 medium tomatoes, diced
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes (Italian style)
1 cup Red Wine (Soft Red, or Cabernet Sauvignon, most red wines will do)
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt, or 3/4 Tbsp Sea Salt (started with 1/2 Tbsp sea salt)
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 lb fresh mushrooms, rinsed, dried, sliced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped

A mushroom marinara that's 100x better than any canned sauce! Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan & more! @NatashasKitchen

Tools you will need:

A dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot
Hand immersion blender (preferred & easier), or food processor, or blender)

How to Make the Best Marinara Sauce:

1. In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot, add 1/3 cup olive oil and saute onions and garlic together over medium heat until softened (7 mins).

Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe-3

2. Chop tomatoes then add to the pot along with 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice. Boil uncovered over med/high heat for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.

Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe-4

3. Add 1 cup red wine Cabernet Sauvignon, ½ tsp Italian Seasoning, 1 Tbsp Kosher salt (or to taste), 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/8 tsp black pepper then stir well to combine. Pulse a few times with a hand immersion blender to desired consistency (if you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pulse it a few times in a good food processor or blender). You still want to have some tomato chunks (You don’t want a cream soup here.

Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe-5

4. Add fresh sliced mushrooms and 1 cup chopped fresh basil and simmer uncovered another 20-25 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and the sauce is thickened. Total cooking time from the time you start to saute onions is 45 min-1 hr, depending on desired consistency.

Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe-6

If When you make this, let me know how you served it. I’m so curious!

A mushroom marinara that's 100x better than any canned sauce! Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan & more! @natashaskitchen

Mushroom Marinara Sauce Recipe

4.98 from 78 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
A mushroom marinara that's 100x better than any canned sauce! Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan & more! @NatashasKitchen
This mushroom marinara sauce is so much better than any canned version! It's perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan, as a dip for cheese sticks and anything you can think to use tomato sauce for.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients 

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onions, (about 1 1/2 cups) finely chopped
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed
  • 6 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (Italian style)
  • 1 cup Red Wine, Soft Red, or Cabernet Sauvignon, most red wines will do
  • 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt, or 3/4 Tbsp Sea Salt (started with 1/2 Tbsp sea salt)
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 lb fresh mushrooms, rinsed, dried, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh basil, chopped

Tools you will need:

  • A dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot
  • Hand immersion blender, preferred & easier, or food processor, or blender)

Instructions

  • In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot, add 1/3 cup olive oil and saute onions and garlic together over medium heat until softened (7 mins).
  • Chop tomatoes then add to the pot along with 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice. Boil uncovered over med/high heat for 15 mins, stirring occasionally.
  • Add 1 cup red wine Cabernet Sauvignon, ½ tsp Italian Seasoning, 1 Tbsp Kosher salt (or to taste), 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/8 tsp black pepper then stir well to combine. Pulse a few times with a hand immersion blender to desired consistency (if you don't have an immersion blender, you can pulse it a few times in a good food processor or blender). You still want to have some tomato chunks (You don't want a cream soup here)
  • Add fresh sliced mushrooms and 1 cup chopped fresh basil and simmer uncovered another 20-25 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and the sauce is thickened. Total cooking time from the time you start to saute onions is 45 min-1 hr, depending on desired consistency.
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Mushroom Marinara Sauce
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Final Final Picmonkey Hashtag bannerA mushroom marinara that's 100x better than any canned sauce! Perfect for spaghetti, lasagna, chicken parmesan & more! @natashaskitchen

Enjoy this awesome marinara sauce and thanks for sharing it with the people you love! What’s your favorite way to use marinara sauce?

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.98 from 78 votes (42 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Deb
    August 11, 2024

    Very good. I added. Little granular Swerve for just a little sweetness. Will def make again!

    Reply

  • kinga
    July 31, 2024

    Just made this and it is delicious. I added some ground beef as well. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 31, 2024

      You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kinga.

      Reply

  • Andree
    July 4, 2024

    What an excellent sauce! We used it on our cheese ravioli with some parmesan and it was delicious. I also recommend cutting on the salt a bit and add a pinch of sugar.
    Thank you very much. This sauce could be used in fancy Italian restaurants, it is soo good!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 4, 2024

      Thank you so much for that feedback, Andree! I’m so happy you found this sauce excellent!

      Reply

  • Valerie
    June 18, 2024

    This sounds wonderful & making it today. Does this sauce freeze well?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      June 18, 2024

      I don’t see why not. It may be slightly runny if not stored properly. Be sure it is sealed well! Enjoy!

      Reply

  • Ed Giambalvo
    April 30, 2024

    This was excellent! I substituted high-quality cherry tomatoes for the tomatoes and added a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. I also just ‘mashed” the sauce a bit where it was time for the immersion blender, as I don’t own one. I would also say the better the wine, the richer the taste. Well done!

    Reply

  • Adriana Barajas
    April 7, 2024

    Turned out sour. Any tips on what to add to it. I even added 1/4 ts of sugar

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 8, 2024

      Hi Adriana! Adding sugar usually fixes this issue for me. Other sources recommend adding a pinch of baking soda to help.

      Reply

  • Monica bran
    January 28, 2024

    This is the most amazing recipe for marinara sauce. I’ve made it several times and I put it in almost everything. Lol

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 28, 2024

      Thank you for this awesome feedack!

      Reply

  • Sarah
    October 16, 2023

    I’ve made sauce this a handful of times and every time I get rave reviews! Delicious, easy and flavorful! Tonight it’s going on top of spaghetti squash with air fried eggplant! 😋 Can’t wait!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 16, 2023

      Wonderful! Happy to know that our Mushroom Marinara Sauce recipe is always a huge hit!

      Reply

  • DebbieN
    August 10, 2023

    Delicious! I made it according to the recipe. The wine gives it a rich and complex flavor, making it taste like authentic Italian as compared to store bought sauce.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 10, 2023

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Debbie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • Jill Rose
    August 6, 2023

    This was excellent. I had a bumper crop of roma tomatoes, so I put them to good use along with my fresh garlic and basil. I added extra mushrooms since we were using this as a meatless meal. I also added about 1 1/2 cups of mashed cauliflower to aid thickening. The only thing that would have improved the dish would have been homemade pasta, which I did not do. My family wants this again!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 6, 2023

      That sounds delicious, Jill! I’m so glad it was enjoyed by the family. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

  • Robin Brooks
    July 13, 2023

    If you want the flavor of wine and not the alcohol, then gently simmer the wine before you add it, and the alcohol will have evaporated. I love this recipe because putting fresh mushrooms in to cook adds all their native flavor. I used to sautee mushrooms first but adding them raw works great.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 13, 2023

      Thanks for sharing, Robin!

      Reply

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