Servings | Prep Time |
14 cups | 25 minutes |
Cook Time |
45 minutes |
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Who does not love a warm, slightly spicy or mild pasta sauce on a cold evening in the fall or winter? This sauce really fits the bill. It is easy to make and nutritious. Serve this over your favorite whole grain pasta, brown rice, spaghetti squash or even a baked potato.
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- 1/4 cup veggie broth low salt and organic if possible
- 1 1/3 lb assorted fresh, wild mushrooms organic, if possible
- .5 ozs. (14 gm) dried wild mushrooms
- 1 cup hot water to reconstitute wild mushrooms
- 1/4-1/2 cup veggie broth organic and low salt, if possible
- 3 medium onions peeled and diced
- 6 fresh garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 1-2 tbsp oregano dried
- 1 cup mushroom soaking liquid
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped (organic, if possible)
- 3 stalks celery chopped (organic, if possible)
- 2 medium colored peppers chopped (organic, if possible)
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 28 oz (796 ml) tin diced tomatoes organic, if possible
- 22 oz (700 ml) jar pasta sauce plant based and organic, if possible
- 2 cups veggie broth or water organic and low salt, if possible
- 6 Field Roast Plant Based Sausage sliced or chopped
- Place dried wild mushrooms in a small bowl.
- Cover with one cup of hot water and set aside.
- Soak fresh mushrooms in water to help remove any surface dirt and rub gently if required.
- Chop mushrooms -different sized pieces create interest in sauce.
- Heat veggie broth on high in a wok or frying pan and add fresh mushrooms.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent mushrooms from burning.
- Drain, reserving liquid, chop and add reconstituted wild mushrooms to cooked mushroom mixture.
- Stir to incorporate, remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat veggie broth on high in a large pot and add diced onion and carrot and celery.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add chopped colored pepper and cook for about 4 minutes until onions are translucent and other veggies begin to soften.
- Add water or veggie broth as needed.
- Add chopped garlic and stir for another minute or so, being careful not to burn.
- Add 1/2 cup of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid.
- Turn heat to high and stir until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add salsa and oregano and stir often for about 2 to 3 minutes until veggies look at bit caramelized.
- Add canned tomatoes, jarred pasta sauce, veggie broth or water and remaining mushroom soaking liquid.
- Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low and simmer sauce for about twenty minutes.
- Turn off heat and puree sauce using an immersion blender.
- Add mushroom mixture and plant based sausage and cook for another five minutes or so.
Mushrooms: Dried mushrooms and wild mushrooms can be pricey. Feel free to substitute with cultivated mushrooms.
Spice it up: If you like heat in your sauce add some red pepper flakes, 1/4 of a tsp at a time.
Pasta Sauce: Substitute with another tin of tomatoes and add 2-3 tbsp tomato paste to the mix.
Sausage: Substitute with soy based Tofurky Sausage if it is easier to find than the Field Roast.
Nutritional yeast: For a cheesy taste and added Vitamin B-12, add 1/2-3/4 cup at the end of the cooking time.
Blending: I like my pasta sauce blended before I add the mushrooms and sausage, but feel free to leave it chunky if that is your preference.
Fresh Basil: Chop and sprinkle fresh basil on top of plated sauce.
Freezing: Freeze the leftovers for later. Rule of thumb is one cup of pasta sauce per person. Thaw, if you remember to take it out in time, and heat up gently on the stove.
Can we freeze this for later dates if we double the recipe?
Hi Tory,
Welcome to my website. “Freeze this for later dates” is my middle name. I love to have meals waiting in the freezer and this one freezes beautifully. The plant based sausage might get a little soft, but you could always add it after freezing. Personally, I do freeze it with the sausage. I think it is more than fine like that.
This recipe does make a lot of sauce. Depending how many people are in your family, you might not need to double the recipe to have extra.
Let me know how it turns out if you do decide to make it.
Take care,
Anne