This is the time of year, when slow-cookers come in handy for a variety of meals including sauces.
Today’s recipe is an ideal make-ahead hearty flavored mushroom marinara because it’s made in a slow-cooker. All that is required is a little chopping and slicing of vegetables.
On low setting the sauce simmers about 5 hours, allowing the all the ingredients to meld together and flavor the sauce. The sauce gets a bit of sweetness from the carrots, tomatoes and sugar. It’s balanced with a meaty taste from earthy mushrooms. Use regular or cremini mushrooms. The cremini will give the sauce more of a heartier flavor.
For all the tomato products in this recipes you can sub out reduced sodium or no salt added for the regular and adjust the salt to your own taste. Finally, there’s a little spiciness to this sauce from crushed red pepper flakes. Skip the red pepper if you prefer the sauce not to be spicy. Add more if you want to kick it up some.
Slow-Cooked Mushroom Marinara
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Total time: 5 hours, 30 minutes (not all active time)
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
2 whole bay leaves
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. salt
8 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta
In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine, olive oil, mushrooms, onion, carrots, Parmesan cheese, garlic, sugar, oregano, basil, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine the ingredients.
Cover and cook on the low setting for 5 hours.
Once the cooking is complete, add the salt to the sauce.
Prepare the pasta according to package directions, omitting any salt.
Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and serve.
Created by Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD, for Heart Smart and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.
333 calories (16 percent from fat), 6 g fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat), 57 g carbohydrates, 11 g protein, 528 mg sodium, 2 mg cholesterol, 103 mg calcium, 5 g fiber. Food exchanges: 3 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 fat.
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