Mushroom Tomato Sauce (Vegan Mushroom Sauce)

A delicious alternative to ground beef meat sauce, our Mushroom Tomato Sauce will satisfy your beef cravings and taste amazing on pasta. Our vegetarian meat sauce is a delicious way to eat more plant-based foods.

Are you hopping on the plant-based bandwagon yet? Plant-based eating is all the hype now and actually is so good for your health and your body.

Jump to:

• Mushroom Tomato Sauce
• Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
• Substitutions
• How to make mushroom tomato pasta sauce
• Storage
• Ingredients for a mushroom pasta sauce
• What to serve with pasta sauce
• Mushroom Tomato Sauce Recipe

Mushroom Tomato Sauce

Anytime you can incorporate more plants in your menu is a good time for healthier eating.

This recipe is also a vegan mushroom sauce for those who are following a more strict vegan diet.

I replaced the ground beef in a meat sauce for pasta with hearty mushrooms. Mushrooms actually have a meaty flavor so the substitution is a natural one.

Our meatless meat sauce tastes so much like the real thing with the addition of red wine and a hint of balsamic vinegar for a depth of flavor.

You can make this mushroom meat sauce with a combination of mushrooms or with just your favorite type of mushroom.

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When I was working on this recipe I used my food processor to chop the mushrooms for a finer texture and then made the sauce again using a knife to chop the mushrooms for a chunkier meat-like texture.

Either way, the flavor was the same. It’s just a personal preference for how you want the texture of your mushroom sauce to be.

I used a combination of white button mushrooms, baby bellos and oyster mushrooms.

I’ve also made this recipe with only baby bello mushrooms and both sauces tasted so delicious.

If you are in a hurry you can cook up the mushrooms and onion, without the seasoniings, as directed in the recipe and then add your favorite jarred pasta sauce. The jarred sauce will have all the seasonings in it already.

Let it simmer for a bit so the flavors come together. It’s a great shortcut for a quick and easy mushroom pasta sauce on a busy weeknight.

So here’s my question for you. Would you call this a mushroom gravy or a mushroom sauce?

There’s a big controversy regarding gravy v sauce, especially when you’re Italian like I am.

In my family it’s always been tomato sauce because gravy is something you serve over meat, not pasta. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this controversy.

I find it fascinating and am amused at how passionate people are when it comes to their pasta gravy and their pasta sauce. LOL

Whatever you want to call this mushroom marinara, I think we can all agree that it is a delicious alternative to a meat sauce.

While we're on the topic of mushrooms, what do mushrooms taste like is a good post all about this yummy fungi!

This easy sauce recipe will taste absolutely delicious when served with our easy homemade pasta recipe.

Looking for another plant based recipe? Be sure to give my white bean veggie chili a try too!

Be sure to visit Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for GG's personal kitchen recommendations!

Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips

• Take a short cut and use jarred pasta sauce. Just cook the mushrooms and onion, without the seasonings, as directed in the recipe then simmer with your favorite jarred pasta sauce. The jarred sauce will have all the seasonings in it already.
• You can make this recipe with just one type of mushroom or a combination of mushrooms
• This recipe tastes delicious without the balsamic vinegar too

Substitutions

• Substitute beef broth for the red wine
• Substitute jarred pasta sauce for the crushed tomatoes and water
• Substitute 1/2 teaspoon salt for 1 teaspoon kosher salt

How to make mushroom tomato pasta sauce

Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below

Process the mushrooms in a food processor for a fine texture or chop them with a knife for a meatier texture.

Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepot.

Cook mushrooms, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt and pepper until the mushrooms release their liquid and cook down in volume about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add red wine and vinegar, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in crushed tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Storage

• To store your mushroom sauce, let it come to room temperature after cooking.
• Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store, covered, in the refrigerator.
• The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Ingredients for a mushroom pasta sauce

• mushrooms
• olive oil
• onion
• garlic
• dried italian seasoning
• kosher salt
• pepper
• red wine
• Balsamic vinegar
• crushed tomatoes
• water

What to serve with pasta sauce

• Homemade Pasta
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Beer Bread With Roasted Garlic
• Caprese Salad from Jersey Girl Cooks