Spaghetti can be a quick dinner requiring little more than heating spaghetti sauce & cooking pasta.  But jarred sauce is not too exciting.  This “meaty” add-in turns a plain spaghetti dinner into something much more tasty, nutritious, and satisfying.  You can also incorporate it into lasagna, manicotti and more…

Make this large batch and portion into 1/2 cup size glass freezer jars.  It will make about 10 servings.  Freeze.  Then, on “spaghetti night,” just thaw and heat up one jar (1/2 cup) Italian Mushroom Saute into 1/2 jar (26 oz jar size) of vegan spaghetti sauce (Serves 2).

Italian Mushroom Saute (with Carrot)

1 T Coconut Oil (for the pan)

1 Carrot and/or 1 Red Pepper (chopped)
1 Medium Onion (chopped)
Several Cloves Garlic (to taste) (minced)

Dash salt & pepper
1 T dried basil
1 T Italian Seasoning Blend
1 T Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1/8-1/4 t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

15 med-large Crimini Mushrooms (chopped)
10 med-large Shiitake Mushrooms (chopped)

1 T Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (i.e without anchovy)
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 T Vinegar from Kalamata Olive Jar

6 Kalamata Olives (pitted and minced)
2 Sun-dried Tomato (oil packed or dried & rehydrated; minced)

1 T Red Cooking Wine

In a large saute pan, heat the oil on medium heat and gradually add the ingredients in the following order:

  1. Onion, Garlic & Carrot/Red Pepper + Spices
  2. Mushrooms
  3. Worcestershire, Vinegars
  4. Olives, Tomato
  5. Cooking Wine

It’s done when the mushrooms are cooked and the liquid is reduced.

Italian Mushroom Saute (with Red Pepper)