Spaghetti with Marvelous Mushroom Marinara.

They say there are no seasons in the Mid West and while that often appears to be true I think a more accurate description of a Mid Western Climate would be to say that they have two very long and extreme seasons, and two very short and mild one. They say there is no Spring here, but there is, it’s generally squeezed in between the end of April and Early Mid May. It’s a glorious two to three week period of overcast skies, occasional sun, mild temperatures and periodic rain. Judging from the intense heat and blaring sun of the past two days however I’d say our Mid Western Spring is once again over. Unfortunately my internal clock hasn’t quite caught up to this rapid-fire seasonal shift because I’m still craving end of winter early spring foods. Of course nobody wants to stir pots of soup, or eat roast anything when it’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Still, I would like to share an awesome, and very simple spaghetti with Marinara recipe. For those of you who may be living in a more mild climate where summer hasn’t yet caught up to you, perhaps you can still enjoy it without sweating at your stove. For those of you stuck in a seasonal wasteland like me, maybe a nice cool day will swing by your way, or maybe you’ll just want spaghetti so bad you won’t give a damn about the heat. Either way Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Marvelous Mushroom Marinara.

Ingridients:

1 lb Whole Wheat or Gluten-Free Spaghetti.
2 tsp Olive oil
8 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp dried thyme
4 tsp dried oregeno (or more to taste)
2 tbsp dried parsley (or more to taste)
2 tbsp dried basil (or more to taste)
1 yellow Onion
2 24oz cans Crushed tomatoes
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz fresh baby bella mushrooms
1-2 tsp dried sage.
sea salt, garlic powder and black pepper to taste

Instructions

- Fill a pot with water and set it on the stove to boil. When boiling, cook spaghetti according to package directions.

- place another pot on the stove, turn to medium heat and pour in 1 tsp of olive oil. Dice onion, and add it to the pot. Saute on medium for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Crush garlic cloves and add to the pot while onions saute. Then add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes and spices. Taste for garlic and if not garlicky enough for your taste buds sprinkle in a bit of garlic powder. Bring sauce to boil then reduce to medium low heat and let simmer.

- place one tsp olive oil in a pan and heat. Slice mushrooms thinly, then place in the pan and sprinkle with a bit of black pepper and sage. Saute lightly on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. (Until browned)

- Once browned add mushrooms to the sauce pot. You can add a bit more sage in at this point if you like or leave it as is. Continue to let sauce simmer about 30-45 minutes total, and taste again for seasonings.

- If your spaghetti is done before your sauce, drain it and return it ot the warm pot, off the heat, it’ll be okay sitting there until sauce is done.

- When everything is done divide spaghetti amongst plates and top with the sauce, and enjoy.
I was very pleased with this sauce, and I’ll tell you I am no fan of the mushroom. Lately however I’ve been venturing out into the wild world of the fungi. What’s great about this sauce is that it provides a similar texture as a meat sauce, and it doesn’t taste overly of mushrooms. So even mushroom haters like myself can enjoy it.

Now I do have to apologize because I am not the most exact cook. I never have been, even when I’m suppose to be fallowing a recipe. So my measurements aren’t always exact, but I tried to do my best here (that’s why you see so many ‘to taste’s’) What I’m even worse at however is watching the clock when I cook. I never pay attention, again even when fallowing a recipe. My husband makes endless fun of me for this, whenever he asks when something will be ready my answer is almost always some variation of "Well, not too long, like 5 or 10 minutes maybe" again I tried to be as accurate as possible here, but really you’ll do fine. Spaghetti isn’t rocket science, neither is marinara, just use your own discretion.

*** Note: This recipe is Gluten-Free if using Gluten-Free Pasta***