Mushroom Marinara Sauce--Easy

This is a quicker version of my basic tomato sauce. I cut several corners in this recipe, without sacrificing too much. Instead of pureeing the tomatoes for a smooth sauce, I leave it chunky. I do not use a knife or cutting board for the preparation (although you could, of course). Rather, I use an egg slicer to slice mushrooms and a garlic press to mince garlic. The sauce is started when the pot of water for the pasta is put on the stove. When the pasta is cooked, the sauce is ready.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 10  medium white button mushrooms, wiped clean
•  salt
•  pepper
• 3  garlic cloves
•  red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  dried bay leaf
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Start by heating the oil over medium-low heat in a large pan.
2. Slice mushrooms with egg slicer.
3. When all the mushrooms are sliced, raise the heat on the pan to medium and add the mushrooms.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the mushrooms are tender and their juices released.
5. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and reduce the heat to medium-low.
6. Using the garlic press, place a clove of unpeeled garlic into the press and add right to the pan (using a fork to get the garlic off the press as necessary). Discard the peel, and continue with the remaining garlic.
7. Stir in the pressed garlic and add a small pinch of red pepper flakes.
8. Open the can of tomatoes and pour the liquid right into the pan.
9. With a kitchen scissor, chop the tomatoes coarsely, right in the can, then, add them to the sauce.
10. Add more seasoning, the bay leaf and dried basil, thyme and sugar, then simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes (while the pasta cooks).
11. When it is almost time to serve, add a little of the pasta cooking liquid to the sauce.
12. Using the scissors, snip the parsley leaves into the sauce.
13. I taste for seasoning, discard bay leaf and serve over cooked pasta.