Truly SIMPLE Mushroom Marinara Sauce

Alas, Lent it almost over!  I'm getting tired of fish on Fridays though!  Tonight, I figured I would make something different, but I didn't feel like using jarred sauce (I'm feeling rather ambitious today)  I decided to make sauce while Eoin ate breakfast this morning, and since I had some left over mushrooms from the other night, that I didn't use in the salad, I figured what could be better than a mushroom marinara?  The original recipe was featured in the April 2010 issue of Woman's Day, of course I spruced it up with the mushrooms!  You can double and triple this recipe and freeze the sauce for later use.  I highly recommend this, however I didn't do it myself this time.  We're gearing up to move at the end of the month, and the less in my freezer, the better! 

This makes about 7 cups (if you only need it for pasta, use half and then freeze half)

Ingredients:

• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 container of white mushrooms, about 7 mushrooms, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced (I used the equivalent in minced jarred garlic)
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cans (28 oz each) no-salt-added crushed tomatoes (stock up when they're on sale, you won't regret it!)
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Coat a 5-quart saucepan with non-stick cooking spray.  Heat over medium heat.
2. Add onion, cook for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften.  Add mushrooms, and cook down, stirring occasionally.  You want the mushrooms to be soft, and the onions to be clear.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar and the garlic, and stir into the onion and mushroom mixture.  Let cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper.  Stir to combine and heat til boiling.  Lower heat to low, cover and simmer for a half hour.  Salt and pepper to taste.