Whimsy Bower: March 2026

02 March 2026

Recipe: Slow-Simmered Pasta Sauce

A delicious vegan sauce that's a hit even with diehard carnivores!

Slow-Simmered Pasta Sauce

1 litre (approx. 4 cups) tomato juice (you can also use crushed tomatoes, thinned with a little water)

1 med-lg yellow onion, chopped

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

250 g (8 oz) cremini/brown/baby bella mushrooms, chopped coarsely

1 large sweet bell pepper, chopped

3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 dried bay leaf

1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped

1 Tbs dried parsley (or a small bunch of fresh leaves, stems removed and leaves chopped)

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Good quality olive oil

Your choice of fresh or dried pasta

Pour 1 to 2 Tbs olive oil into a large pot (enamelled cast iron, if you've got it). Heat over med-low heat and add onion. Stir until softened and translucent, then add garlic and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are softened (about 5 minutes), add in pepper. Cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

Add tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes to the pan with the vegetables. Stir well. Add in oregano, bay leaf, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes (if using), and salt. Stir again, then cover pot with lid. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove lid from pot and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings (at this time you can add in some ground black pepper, if desired). Lower heat so that the sauce is lightly simmering, and partially place lid back on (leaving a gap for steam to escape). Leave on a low simmer for two or more hours, stirring occasionally (once every 30 minutes). The sauce doesn't need to be watched constantly, so you can do other things while it's cooking (but it does need to simmer that long). If sauce gets too thick as it's cooking, add a little more tomato juice, broth, or water.

Sauce is ready anytime after the 2 hour simmer (although the longer you can let it go, the better). Remove bay leaf. Cook pasta according to package directions.

As soon as pasta is cooked and drained, place in individual bowls or plates, and add a generous amount of sauce. Add some grated cheese, if you want (I like Asiago) and serve with a salad and bread on the side.

Serves 2 to 4

Variations

1. Add a bunch of washed, chopped spinach to the pan when you add the tomato sauce.

2. Chop a small zucchini and add the pieces to the pan when you add the bell pepper.

3. Add some butter to the olive oil when cooking the vegetables, or stir 1 to 2 Tbs of butter into the sauce after simmering.

The basic ingredients. I had mini sweet peppers on hand, so I used the equivalent of a bell pepper.

I meant to take more pictures, but got distracted and forgot (oops).

Feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments. And if you make this, let me know how it turned out. Don't forget to get my books (links follow)!