'I' is for Italian Seasoning

(source)

... as in homemade marinara sauce with Italian seasoning!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. mushrooms, chopped
• 6 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
  
• 1 onion, half chopped and half diced
• 3 tbs. olive oil
• 3 tbs. Italian seasoning
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

1.) Add olive oil to large pot set over medium heat. Add diced onions and cook till clear. Add chopped onions and celery to pot and cook for about 6 minutes.

Whenever I make sauces or soups, I dice half the onion and cook that half first.
That way they get REALLY well cooked and pretty much disintegrate into the sauce/soup.
It's a flavor thing.


2.) When onions and celery are cooked through, add chopped mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


3.) Add in the salt, pepper, garlic and Italian seasoning and stir well. Cook till fragrant about 2 minutes.


4.) Add in chopped tomatoes and cook till veggies have released most of their water content. When sauce is liquid, turn up heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let sauce simmer, covered, for about 20 more minutes or until all the tomatoes have cooked down to a sauce consistency.


5.) ENJOY!

Mini-Review
Good but could use a lot more improving. For instance tomato paste would have been good to thicken this up... the sauce came out kinda watery. Little more salt and little less herbs. And throw in some red pepper flakes to kick it up a notch and it would be good to go! I'm gonna try this one again for sure!

Check out how big these mushrooms were!