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Steak and mushroom marinara is a hearty and rich pasta dish that’s packed with bites of yummy steak, mushrooms, celery, carrots, onion, tomatoes, and decadent herbs.
If you like a meaty red sauce or bolognese-style pasta, get ready for this decadent steak and mushroom marinara pasta dish. It’s got everything you could want in a filling pasta meal and makes enough for a crowd (or to keep for leftovers!). It’s the perfect meal for transitioning into the cooler weather of incoming fall — and can I just tell you? I am SO ready for fall! As much as I love the summer and basking in the warmth of long, sunny days, there’s something about this transition to orange, crunchy leaves and brisk breezy air and warm, hearty meals that makes my heart full. Pasta will always and forever be at the top of my warm, hearty meal list, too.
For more savory, flavorful, and delicious pasta dinner ideas, you’ll love my simple One Pot Pasta Primavera, Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta, and Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta (perfect for fall!).
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Rich Flavor: The combination of tender steak, earthy mushrooms, and savory marinara sauce is so rich and satisfying.
- Hearty and Filling: With all the steak and mushrooms, this sauce will leave you feeling satisfied.
- Impressive Presentation: The steak and mushroom marinara is easy to make but fancy enough to serve on special occasions.
Ingredients
- Steak
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Basil
- One Large Can Crushed Tomatoes
- One Large Can Whole Tomatoes
- Fresh Mushrooms
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Pasta
- Fresh Grated Parmesan
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Steak and Mushroom Marinara
Step #1. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the steak cubes and brown on all sides. Remove the steak to a clean plate, then add more olive oil and repeat with the rest of the steak.
Step #3. Add both cans of tomatoes to the skillet, smashing some of the whole tomatoes, and then stir in the meat. Simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours until the meat is tender.
Step #2. Once all the steak has been removed, reduce the heat, add more olive oil, and add the veggies, rosemary, and basil to the skillet, cooking til soft.
Step #4. 15-20 minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms and season well with salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms are added, cook the pasta. Serve the pasta topped with the marinara and garnished with parmesan.
Recipe FAQs
The two main ingredients are — as you may have guessed — steak and mushrooms, cut into small, bite-sized pieces. There’s also chopped onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, basil, canned whole and crushed tomatoes, and salt and pepper. I like serving it over top spaghetti with some parmesan on top. For a kick of heat, sprinkle red pepper flakes on top, too!
Yes, you can! This sauce is perfect over your favorite pasta noodles — it would be great on penne, shell, or angel hair noodles. You could also put it on spaghetti squash for a lower carb option!
Because this pasta is made using a lot of fresh vegetables and herbs, I’d recommend only storing it in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. It does make a pretty huge batch, so if you have leftovers, try storing it in the freezer for a future rainy day (or super busy day) when you don’t have time to cook. Put the sauce in a freezer-safe container after it’s totally cooled, store it for up to 3 months. Just thaw, reheat, and serve it over fresh-cooked pasta when you’re ready to have it! I love having ready a few freezer meals on the nights I know I won’t have time to cook dinner from scratch.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to choose a cut of beef best for slow cooking, such as chuck roast or top sirloin.
- Don’t be tempted to crowd the pan when browning the steak. You want the pan to be nice and hot and the steak to be able to spread out a bit so that it gets that delicious brown all over.
- Use fresh mushrooms, not canned. It’s a tempting shortcut but it just won’t be as delicious.
More Pasta Recipes to Consider
Recipe Collections
Zucchini Recipes
Chicken Recipes
Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Pasta (One Pot!)
Pasta Dishes
Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
Pasta Dishes
Pumpkin Alfredo
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Steak and Mushroom Marinara
Ingredients
- 2 pounds steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 carrots, finely chopped or grated
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 ounce
- 1 can whole tomatoes, undrained (28 ounce)
- 3 packages mushrooms, (1 1/2 pounds), sliced
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds pasta
- Fresh grated parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add a swirl of olive oil to the pan, and wait until it is shimmering and very hot.
- Salt and pepper the steak while the oil is heating. Add half of the cubed meat to the hot pan and allow the meat to sear and brown on all sides. Move the meat to a clean plate, and repeat with more oil and the other half of the meat. Remove the second batch of meat from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add another swirl of olive oil.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, rosemary, and basil.
- Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the veggies are soft, stirring as needed.
- Add the crushed tomatoes. Pour the whole tomatoes and juice into the pot, but while you are pouring, catch the tomatoes in your hand and smash them.
- Add the meat and any juice from the plate back to the pan. Reduce the heat to low or medium-low, and allow the sauce to slowly simmer, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cook until the meat is tender.
- Add the mushrooms 15 to 20 minutes before you are ready to serve.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- While the mushrooms are cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Serve the sauce over hot cooked noodles with grated parmesan on top.
Notes
- I used a quart of home-canned tomatoes in place of the whole canned tomatoes. You may need to add a little broth or water to your sauce if it starts to thicken too much before it’s had time to cook.
- If you don’t want to squish the tomatoes by hand, drain the liquid into the pot and give them a quick rough chop on a cutting board.
- Be sure to choose a cut of steak that works well for slow cooking.
- The recipes makes a bunch! I would half the recipe or plan on freezing half for a quick second meal. Just freeze the sauce by itself, thaw, reheat, and serve over freshly cooked noodles. I love having a tasty meal waiting for me in the freezer.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2012, and has been updated and rephotographed in September 2019.
Love this recipe and shared the link on my blog. Hope that’s ok!
This looks amazing. And I think I just happen to have all the ingreds at the moment… Dinner!
And call me when you get two minutes together.