I recently had a request for this sauce. It’s excellent with the Lentil Loaf (meatless meatloaf) and happens to be naturally gluten-free. See below for the version made with butter and flour. Here is the gluten-free version of the lentil loaf.
This is one of my favorites; a gift to you! Please leave a comment if you like it.
Mushroom Marsala Sauce (and it’s gluten-free! Make sure to use gf broth)
By Amy Fothergill, The Family Chef
2 tsp olive oil
1-2 Tbl butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp Herbs de provence
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 lbs of assorted mushrooms, sliced (Portobello, crimini, shitake, white, oyster, porcini)
1 tsp sea salt
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup of marsala
2 cups of chicken or veggie broth
2 Tbl cornstarch
1. Place large sauté pan on medium heat. Add oil and only 2 tsp of the butter, then onion, herbs and ground pepper. Cook in pan, stirring once or twice until golden and translucent.
2. Once softened, add the thicker mushrooms first like portobello or oyster. Stir once. Raise heat slightly and cook, stirring only occasionally until mushrooms become brown. If mushrooms are very dry, add a sprinkle of salt. Add the other half of the mushrooms and continue cooking until all of the mushrooms are cooked and brown. There should not be a lot of liquid in the pan; if there is, raise the heat to try to cook off the liquid.
3. Add salt and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring.
4. Add marsala and allow to cook for 1 minute or until mostly evaporated.
5. Add chicken broth and stir. Bring to a simmer.
6. In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry with cornstarch and 2 Tbl cold water. Add to pan and simmer until thickened. If sauce is not thick enough, make more slurry and add more. Cook for 3-5 minutes and serve. Add more butter to give the sauce a creamier consistency.
Note: If you want to make it with regular flour, add 1 Tbl butter to the cooked mushrooms (after step 5). Melt the butter, then add 3 Tbl white flour and stir. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the broth. Continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes until the sauce is thickened. You should not need to add extra butter (but it never hurts!).
Amy, at Lisa´s request for mushroom marsala on her birthday dinner, I used your recipe. Everybody loved it, especially Laurel. She is a sauce girl through and through.
I made maybe 3 modifications. First, I used shallots because I bought those before reading the recipe and did not have onions. I think it was good. Also, I was not careful on the measurement of the stock and think I used a bit much. With 5 minutes left simmering, I added about two shots more marsala to up the flavor. That worked.
I really wanted porcinis but they were not in season and went with small, fresh shitakes. I think I cooked the mushrooms for about 15 before I thought they were brown on a medium flame. Does that sound about right? I thought maybe they should go longer, but most of the liquid was gone and I didn´t want to kill them.
I browned some chicken breasts and thighs in the pan first, then put them in the oven to finish. I cooked the mushroom marsala in the same pan to capture some of that flavor too. Really nice. Good recipe!
So glad it was a hit! Yes, you can use shallots for onions almost any time. Almost any mushrooms works as well.
Yes, it can take 15 minutes. If mushrooms look dry while cooking, add a pinch of salt to bring out a little moisture but not too much.
It’s usually not a problem to add extra stock. Good call on the extra Marsala. The only other thing that you might need to adjust is salt and pepper. Sounds like it was a big hit, though, so as you see, the recipe can just be a guideline. Thanks for the comment!