Beef and Mushroom Ragu

Some of you may have seen this yummy pot of sauce simmering away on my Facebook page the other day.  Were you drooling over it like me?

I no longer like to buy jarred sauces unless I'm in a pinch, lazy or a recipe specifically calls for it.  Homemade sauce just taste so much better.  Especially when they simmer on the stove all afternoon.  

I had two boxes of Barilla penne pasta in the cupboard, so I figured it was time to use some of it up.  Throw in tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and a bit more and viola - you have ragu.

Beef and Mushroom Ragu

1 lb. ground chuck

2 c. button mushrooms, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 T. minced garlic (the more the better!)

1 t. garlic salt

1 t. pepper

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

In a medium sized pot, brown ground chuck and carrot, drain.  Add mushrooms and garlic, cook on low for 5 minutes.  Add in remaining ingredients and simmer on low for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.  Serve with your favorite pasta.

And of course with a nice hunk of garlic bread.  Or be like my husband and stand over the stove and just eat the ragu with a spoon and nothing else.  Nice.

Tomorrow we are headed to a relatives house for a fish fry - haven't been to one of those in a long while!  And, it's my birthday.  The big 3-0.  I've been trying to ignore it, but it's snuck up on me this summer.

What birthday did you least enjoy?  Most enjoy?