Italian style meat sauce

This is another of my "I never actually measure anything" recipes.

I use this meat sauce for lasagne and also for spaghetti/pasta. The ever picky Katharine won't eat the lasagne because it's "too spicey", so I just throw some cooked spaghetti through a cup of it for her when we are eating lasagne. She seems to think it tastes different. I also get to add vegies to this, which is great. Neither my husband nor Katharine eat carrots, so I get them in whenever I can *grins*

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chili
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 large tin of tomatoes (use the whole peeled ones. The diced ones seem to be slimier, and have too much juice around them)
• 1 cup red wine
• 500 g mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1.5 kg mince (preferably beef)

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a large frying pan or large saucepan
2. Add onions, garlic and chili - cook until transparent
3. Add mushrooms and carrots, stirring through until the pan is dry
4. Add wine, and simmer for a short while
5. Break up minced meat into pinches, stirring occasionally while doing it
6. Continue breaking up meat as you're going
7. When meat is almost completely browned, add tomato paste, and stir through thoroughly
8. Add tin of tomatoes, crushing in your hand as you are going
9. Simmer until you have a thick, rich sauce.

This makes 2 family sized lasagnes, 1 serve for Katharine, plus around 2 cups of sauce left over.

I'd also suggest adding salt and pepper to taste - but since I have a husband who adds snow to all meals, I don't bother.