Meat and Eggplant Sauce Lasagna

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and garlic, cook and stir until onions start turning clear, approximately 5-10 minutes. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring until browned and crumbly, around 5-7 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, then fill one of the empty tomato cans with water and add to the sauce.

Incorporate diced eggplant, zucchini, sliced mushrooms, diced carrots, tomato puree, salt, dried basil, ground black pepper, dried oregano, and bay leaf into the sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld together, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until they are tender yet firm to the bite, roughly 8 minutes. Drain the noodles and lay them out on paper towels to dry; discard any broken pieces.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg. Season with salt and pepper to your liking, then whisk thoroughly to combine.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Coat the bottom of a large baking pan with a layer of the meat sauce. Layer lasagna noodles over the sauce, followed by a layer of the ricotta mixture, another layer of meat sauce, and a generous sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Repeat these layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with a top layer of sauce and cheese. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven until the lasagna is bubbling, about 30-35 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Continue baking until the top is golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes more. Let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow it to set.