Lasagna - Vegetarian and Meat Lovers

We experimented with lasagna this weekend since we had family over. We prepared it at the same time and used the same sauce and spices. The veggie lasagna has zucchini, onions, and red pepper and the meat lovers has loads of ground chuck. We didn't make as much of the veggie dish since I eat a tad bit less than Ron.
All in all, we were happy with the dishes and look forward to reheating them for lunches this week.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup diced red pepper
• 2 zucchini, sliced ¼” thick
• 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms
• 2 26 oz. jars spaghetti sauce
• kosher salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 12 oven ready lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.     Cook ground beef in first large skillet along with half of the onions and garlic until brown and all fat is absorbed. (Approximately 20 minutes.) Drain if fat remains.

3.     Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in second large (12- or 14-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add remaining onions and garlic into skillet. Cook several minutes until vegetables start to soften.

4.     Add zucchini, mushrooms, and bell peppers to the second (vegetarian) skillet only. Cook 4 to 5 more minutes until the vegetables have released most of their water.

5.     Stir in ½ the sauce mixture to each skillet.

6.     Add basil, oregano, and Italian seasoning to each skillet.

7.     Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer about 7-10 minutes.

8.   In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese and eggs together. Set aside.

9.   Place the meat lovers lasagna baking dish near the meat sauce and the vegetarian dish near the vegetable sauce to prevent a mix up. Spoon enough red sauce to cover bottoms of two 8 x 8 pans. Spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture on four lasagna noodles, and place on the red sauce. It's okay if they overlap. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese and another layer of sauce.

10.  Repeat two times. Top with the remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the spaghetti sauce.

11.  Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 10-20 minutes until golden and bubbly. Let lasagna rest 15 minutes before cutting.

12.  Top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese