Nana's Lasagna

We inherited this recipe from Carl's nana, and (from what I hear) it was favorite in Carl's family growing up, and it's now a favorite in our family.  We made a few changes to the original recipe, mostly adding more vegetables and seasonings.  The dash of paprika on top reminds us of Nana.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lasagna noodles
• 1.5 lbs. ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 (18oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, thoroughly drained
• 16oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 16oz fresh mozzarella, shredded (or pulled into small pieces:)
• 1/3lb. shredded parmesan (about 2/3 cups)
• fresh basil leaves
• dash of smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large pot, boil the lasagna noodles according to package directions.  In a dutch oven brown the ground beef.  Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, mushrooms, and oregano, cooking until the onion is tender.  Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes.  In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta and egg.  In a greased lasagna pan, layer the lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil leaves.  (We typically get about 3 layers.)  Sprinkle the paprika on top.  Bake for 30 minutes.