Sausage Lasagna with Basil Cream Sauce

I've been leery of trying lasagna, given all the substitutions that would be required. But I ran across a vegan site, Oh She Glows, that has a wonderful basil cheeze sauce used in a vegan lasagna. I was so intrigued, I gave it a try. It was wonderful! Both the basil cheeze sauce and the vegan lasagna. Even my picky Aspie son, who has a hard time when different food groups touch, liked it. That's success, my friends.

My version is not vegan anymore, but I did enjoy the vegan version. The carnivores in the family, however, requested a little more protein. And so I obliged.

I did not alter the original basil cheeze sauce, so I'm just posting the link. But I did tweak the lasagna.

Sausage Lasagna With Basil Cream Sauce
Recipe adapted from OhSheGlows.com 

On box of lasagna noodles 
1.5 bottles of pasta sauce 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1 sweet onion, chopped 
2 small zucchini, chopped 
1 large red pepper, chopped 
several handfuls of spinach 
Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder 
Italian chicken or turkey sausage (container) 
Lemon Basil Cheeze Sauce 
Daiya cheese (for top)

1.      Preheat oven to 400° F.

2.      Bring a large pot of water to boil.

3.      Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes in a large skillet. Add remaining veggies and saute another 10-15 minutes. Season well with Italian seasoning, Celtic salt, and black pepper.

4.      As veggies sauté, brown sausage and boil lasagna until el dente. Rinse in cold water.

5.      Add 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, half the basil cheeze sauce, half the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, the rest of the cheeze sauce, the sausage, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce.

6.      Sprinkle top with Daiya cheese.

7.      Cover with tin foil and prick with fork a few times. Bake 40-45 minutes.

8.      Remove tin foil and broil for 5 minutes if desired.