Loaded Lasagna

Years ago, we used to be pasta people. In Tennessee, before children, we ate out A LOT and I always ordered pasta. I love pasta. Love, love, love. Then we moved to Germany and the Italians there made pasta like I'd never had before, so much better than in the States! Again, we ate out all the time, and I usually ordered pasta. Pasta can't get much easier. You can meld so many different flavors together, so many different ways and create a new and flavorful dish every night of the week if you wish. Alas, my love of pasta kind of got sidetracked when I moved to NM and discovered green chile. I love green chile. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. So, we don't eat much pasta here and now with Paleo, not at all.

The production of so much almond cream cheese for my one coffee cake (last week) lead me to thoughts on what I could use the rest for. It wasn't really a cream cheese texture, more like ricotta. And then it came to me...LASAGNA. The mother of all pasta dishes, my favorite as a child, the one dish I can really make and everyone loves...I could recreate with Paleo using sliced zucchini for the noodles.

I am not so ambitious to make my own sausage, so I bought some all-natural, hand-made from the butcher. I (shhh!) did buy two cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes because the thought of boiling and peeling tomatoes today almost sent me over the edge and I would've had to eat the dozen mini cakes I purchased yesterday at Cake Fetish (another story). So, I set to baking, and all I can say is...YUM. Zucchini really does have the texture and consistency of a noodle and held up perfect for the layers. Even Shawn loved it, and that's amazing, since my concoctions are not his fav.

Paleo Lasagna

2 T evoo

1 leek, cleaned and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes

1 T oregano

1 1/2 cups pre-made almond cream cheese*

2 T pre-made basil pesto

1 lb. hot Italian sausage

1 large zucchini, sliced in 1/8" pieces

Preheat oven to 350°. In medium saucepan, heat evoo over med-high heat. Add leeks and garlic and saute until translucent. Add diced tomatoes and bring to simmer. Cook sausage in separate skillet, breaking up into small pieces with spoon as it cooks, and until no longer pink. Add cooked sausage to sauce and turn on low while you make the next mixture.

To the 1 1/2 cups of cream cheese add the oregano and pre-made pesto. Mix well.

In a casserole dish (my was 6x9) put a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Next, layer 3-6 zucchini pieces, depending on fit. Spread about 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture on top of zucchini and then add 1/2c sauce. Layer zucchini, cheese and sauce, ending with sauce until the dish is full. Bake for 45 minutes and let rest for 5 min. before serving. Try not to moan and flutter eyelids while eating.