NOT Lasagna - I'm just going to call it "food"

Aaron asked if I had a Paleo lasagna recipe and I told him I did, but hadn't made it yet. I decided to make it last night. And while the recipe itself tastes very good, I had this mentality going into my first bite of cheesy goodness and found myself completely disappointed.  So...I'm not going to call this recipe lasagna because I believe you also will find your first bite a complete disappointment.  Instead, I am going to call it food. Or maybe and Italian casserole.

Italian Casserole (borrowed and adapted from Everyday Paleo)

Ingredients:

6 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 lbs ground beef (preferably grass fed)
1 lb Italian sausage (I used Boulder Sausage brand)
1 red onion, diced
2 heaping TBSP minced garlic
2 TBSP dried oregano
2 TBSP dried basil
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 TBSP olive oil
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, no salt added, drained
1 small can of tomato paste
1 cup black olives, sliced (I used Lindsey Organic)

Method:

Thinly slice zucchini into even rounds. I used a mandolin slicer to make them noodle-like and found it would have been better to slice them into rounds.

In large soup pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are transparent. Set aside. Brown ground beef and sausage and drain excess fat.  Combine meat, onions and garlic, all spices, tomatoes, and tomato paste and mix well.

Heat oven to 350 F.

In a large baking dish, layer half of the zucchini in the bottom and spread half the meat mixture over the top. Sprinkle with half of the olives. Repeat.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Let sit 10 minutes before serving.