Kalyn's Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

By á-6416

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese (Sargento)

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

Preheatoven to 350°F.
Spraya large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 10")

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat;
addground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.
In the same pan,
add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and
cookover medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
Addthe minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then
addthe diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef.
Addwater to the pan.
Simmeruntil it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves;
chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.
Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven;
addthe cabbage and
cookover medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks.
Seasonwith salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit,
stir inthe 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.
Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and the
layerhalf the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture.
Covertightly with foil and
bake40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.
Removefoil and
sprinkleon cheese (if using.)
Bakeuncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.
Freezer friendly if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.