unstuffed cabbage casserole

How To Make unstuffed cabbage casserole

• 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large glass or baking casserole dish (12" x 10" or larger) with nonstick spray.
• 2

  Heat 2 tsp oil in a large frying pan; add ground beef & cook until it's done & nicely browned, breaking apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef to a bowl. Set aside.
• 3

  In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if needed, then add chopped onion & cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent & starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme & paprika & cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce & ground beef. Rinse each of the cans out with a little water (about 1/4 C total) & add to the pan. Let mixture simmer until it's hot & slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
• 4

  While the meat mixture simmers, cut cabbage in 1/2, cut out the core & remove any wilted outer leaves, & then chop the cabbage coarsely into pieces. Heat about 2 tsp oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven with high sides, add the cabbage & cook over medium high heat until the cabbage is wilted & about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts & cooks. Season cabbage with salt & pepper.
• 5

  When the meat & tomato sauce mixture has cooked 15 - 20 minutes & thickened a bit, stir in the 2 C cooked rice & mix to combine.
• 6

  Spray a large glass or crockery casserole dish with nonstick spray & the layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, other half of cabbage & other half of meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil & bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.
• 7

  Remove foil & sprinkle on cheese. Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted & starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.
• 8

  NOTE: This freezes well. To reheat, I would recommend thawing overnight in the refrigerator & then either microwaving it until hot or heating in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.
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