Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Living in the "boonies" as I do, it is not easy for me to run to the grocery store so I happened to have all of the ingredients to make this VERY tasty casserole this week. I had only made it once before and really liked it and after I decided this was "what's for supper" I could actually feel my mouth watering for it. I just love anything that tastes of tomatoes and this fits the bill. It is a bit labor intensive but if you go ahead and get the rice cooking in the microwave and saute' the cabbage which cooks fairly fast it isn't too bad...worth the work. Caution: It makes plenty so that you can have leftovers for the next day. Of course there are only two of us in our home but my hubby loves leftovers. This is the only recipe I've come across that uses that much thyme also and it does gives it a unique taste. Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• ½ green pepper
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp Paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese (Sargento)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef, onion, and green pepper and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain. Return to pan. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce. Add water to the pan. Simmer until 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 olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and then layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered 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.