Recipe of the Week: Kalyn's Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

This recipe is from SkinnyTaste.com, which is one of my favorite cooking blogs.  I haven't actually had stuffed cabbage, but it sounded good and my mom once mentioned that my grandma used to make this for her growing up so I wanted to try it.  This recipe was the less labor intensive version.  I'm assuming that it tastes similar.  Someday I'll make the actual thing.  I liked it.  It has a nice comfort, homey taste, plus it's pretty healthy.

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 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
4. 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.
5. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and the 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.