Preparation Steps

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large 9 x 12 or 13 x 10-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add the ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Remove ground beef and set aside.
• 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.
• 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; 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 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. Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Cut into 10 slices and serve hot.