Cabbage Roll Casserole and the Weekend

I am sharing this recipe at The Weekend Pot Luck.

Go take a look at all the great recipes that are there for the taking (pinning).

 Did you have a nice Labor Day weekend?

We did!

Of course we took another trip on the Harley.

And played a lot of pool.

But most of the weekend was spent at home.

We did some house cleaning and Good willing.

Yeah, got rid of lots of stuff.

Our trip consisted of a visit to Port Clinton, Ohio.

An hour and a half away.....

Just to eat at this fine restaurant.

You can read all the details

CLICK HERE

Monday Johnie fixed his signature rib-eye steaks.

Now let's get back to this yummy casserole.

 Johnie and I discussed how we both love cabbage rolls.

We bought everything we needed to satisfy our love.....

But then I ran across this amazing looking cabbage roll casserole recipe.

I'm thinking,

this would be simple,

satisfying,

and shouldn't take too much time to throw together.

I found the recipe inspiration at Spend With Pennies.

I did make some changes though because 

I was not prepared to make a casserole.

All you have to do is make the sauce,

saute one head of cabbage,

cook the rice,

and then layer it all.

 It has a very interesting topping too.

 As you can see the casserole comes out clean in perfect squares.

The cabbage was cooked perfectly.

Not mushy.

And it looks very pretty on a plate.

But the taste.....

AWESOME!!

Johnie's son tasted it and kept coming back for more.

He lives right behind us.

Cabbage Roll Casserole

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 jar Ragu roasted garlic spaghetti sauce (the normal size)
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. thyme
1 TBS tomato paste
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1 large head cabbage
2 c. cooked rice (I used the 2 c. water to 1 c. rice ratio)
1 TBS olive oil
2 c. shredded Italian cheese
1 egg
1/4 c. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brown beef, onion, and green pepper until beef is fully cooked.
Drain any fat.
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, spaghetti sauce and seasonings.
You will want to cook your rice as you are preparing the sauce.
Simmer the sauce uncovered for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cooked rice.
Chop (shred) your cabbage (I placed this in a large bowl)
Heat 1 TBS of olive oil in a skillet over med. heat.
Add half of the cabbage and saute just until wilted.
Add the first half of wilted cabbage to a 9x13 cake pan.
Top with half of the sauce.
Wilt the second half of the cabbage (I heated up another TBS of olive oil)
Place the second half of wilted cabbage on top of the sauce in the cake pan.
Top with remaining sauce.
Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and remove foil.
In a small bowl mix together the shredded cheese, egg, and milk.
Top casserole with cheese mixture (I just used my fingers to drop it on) and place back in the oven uncovered for another 20 minutes.

See ya'all soon