Cabbage Roll Casserole

Preheat the oven to 375F and spray a large baking dish generously with cooking spray; set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. I prefer to salt the water but it's up to you. Add the cabbage pieces and boil for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until softened. Drain and set aside when done.

While the cabbage is boiling, separately to a large skillet, add the ground beef, onions, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the beef is done and the onions are soft and translucent. Crumble and stir and toss the beef frequently as it cooks to ensure even browning. Note - I don't find the need to drain any excess grease because I use extra-lean ground beef and there's nothing to drain, but if you want to drain yours, do it.

Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cook for 1 minute; stir nearly constantly.

Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, rice (see Notes below), and stir to combine. Bring it to a simmer and allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes uncovered, allowing some liquid volume to evaporate as steam. The rice will soak up some of the liquid as well, and the flavors will marry.

To the prepared baking dish, add half the cabbage pieces. You can just scatter them over the base of the baking dish.

Then top with HALF the meat and rice mixture, half the cheese.

Repeat by adding the remaining cabbage, the remaining half the meat and rice mixture, and the remaining cheese.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil - if you're making straight through, carry on. Make Ahead - If you're making this ahead or in advance, stop now, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours before baking it off. When baking it, allow the casserole dish to sit at room temp on your counter for at least 45 minutes as to not unnecessarily lengthen the baking time using a very cold baking dish.

Bake the casserole covered for about 25-30 minutes, or until it's hot and bubbly.

Remove the foil, and return it to the oven uncovered for about 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is as golden browned as desired. Serve immediately.