(Un)Stuffed Cabbage Strata

I picked up the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook this week, and I must admit, I am totally impressed - I will likely try 80% or more of the recipes in the book, which is a lot for me. This one had such a yummilicious picture that I wanted to try it, and even though I'm not normally a fan of cooked cabbage, this gets two thumbs up. It is absolutely outstanding. I'd like to try it with the ground chicken, but since I can't buy it locally, I used ground beef - which was fine. I also used turkey bacon instead of center-cut. I also cheated and used prepackaged coleslaw mix instead of shredding the cabbage myself.

Stuffed Cabbage Strata

Olive oil spray
8 slices center-cut bacon, cut into 2-in pieces
1 1/4 c. minced yellow onion
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
6 cups shredded green cabbage
1 1/2 lb. extra-lean ground chicken bread (or ground beef)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 8-oz cans no-salt added tomato sauce
3/4 cup hot water
hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Spray an 8x8 casserole dish (at least 3 inches deep) with olive oil spray.

Over medium-high heat, cook bacon until cooked and crisping on edges. Transfer to paper towels to cool. Discard all but 1 tbsp. of bacon fat from the skillet.

Add onions and rice to skillet. Over medium heat, cook in bacon fat, stirring, until onions are tender and rice is starting to brown, about 3-5 minutes.

Spread 3 cups of cabbage in an even layer on bottom of baking dish. Top with rice mixture, spreading evenly.

Add the chicken, salt, and pepper to skillet. Cook until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to baking dish with a slotted spoon. Spread remaining 3 cups cabbage over chicken.

Discard any liquid from the skillet and add tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Spoon sauce evenly over casserole. Do not let dish overflow. Lay bacon pieces evenly on top of cabbage. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the cabbage and rice and tender and the strata is heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

271 calories, 32 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 75 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 462 mg sodium